Liberty Safe Facing Investigation After Customer Code Sharing Backlash

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Gun safe maker Liberty Safe, which has come under fire for giving the FBI access to the safe of an alleged Jan. 6 rioter, now faces an investigation in Missouri over its controversial decision.

The state Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, announced on Tuesday that his office was launching an investigation into the company's release of its customer's safe code to federal investigators, saying that the FBI "did not have a court order ordering Liberty Safe to provide the safe's combination."

"I am using every tool at my disposal to protect the rights of all Missourians," Bailey said. "That's why my office is opening this investigation to ensure Liberty Safe is not deceiving its customers in its terms of service."

Gun rights protest
In this picture: A pro-gun rally, organized by Gun Owner's Action League of Massachusetts on Boston Common in Boston, MA on April 3, 2013. Gun safe maker Liberty Safe, which has come under fire for... Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images

The gun safe maker was harshly criticized by gun owners, customers, and conservative commentators earlier this month when it revealed it had voluntarily given access to alleged Jan. 6 rioter Nathan Earl Hughes' safe in response to a search warrant from the FBI during an investigation.

Hughes was arrested on August 30 on felony and misdemeanor charges related to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The case sparked a backlash against the company, with conservative commentators and gun owners attacking Liberty Safe and even calling for a boycott.

"Liberty Safe is an enemy to gun owners," Charlie Kirk, the founder of right-wing student group Turning Point USA, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "They could have fought the warrant [...] instead they buckled and bent over. Your guns are not safe with @libertysafeinc. Boycott. Ridicule. Ruin their company."

Liberty Safe initially defended itself saying that their "company protocol is to provide access codes to law enforcement if a warrant grants them access to property."

But the Missouri attorney general is now accusing the company of not being honest and transparent with its customers about the sharing of their safe's code information with third parties.

"In an era where the federal government weaponizes our national security apparatus against political opponents, the last thing we need is for a private company to sell out its fellow Americans under pressure from federal bureaucrats," Bailey said in announcing the investigation.

In response to the backlash, Liberty Safe said it had revised its policies, pledging only to give federal officials access to customers' safes after receiving a subpoena, instead of a simple search warrant.

Newsweek contacted Liberty Safe and the Missouri Attorney General's Office for comment respectively by email and via a form on Wednesday.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more