Well, that didn’t take long. Senate Bill 18 would outlaw possession of locksmithing tools by anyone unlicensed as a locksmith in North Carolina and triple the cost of getting that license, among other things. Oh, it would grant this new power: “Authorize the chair, by majority vote, to issue subpoenas allowing the Board to obtain the records of a person or company offering locksmith services, including an employee of a company, a contractor, or subcontractor.”
And it makes a change to the law enforcement and fireman exception. Right now policemen and firemen, acting in the line of duty, may open “locked doors to vehicles, homes, or businesses.” That’s not good enough for the locksmith board, who wants it allowed only “in a life?threatening emergency or during the investigation of a crime.”
Gee, I can’t wait to see the North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board subpoena a volunteer firefighter for helping a child who locked herself in the bathroom in order to determine whether it was a truly life-threatening emergency. This is one board that is sorely in need of perspective. Criminy. (Then again, at least it isn’t protecting unknowing members of the public from shielding its own members conducting ghastly human experimentation like the NC Medical Board.)
Read more about how occupational licensing boards raise costs on consumers and protect current members of the profession from competition in my new Spotlight report, “Guild By Association.”
