I’ve said before even absent government or other regulations, every gun owner bears the responsibility to take reasonable steps to keep their gun from being abused. While it’s true that some firearms may be left unsecured in ideal circumstances for quick access for defense or varmint duty on your property, guns used for sporting and hunting purposes have no good reason to be left unsecured. Securing your firearms appropriately will satisfy legal requirements, protect your property from theft, and generally protect you as well as anybody else in your home.
Even with a lack of money or space, there are a lot of good options for securing your firearms. I have never seen a new firearm sold that didn’t come with at least a flimsy cable lock, good for keeping the gun inoperable and out of the hands of small children. If you are just beginning a journey of safe gun ownership, or looking to re-evaluate your storage of firearms, consider these options ranging from nearly free to deluxe.
I’ll highlight popular and sometimes innovative products in each category, but be sure to take a look at the wide range of available products on the market and decide which one suits your situation and needs best.
Cable Locks
A cable lock is a very simple device. These are the types of locks that I see offered with nearly every gun I sell. They are made of a cable with one end permanently attached to a padlock at one end with a grooved surface on the other end. Putting the other end into its hole and turning the key locks it into place. The nature of this type of lock allows you to secure nearly any type of firearm. Pistols, revolvers, shotguns, sporting rifles, and bolt action rifles can typically all be easily secured with these locks.
To use it, you simply lock the action back and loop the lock through a major part of the operation, such as the slide or bolt. These keep the gun in an empty chamber (not necessarily unloaded) configuration and provide a great way to visually tell that a gun is clear, useful when transporting for sporting uses or taking the gun somewhere such as a sporting goods store where it will need to be unloaded.
In addition to being supplied with most firearms new in box, they are easily obtained, often for free. Many police departments will provide a free lock for you, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation has a helpful page showing you how to find free kits from Project ChildSafe.
Unfortunately, these locks are not great for security purposes. They can be easily picked by somebody with lockpicking knowledge in a matter of seconds. In addition, a common method of theft is to remove the entire firearm or package and break into it at home with the luxury of time. If a person with heavy bolt cutters couldn’t get into it, they could easily remove it and take it home unless it was secured in another safe or locked into something sturdy.
These are best used in combination with solid training and a good safety plan to ensure optimum results. The best part is that they are often free and something that everybody can work into their safety routine. If you can’t find one, ask any gun owner or collector. Many have a pile of these locks that they stopped using when they moved to a gun safe or more secure locking system, and they would likely be happy to let you have as many as you need.
Trigger Locks
A trigger lock consists of two half-shells with a hole in the middle and a bolt to lock them together. Each half will go around the trigger with a posting sticking behind the trigger to keep it from moving to the rear. Keys may include a piece of metal with two prongs to spin the lock, a key fitted to the individual lock, or even a combination number system.
This type of trigger lock is very easy to use and fits a wide variety of firearm. They are very inexpensive and can be easily applied to a firearm quickly. However, they are best used as part of an entire safety and security plan. The design, which may fit a lot of trigger guards but not be able to slip the post behind all triggers, can lead to several safety issues. If not properly understood and used as instructed, simply applying backwards pressure to the lock can be enough to pull the trigger. I have personally handed a gun with a trigger lock to somebody and watched as they pushed back on the trigger guard to pull the trigger and decock the firearm.
They also do nothing to secure a firearm from theft or even simple manipulation. A lot of gun locks that you can buy in stores simply use a disk with two prongs to twist the lock on or off, a system which can be easily replicated with a bent paper clip. A firearm with a trigger lock and no other devices may keep a small child from accessing it with no other options or add an extra layer of safety to a cleared gun, but does nothing to stop a burglar from simply grabbing the gun and leaving.
They are useful for adding an extra lock to a gun already unloaded and in a safe or for other situations such as the shooting range or a gun store. For many uses, a simple cable lock will do the same job just as effectively, but trigger locks are another inexpensive option.
Handgun Bedside Safes
Handgun safes are an effective way to store a handgun safe from theft, fire, and unauthorized use. Advancements in technology allows some of these safes to be activated very quickly when they are needed while allowing them to be safely locked up every other time.
Basic handgun safes with a key lock for preventing unauthorized access can be obtained for a very low price, such as the SnapSafe Lockbox which can be found on Amazon for just a hair over $20.
For those looking for more features for their storage device, many companies offer electronic gun safes that include features such as fire safety. Electronic gun safes can come equipped with a number of electronic password systems so you can pick the one that suits your needs best. These include standard digital keypads with a number combination, as well as designs with finger grooves so that a safe can be easily opened in the dark without relying on sight to use the keypad.
A great, if not expensive, option that combines security and access is a safe equipped with a biometric scanner. A biometric scanner takes technology straight out of a sci-fi movie by taking your fingerprint and scanning it against any programmed fingerprints you’ve entered. The SpeedVault model made by GunVault has a biometric fingerprint scanner that can hold up to 120 individual fingerprints. Handgun safes of this quality also tend to offer many features for access and protection. For instance, the Speedvault is made of 18 gauge steel which is pry resistant and fire resistant. They may also feature automatic or assisted opening hinges, interior lighting, and mounting brackets to secure them to an object in the room. This particular model has a 5 year warranty protecting from fire damage or burglary.
As a general rule, higher end safe manufacturers tend to offer more solid warranties, something to consider if you’re worried about protecting your handgun or possibly using your safe to store other valuables. When selecting a handgun safe, consider your primary goals. Is it preventing a child from accessing a firearm, keeping it safe from damage, transporting to a shooting range, or storing it safely for quick use? What you need your safe to do will decide what features are important to you, and also dictate a general range of how much you need to spend on that safe to do it safely.
Gun Cabinets
For long guns or even multiple handguns, a popular choice for people just beginning their investment is to choose a gun cabinet over a safe. Gun cabinets tend to be lighter, thinner, and more easily movable. For instance, I have moved gun cabinets easily up a flight of stairs with just two people. However, they should not be confused with a proper gun safe and should not be used for the same purposes.
Gun cabinets are a great and convenient way to store multiple guns safely for a relatively low cost. They are also relatively light and great for people not settled into one location. They really shine in situations like apartment living where you may be in one place for a year and need security that you anticipate needing to transport.
With the low cost and weight of a gun cabinet, you do give up a couple key benefits of a full gun safe. They are generally not fire resistant or impact rated and as such you can’t depend on them to protect your valuables the same way you could with a safe. Choose gun cabinets for less permanent, cheaper solutions to keeping your guns locked up as required by law and keeping them out of the hands of those you don’t want to give access to. For more serious protection, consider investing in a gun safe.
Long Gun Safes
A traditional gun safe tends to be heavy, thick, and expensive. It’s not uncommon for a gun safe to measure 500 pounds or more for a sizable model. However, gun safes are the closest thing you can have to ultimate protection without building your own personal vault. A good gun safe from a reputable company will offer results of standardized testing from a company like Underwriters Laboratories. They offer protection from fire, theft, and impact – many companies will replace the full cost of a new safe and any lost valuables if their safe fails.
For example, the Revere series is a mid-level product offered by Liberty Safes. With an MSRP of $1,509, the Revere 23 holds up to 25 guns and has a great list of features:
- 40 minutes of fire protection at 1,200 degrees fahrenheit
- 11 gauge steel body construction
- Case hardened steel plates to protect the keypad from drill entry
- Pry resistant door jambs.
At 515 lbs, when it is securely installed, it’s going to be no small task for a would-be thief to break into or remove entirely.
Understand Your Rights and Responsibilities
In the United States, the supreme court decided in District of Columbia v. Heller that a law requiring all firearms to be unloaded and disassembled or otherwise completely locked up violated the spirit of the second amendment. Laws may not require that all of your firearms be unloaded or otherwise not accessible for use because this defeats their utility in defensive scenarios. This does not mean, however, that there can’t be consequences for not locking up your firearms. Federally, although there is no minimum age to possess or control a long gun, a person under 18 may not be in control of a handgun except in limited circumstances. Certain states may establish higher minimum ages for handguns and set their own minimum age for possession of a long gun.
In addition, you will need to be aware of any prohibited persons you may live with or who may come into your house. Prohibited persons include felons, convicted domestic batterers, users of illegal drugs, those who have received a dishonorable discharge from the military, and more.
As an adult, you are responsible both legally and morally for keeping secure possession of any firearms you possess. If a child or other prohibited person gains access to your firearm and commits a crime or hurts somebody with it, you will often be held legally responsible and face many years in prison. As with all tools, we want to handle them safely and store them safely. Nobody wants to have to live knowing that failing to secure their tools has caused a life to be lost or changed forever. Whatever your financial and spacial situation, make sure to do your research and find a solution that will work for you.
Images Sourced from Eric Byers, Kencf0618, The Truth About Guns and Personal Defence World
