Personal Safety Series: How to Secure Firearms at Home

nashville armory securing firearms


We’ve all heard tragic and scary stories of young children finding and getting ahold of firearms in their home, a relative’s home or maybe even their friends’ home. As parents, perhaps you’ve talked to your children about guns and you’ve told them never to touch one if they find it in their home or someone else’s, but sometimes ‘no’ doesn’t always work with children, especially the younger they are.

Part of it is a child’s natural tendency to push boundaries, part of it is that he or she is just too young to really understand the consequences and another part is simply a child’s curiosity. But, if you have young children and you keep a firearm in the home, it’s imperative to practice securing your firearms.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the best storage solution is different for everyone. Finding the right storage solution all depends on where you live, what type of guns you own, and how much safety you can afford. Those with a couple rifles for hunting have very different needs than a person with a single handgun or even someone who collects guns.

When looking at a device for storing your guns, it’s best to figure out what type of safety you’re worried about. Some prevent others from using your gun, some protect the gun from physical damage, others deter against theft. Those with more technology and safety features, unfortunately, tend to cost more. Here’s a short breakdown of options.

Locks
Trigger Locks are a simple and affordable option for preventing a gun from being loaded or fired by an unauthorized user. It’s important to note that because these devices come into direct contact with the trigger, they should never be installed on loaded guns, and trigger locks do not offer any physical protection for the firearm or a measurable level of theft deterrence.

Cases
Gun Cases are the next smallest and cheapest option readily available. These cases are often made to fit any commercial gun and offer options ranging from padded fabric sleeves to rugged foam-lined plastic containers, with prices from $10 to $300. The primary role of this kind of carry case is to protect one or more firearms from physical damage. A locked carry case will certainly keep small children from handling a firearm, just as a trigger lock will. However, the better the materials, the better the safety. Just keep in mind that because it is easily portable, it also makes it easily portable for others to carry off.

Cabinets and Safes
These are very similar to each other, but there are several differences between them. Cabinets use a thinner gauge of steel, a simple locking mechanism, and have no fire-resistant insulation. Because of this they are priced around $150 to $450 and their lighter weight makes it easy to move up and down stairs. This makes cabinets more appropriate for apartments and similar spaces.

Safes are made with a heavy-gauge steel, have a complex locking mechanism, and the option to bolt the safe directly to a concrete slab, which all work together to frustrate the efforts of burglars. Safes not only fulfill the three-fold mission of safe gun storage, they can also provide additional protection against flooding, fires and other disasters. Depending on better materials, safes can range from$500 to more than $2,500, but they offer the most amount of safety making it a large, but important investment.

When deciding on your needs to secure your guns, keep in mind what is most important to you and what you need, and make the best decision for your family.

 

This article is brought to you by Nashville Armory, which features climate controlled pistol and rifle rated bays and a training center offering a wide variety of classes for any skill level lead by certified instructors. Visit nashvillearmory.com for more.