I tested the IDENTILOCK trigger lock, a firearm-locking device designed to open with a touch of a fingerprint. At the end of my testing, I have a recommendation: This device should be issued with every duty gun.
Omer Kiyani, the inventor of the IDENTILOCK, is a parent and a gun owner. He set out to design a device that will essentially do one thing: Prevent unauthorized access to firearms yet allow immediate access to authorized users.
Kiyani stated, “I’ve watched the media, politicians and others, weigh in on our gun rights. I value and support our individual freedoms like the 2nd Amendment,” said Kiyani. “I’ve wanted to find a balance between gun ownership and safety.”
He definitely found the balance here.
The IDENTILOCK is a clamshell-like device made of high strength polymer and a fingerprint reader. It clamps over the entire trigger area. Once applied, only the person whose fingerprint is registered can get the clamp off.
The IDENTILOCK holds three fingerprints or user profiles. I recommend that the user registers two prints of their own, and one for a secondary user. The combination that worked for me is the middle finger of my left hand and my trigger finger.
The fingerprint reader is on the right side, just below the trigger guard. The user can hold the gun normally and press the trigger finger into the reader without shifting the grip. The IDENTILOCK unit pops open and the user is ready to go.
I know my readers and the first question will be, “How fast is it?” It opens in about 300 milliseconds. How fast is that? The average blink on an eye is 100 to 400 milliseconds.
The IDENTILOCK reads my fingerprints from any position, 360 degrees, as long as the registered part of my finger (and registered thumb) is on the pad. I like the fact that it is tactile. That is, one must press in on the button to get it to read, and one can feel when it pops open.
There’s no way I would use this thing without testing it extensively. I want to make it clear that this is not a gun safe, or any type of permanent place to put a gun. It is a trigger lock. It is definitely as tough as it looks, and I was unable to pry it open with simple tools, but it is not a gun safe, or an excuse to leave a gun unattended. Opening it with tools would more likely do damage to the gun.
I couldn’t fool the device. I opened it 300 times in succession, rotating my fingerprints and thumbprint each time. I enlisted others to register their prints, then try other, unregistered ones. We never, after hundreds of tests, fooled it once.
After all that, I began keeping my Glock 38 in it. The IDENTILOCK locks on the frame and trigger guard, so it will hold caliber-of-confidence Glocks also. Bear in mind that one can manipulate the slide and remove or insert the magazine while the gun is locked.
Since the IDENTILOCK allows the shooter to form a master grip while the gun is locked, I recommend registering the middle finger of the left hand for a right-handed shooter. This will allow a one handed emergency shot or a quick supported grip right away. One can open it and let the unit drop away. I can get on target as quickly as drawing from a holster using the IDENTILOCK.
The IDENTILOCK does not favor wrong-handed shooters so I recommend that Sentinel makes one with the sensor on the other side also.
IDENTILOCK tells me device lasts several months on a single charge. It never failed during the several weeks I tested it. It uses a USB Type-C plug, which will be the most common plug for data transfer within a year or so.
Registering prints is easy. There is a key that comes with the unit and one inserts and turns it to add new prints. This key also can be used as an override when the battery runs out, but I really don’t see this happening. That is, users will likely charge it every couple of months for peace of mind. There are a couple of buttons for adding and subtracting registered prints.
IDENTILOCK fits the following for now, but I anticipate they will respond to the market once this product gets out there.
- S&W-A1 (Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm/.40)
- S&W-B1 (Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm, SDS9)
- 1911-A1 (1911 Clones)
- SIG-A1 (Sig Sauer P226 & P229)
- GLK-A1 (Glock-Double Stack)
There are no two ways about it. The tragedies associated with access of guns are heart wrenching. I think this product, if used correctly and religiously, can prevent them.
MSRP is $239 and it is available at Cabela’s right now.
More information is available at https://getidentilock.com
