Keeping Your Collection of Firearms Safe and Secure

Gun-Safe-iStock-1031564278-C5Media
Keeping Your Collection of Firearms Safe and Secure, Gun-Safe-iStock-1031564278-C5Media

U.S.A.-(Ammoland.com)- Firearm ownership is through the roof.  Thieves walk among us.  An honest reflection will lead anybody to believe neither is likely to change anytime soon.  This leads to some dark places for the fraction of our culture that would rather steal than earn.  I hate a thief folks, and I really do mean hate.

How do we protect ourselves against theft and burglary?  Both active and passive security measures are helpful.  Safes for your home, small vaults for your vehicle and your nightstand, as well as security systems reduce your chance of being a victim while keeping things safe and secure.

I’m a fan of big safes and rarely recommend a small safe.

I almost never hear a customer say, “I sure wish I’d gotten a smaller safe.” People store everything from weapons, to family heirlooms, to family pictures backed up on external hard drives, etc. in safe with the room to accommodate it.  Many customers store their important documents in their safes.  My personal favorite safe of the many I own is Pella Security. Check with your CPA on eligibility to write off your safe purchase via itemized tax filing if you intend on storing your tax documents within it.

Whether you choose a bedside vault with a biometric fingerprint reader or combination lock like those from GunVault, the same rules apply to these and large safes.  You’d be wise to go the extra mile and fasten them down.  Safes are primarily broken into by being pushed onto their backs while long bars are used to pry the doors or frames open.  Lagging your safe to the wall or floor will ward against this and leave few options for a burglar to gain access.  The vast majority of small vaults have a cable you can buy so they can’t be taken.  These aren’t absolute, but just like securing the safe to a wall, they dramatically reduce the number of successful attempts.

GunVault GVB2000 Pistol Safe MultiVault Biometric
GunVault GVB2000 Pistol Safe MultiVault Biometric

Both active and passive deterrents are necessary for a well-secured home.  Examples of passive security would be things as simple as signage.  When a thief drives by and you have a visible “Brinks Security” sign in the yard and stickers on your door right above the deadbolt, you’ve given the average thief something to think about.  They are forced to decide whether to gamble on your house or move on to a home without a security sign.  Statistics show burglaries drop with homes that display well visible signage.  Motion lights are great choices for passive security along with outside video cameras.  Some external cams are no more than a fake housing with a blinking light, while most are either wired or wireless cameras to a DVR (digital video recorder).  I prefer wired systems myself, as the majority of these cameras require hard wiring for their power source.  Why skip hard wiring for the data path in these cases?  Wireless systems are ok, but many users comment on poor reception or interference, so choose carefully and don’t be afraid to ask questions on this subject.

Some people opt for trail cams hidden in various places around the home and property.  I like this idea, and while you may catch a glimpse of who robbed you and when our goal should be one of stopping them from you choosing your home altogether.  If they do, we’d like to turn them around in their tracks.

This leads to active security measures.  I like the idea of a 150-decibel alarm going off the instant some low life gains entry to my home.  It is rare that an intruder continues his activity once a brain freezing alarm jolts him and the neighborhood from the 3 AM silence.  Yes, you’ll have some glass to clean up, but your family will be safe and the contents of your home intact.  Many of the large security companies now offer plans as low as $5 a week for basic security.  If you buy cheap you get cheap, so be careful and methodical in your choice and make a wise choice.  Using a system that wakes you up in the night when a blowfly buzzes around usually ends with the security system turned off and that benefits only the criminals. I mention this example because a neighbor of mine bought a cheap system that kept happening to him.

As firearm owners, we have a great responsibility to keep our collections safe and secure.  However, securing our firearms doesn’t have to be the end of the discussion.  Securing our families and taking measures to retain the sanctity of our homes can be achieved with some thought, a plan, and the diligence to keep the ball bouncing.


About Michael Ware:Michael Ware

Michael is a Christian husband and father to two children. He owns and operates Controlled Chaos Arms, a premier custom weapons shop in the Midwest. He serves as Chairman of the board of Directors at the Iowa Firearms Coalition. The pursuit of truth drives him in research and his writing.

Michael enjoys shooting, hunting, and fishing throughout the Midwest and Rockies. An avid outdoorsman and tireless supporter of all Second Amendment virtues, he can be found in his gun shop, in a tree stand with his kids, or on Capitol Hill lobbying in support of Freedom and Liberty at any given time.

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, Ammoland will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Michael Ware
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Dave in Fairfax

This may be the only time I agree with Sharia law. Chop off their hands at the chin. The only time I’ve had a home invasion type burglary I walked up behind him in the dark, stuck my Colt in his ear and cocked it. If you’ve never owned one, Colts spell their name when you draw the hammer back. 4 clicks. I made him clean the floor before he was dealt with.

Eighty

That’s funny as shiite, right there.

HamRadio

We obtained our massive safe from a local jeweler that retired and liquidated store fixtures. Paid a business moving firm to transport it and a qualified bank locksmith to change the combination. It is one layer of protection ringed by other layers of building security including 24/7 video monitoring. We can travel without worry and have peace of mind. Absolutely worth the investment.

Arizona

That is likely a commercial safe made of steel plate. Good for you, nice find. Never purchase a box store “gun safe”… they are basically Fingernail-thick metal wrapped over Fireboard or Sheetrock to appear thick. These metal boxes are only 16 gauge at worst and at best 10 gauge. You can poke holes through 10 gauge with an ax, cut it open with a grinder or sawsall, or pry them all open. They are all (liberty, Winchester, Mesa, Pella, superior, champion) residential security containers, built to withstand 5 minutes of entry attempt with non power tools. False sense of security… Read more »

Ryben Flynn

All of theses safes are basically useless. A YouTube user that goes by the “Lock Picking Lawyer” has opened every safe of this type he has tried, either by picking or finding a flaw. And done it in about 1 minute or less.

Finnky

@RF – See @AutsinMillerIII’s comment above. Putting your posts together, sounds as though a safe if just virtue signaling – minor impediment to thieves and major impediment to lawsuits following theft.

Dr. Strangelove

Sure, but it’s going to keep the average junkie out.

Chuck

Opioid abuser, yes, a meth head will spend literally days up straight researching how to hack/crack a safe before making a move

Arizona

Yup, useless and a waste of money. Unless you just wanna deter a quick smash and grab. I have a couple key and combo 12 gauge metal gun lockers for my vehicles, but only use them when I absolutely have to. Just because they are TSA and DOJ compliant and approved doesn’t mean I can’t pick em in under a minute.

Chuck

A click on 2 and….. lol only if he uses the tool he and bosnian bill designed!

Handgun Safe Research

Check out Handgun Safe.Research. I’ve been testing these devices for gun owners since 2015. You can find me on Vimeo and YouTube, and I’ve had a site up for a really long time now: HandgunSafeResearch.com.

JPM

No safe is totally foolproof, but a safe will at least slow the thieves down where hiding the guns under the bed or in the closet won’t. A good safe can be had for about the price of 1 rifle and scope or 1 nice handgun and it’s worth the price for the peace of mind if nothing else.

HoundDogDave

Completely agree. I would not keep more than a single pistol in a bio-metric safe. They are far too easy to crack, but give you quick access if you need to have your weapon safe from kids in the house. No electronic locks for me.

Autsin Miller III

Just a thought about the whole idea. I am not an expert on safes in any regard and I learned a lot about pitfalls from reading this so thanks for the information. Here is something to consider; a friend of mine was sued by the parent of a 17 year old kid that broke into his home and stole his pistol. The young thug then shot a policeman during a pursuit. Fortunately for the officer it hit his vest and he was okay. The kid got a long prison sentence as he should have but my friend got sued by… Read more »

Arizona

Before buying a safe, make sure the body is 1/4 inch steel plate, solid steel. The door must be the same or thicker, and add stainless to both for torch protection. Never buy a “gun safe” from a box store! Those are residential security containers… just sheet metal wrapped over fire board, making it look like it’s 3-5 inches thick. In reality, it is 10 gauge steel at best, which you can poke holes in with an ax, or cut open with a grinder or sawsall. Save your money, folks.

MICHAEL J

Locks are for honest people. A gun safe is as important as the firearms it protects, peace of mind has no price tag. No regrets and no excuses.

Vanns40

Just a note: Most “safes” on the market today are nothing more than boxes with heavy doors and locks. A Sazall will cut out out the entire side of a large one in under two minutes and your guns and valuables are gone. A true “safe” costs a LOT of money. How much do do you have invested in your gun collection, $10K, $20K?. If you’ve accumulated a lot of valuables over a lifetime what are you willing to spend to protect it? A really good, double walled, steel safe, with concrete in between the walls, and with a virtually… Read more »

Arizona

Um, how about the corner, and saw right on through?
Or hit it once, just once with a fire ax. There’s your hole. Most “safes” are sheet metal over fire board, and an ax will pop a hole in it unless it is thicker than 10 gauge.

You can also use a $10 grinder.
Residential security containers = $600 to $1200 of theft by the “gun safe” seller, and then you get robbed by the thieves.

Arizona

I’m sorry you have issues when confronted with the truth. I have never had any of my firearm collection robbed, thanks for playing. Any safe can be defeated, it is only a matter of time, even the top line 1-2” thick solid steel REAL safes with stainless added to slow torch attacks (Like I have, but you guessed wrong there as well). I do also have a couple flimsy TSA approved lock boxes for my vehicles, like I said, which I can defeat and barely use. Those are to stop a smash and grab in the parking lot if I… Read more »

StLPro2A

Safes only keep out the honest or stupid among us. A strong sturdy safe is only really effective if it is not found. I hide my several safes in hidden locations which will probably not be found to be breeched. However, anyone who knows me or sees my bird/coon/retriever dogs in the kennels will expect to find guns in my house. So, there is a really light duty gun cabinet located where it will be found and breeched. Inside are several guns intended to be stolen….actually wall art……functional except for the leaded barrels. …actually several bullets only seated in the… Read more »

Idadho

“Check with your CPA on eligibility to write off your safe purchase via itemized tax filing if you intend on storing your tax documents within it” I hate it when people lie about the possible deductibility of a fire resistant safe. If a $2500 safe is a 32 cubic foot safe with 1 cubic foot of space used for business documents worth a $78 deduction and the attention of the IRS? You cannot write off the entire price of the safe. You can only claim the percent of the safe volume dedicated to the tax documents. The law abiding 2nd… Read more »

Handgun Safe Research

I’ve been testing small personal safes and handgun safes since 2015, and the vast majority of devices released onto the market are not properly evaluated. GunVault, in particular, has had a poor record of released defectively designed products. If you’re interested in buying a handgun safe, I would recommend checking out my resource to see if I’ve examined the device first. I don’t sell these products, though I may put together an online store in the future that offers only those safes that pass muster with me. Here’s an example of a device that is cheap and cheaply made, and… Read more »

Chuck

Waste of money, can cut through the side of the literally paper thin metal and punch out the sheetrock “insulation” in under a minute, some are so weak just pushing them over breaks cast locking parts and hinges, there are many youtube videos showing just how much a scam most of these safes are, all that weight is from cheep sheetrock not steel