A gun safe is an essential item for anyone who owns firearms. It keeps them secure and out of reach of children or other unauthorized users. A sturdy gun safe will also reduce theft and keep your guns and ammo safe from robberies and sticky fingers. Every gun owner should consider using a gun safe in their home or office to secure their guns.
Here are some things to consider when choosing a safe.
Types of Gun Safes.
There are several different types of gun safes available today. They range from small, portable models to large, heavy duty units. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. You may want a biometric fingerprint gun safe or prefer a mechanical type lock. Some gun owners use hidden gun safe furniture to hide their guns in plain sight so they will always be available. The possibilities are endless.
Here are a few of the more common types of gun safes:
- Mechanical lock gun safes: These are the typical gun safes that you’ve seen in many homes. They’re extremely tough and don’t require any type of battery to open because they do not have any electronic components. Many people like these due to their dependability. The only real downside we see with mechanical locking gun safes is the fact that it takes a little longer to access your guns than it would with a biometric gun safe. It’s not exactly what you would want to try to access in an emergency situation. You could end up fumbling with the combination due to nervousness. However, these safes are perfect if you just plan to store the majority of your guns in it and have another more accessible safe on hand.
- Biometric Gun Safes: These safes are extremely popular now and for good reason. They’re fast and easy to access in crunch time. Many gun owners keep these on their nightstands so they can simply press their fingerprints to grab their guns. You can give access to other people by archiving their fingerprints and the safe will keep all others out. They also make large biometric gun safes for rifles that are great to store guns in your home.
- Vehicle Gun Safes: You truly never know when you will need to defend yourself and a vehicle gun safe is a great way to keep a gun in your vehicle. It also secures your gun and keeps children and unauthorized users from accessing them. Most car gun safes can slide under your seat and can be anchored to make them harder to steal.
- Hidden Safes/Furniture Safes: Hiding your guns in plain sight is a great way to always have a gun in close proximity. You can store them in gun safe furniture such as a coffee table, end table, nightstand, shelf, coatrack, and even behind a mirror. They even make wooden American flags that hang on the wall and open to store rifles and handguns.
- In-Wall Gun Safes: These are great to hide guns in your wall. They save space and give you more room. Large gun safes are known for taking up a lot of space and in-wall gun safes are a great way to maximize the space in your home, workshop or office.
- Fire Resistant Gun Safes: These safes give you additional protection against fire damage. It’s worth the investment.
Features to Look for When Buying a Gun Safe.
Choosing the right features for your gun safe can feel overwhelming since there are so many types of safes on the market. First, you have to decide what type of gun safe you want such as mechanical vs biometric or large vs small. Next, you should read specs on each gun safe to make sure it has the features you need. For example, you may want a gun safe that can be secured to the top of your nightstand or you may want one that pops out of your nightstand. You also have many choices if you’re leaning towards biometric gun safes such as physical keys, keypads, and fingerprints.
There’s a good chance you may want your gun safe to be fireproof. While they may be quite expensive, a fireproof gun safe can save your guns. The main thing about gun safe features is to get exactly what you want.
How to Choose the Right Size Gun Safe.
One of the first things you should consider when buying a gun safe is how much space you need for your guns. Decide if you want a large gun safe that can store all of your guns or if you want to keep your rifles in one safe and a handgun in another safe. Personally, I recommend having multiple gun safes in different areas of your home. For example, you may want a big gun safe that secures your rifles and ammo, a small gun safe on your nightstand and a hidden gun safe in your living room. It’s good to plan out how you want to store your guns before you try to choose a gun safe.
How to Store Guns Safely.
Gun safes do a great job at securing your guns safely. They keep them dry and are perfect for long-term storage options. Gun safes keep moisture away from your firearms and will help maintain them in perfect condition for decades.
How to Install a Gun Safe.
You have plenty of options on how to install your gun safe. Large gun safes can be bolted to the ground and wall to make them even harder for thieves to remove. Many small safes can also be bolted to a hard surface or secured under your vehicle seat. In-wall gun safes will require a little extra work to determine the best place to install in the walls of your home or office. Hidden gun safes are the easiest because you don’t have to install them, you simple put them in your home. For example, a book gun safe can go in your book case and furniture gun safes can simply be scattered around your home.
In Conclusion:
Choosing a gun safe is a personal decision that should be taken seriously to ensure you buy the right one. Gun safes are relatively expensive and I always suggest reading as many reviews as possible from actual users to see how well they hold up over the years.
Jerome is an avid outdoorsman who moonlights as an attorney when he’s not creating the world’s greatest online content.