On this Deltana product when its locked, it is locked, and when it is unlocked, it still offers a potentially life saving security feature. Sounds confusing? That is exactly how we want your potential intruders to feel. When the solid brass bolt action lock releases allowing the door to open a chain remains in place until it is completely unlatched, preventing the door from opening beyond the length of the chain, which will be shorter than 7" since you must factor the width of the door and the spacing of the mount on the inside of the door.