is it legal to own a lockpick set in california
Lock picking In the United States, laws concerning possession of lock picks vary from state to state. Generally, possession and use of lock picks is considered equivalent to the possession of a crowbar or any other tool that may or may not be used in a burglary. Possession of lock picks with an intent for their unlawful use is generally prosecuted as a misdemeanor under the category of possession of burglary tools or similar statutes. In many states, simple possession of lock picks is completely legal, as the statutes only prohibit the possession of lock picks or the activity of lock picking when there is a malicious intent.[25] This is the case in Arizona,[26] California,[25] Utah,[27] Maine,[citation needed] Massachusetts,[28] New Hampshire,[29] Washington D.C., Washington State,[30] and New York.[31] Some states, such as California and New York, impose restrictions on businesses, such as prohibiting the operation of a locksmithing business without a license and imposing requirements to keep records about sales of lock picking devices.[25][32][33]