How to Store Guns Safely

(ModernSurvival.org) – What is the Best Way to Store Your Gun in Order to Protect It and the People in Your Household?

Trigger Locks
Gun Safe
Gun Cabinet
Nearby Drawer

Answer: Gun Safe. Here’s why…

Being a gun owner in this day and age comes with a lot of responsibility. It requires making sure everyone in the home is knowledgeable in gun safety, but it also means keeping the firearm safe.

Select the Right Storage

When a firearm is in storage, it needs to be in a safe and secure location. A firearm with a trigger lock stashed away in a sock drawer can prevent an accidental discharge. However, this hiding spot won’t stop corrosion or keep a criminal from stealing a gun. That’s why selecting the right storage is vital for gun owners.

Gun Cases

Gun cases come in a variety of materials, sizes, and shapes, which makes them convenient for protecting a gun from physical damage while it is being stored or transported. These can even be secured using a padlock through the zipper or handle (depending on whether the case is hard or soft). Unfortunately, the majority of gun cases won’t keep a truly determined individual out even if they’re padlocked, and there is nothing stopping a burglar from just taking off with a case in hand.

Locking Gun Cabinets

Generally made of steel, locking gun cabinets offer more storage space for firearms, especially if there is more than one gun in the household. These tend to be lightweight, meaning they’re easier to transport up staircases to the second floor of a home or apartment building. This also means that a burglar could, theoretically, make off with the gun cabinet and its contents during a home invasion.

Gun Safes

Gun safes are the most secure way to store a firearm, at least for the everyday gun owner. Extremely heavy, made of high-gauge steel, and often able to be bolted down to the floor or a concrete slab, gun safes are the best way to keep firearms safe from thieves.

Most gun safes are lined, which means they will protect the finish on a firearm, as well. To top it all off, they also provide protection against floods, house fires, and a variety of other disasters.

The downside to gun safes is that they are expensive, requiring a hefty financial investment to purchase. Here are some factors to consider that will affect the price of a safe:

Steel gauge. The thicker the steel, the more expensive the safe. Note that steel gauge is counted in reverse, which means the smaller the number, the thicker the metal (a 10-gauge is thicker than a 12-gauge, for example).
Fire rating. The fire rating determines how hot the environment can become before the safe’s contents are in danger. There aren’t regulated standards for this. It falls on the buyer to research each safe to learn what test(s) the manufacturer has conducted to determine its fire rating.
Add-ons. Gun safes come in all sizes and shapes, with a multitude of bells and whistles — all of which can drive the price up. Electronic locks, fancy upholstery, and special paint jobs will increase the cost.

Protecting the family and firearms within a home is incredibly important. While a safe is a lofty investment, the security it provides is worth the cost. A gun lock alone may not be enough to store a firearm safely, but it does add an extra layer of protection. To see where you can get a free trigger lock, check out our article here.

~Here’s to Your Survival!