Nov. 06--WEST CHESTER TWP, OH. -- A Butler County man is hoping his invention can not only change the way gun owners store their loaded weapons, but prevent those weapons from being misused.
Rod Herdman, a locksmith and award-winning inventor, is selling locking system WallHolster at his recently opened GunPuck Outlet Center, 8095 Beckett Center Drive, West Chester Twp., in the Beckett Commons shopping center.
Herdman holds nine U.S. patents and has a concealed carry license, including a technology that is now SmartLoc rekeyable cylinders, which are installed in commercial and institutional settings nationwide.
The idea came to him after reading recent about a fatal Ohio shooting, where a young boy was killed while playing with his father's handgun, and the LaSalle High School incident, where a student took a gun to school in an attempt to commit suicide.
"As gun owners, we have a responsibility to keep our guns safe, keep them from children, distraught teenagers or family members and certainly to keep them out of the hands of intruders," he said. "I thought a lot of people would appreciate this gun lock for not only its security but its ability to be secured to the wall and felt that maybe we could save a few lives."
With that in mind, Herdman worked to create a system that would secure a gun more better than trigger-guard-type locks.
"They're child-proof at best but they don't keep teenagers out and of course it doesn't keep a thief from stealing your gun," Herdman said.
Herdman's device works like a combination lock, with a round post mounted on a steel plate that slides behind the gun trigger, and a round lock that slides over the post, which blocks access to the trigger.
Instead of a key or a battery powered biometric reader, the lock requires a three-number push button code for instant release.
"You just press your code and pull," he said.
A basic WallHolster has about 3,600 code combinations. More complex versions boast more than 134 million.
"It depends on what the customer wants," he said. "Are they looking for quick release or are they looking for greater combinations to foil a teenager?"
WallHolster costs about $120 and is available both online at gunpuck.com and at the business, as well as at area dealers.
Besides walls, the device can also be attached to car trunks, trucks, RVs cabinets or motorcycles. Future versions will completely conceal a weapon.
GunPuck currently employs seven people, including Herdman's 90-year-old father, Bill, who heads the company's sales and marketing efforts.
All WallHolster parts are made in the United States -- including West Chester's Long/Stanton manufacturing company, which welds the metal together and Finishing Technology, which plates it -- and assembled in a warehouse behind the GunPuck storefront.
"About 30 percent of the work is being done in Ohio and the balance ... is being done outside of Ohio from Illinois to New Jersey," Herdman said.
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