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We are a country of laws. I was reminded of that after listening to a tax expert address tax law issues on C-Span. Anybody who pays taxes knows the rules are hard to understand. Sending a significant percentage of our income to Uncle Sam is never enjoyable.

Taxes are needed to pay for a standing army, highways, schools, police protection, fire protection and every other government-related activity the public has grown to expect every day. We do need laws if only to protect us against ourselves.

During the last decade there has been movements across the country to enact locksmith licensing laws. No law is perfect, but in the final analysis something is better than nothing. Our tax laws have been written and rewritten. The same thing will happen to locksmith licensing laws.  In the short term we may suffer with the consequences, but in the long term our industry will be the beneficiary.

Locksmithing is an important occupation. Without having some legal written system for becoming a locksmith, everyone can join our ranks no matter what their expertise may be. That might have worked years ago when locksmithing was passed down from generation to generation. Today we have 'trunk slammers' who give our industry a bad name by often doing sloppy work and charging exorbitant prices.

We are on the brink of a new day in the security business. A $50 dollar deadbolt installation is being replaced by $1000 access control systems. At the same time, 'trunk slammers' are tarnishing the reputation of anyone calling himself or herself a locksmith. Customers now look elsewhere for someone they think may be more reputable.