Snap gun

A snap gun, also known as lock pick gun, pick gun, or electric lock pick, is an alternative to conventional lock picking methods, which use a tension wrench and a lockpick to open a lock. Snap guns make the task of opening a lock much simpler.

The first snap guns were developed decades ago in order to assist police officers who were incapable of picking a lock to do so with minimal instruction. Rather than opening locks by the traditional raking techniques, a snap gun uses a primary law of physics, the transfer of energy, to open locks. Operating on the same principle as that of a cueball suddenly hitting the 8-ball and coming to a stop, while sending the 8-ball flying, the snap gun strikes all of the bottom pins at once, and thus sending the driver pins up into the lock. This only lasts for a fraction of a second because the springs will force the pins back down into the lock. The tension wrench is also required in this situation.

If used properly, snap guns can be faster than traditional lock picking, but their use may risk damage to the lock. Though lock picking is often associated with crime, snap guns are not popularly used by criminals, primarily because they are difficult to hide, and as such can attract attention from law enforcement. Some areas require you to be a locksmith or have some other legal reason to be in possession of a snap gun, otherwise you could be arrested.

References

* [http://www.lock-picking.org/electric-lock-pick-guns.html Lock Pick Guns]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/lock-picking Answers.com]