[Ant Mod]

I myself am not in college anymore, I graduated. However I live with two guys who are in college still. None of our bedroom doors have locks on them and there are not many cabinets or places for me to keep things. I am also pretty sure that one of them has shown someone my handgun while I was gone at work. Its really beginning to worry me. I am not haome for 9 hours of the day so I have no control. Where should I keep my firearms? Its also hard for me to hide them due ot the lack of storage. One other thing, our back sliding door does not lock or close all the way. Anyone at anytime can just walk in. Many of our freinds know this and enter while we are not here to hang out. Just anouther thing that worries me about my firearms. Thanks for any help at all.

I am also on a tight budget and cant spring for a large gun safe. Thanks.

[Jesse H]

If possible, get a CHL and start carrying. If you have more than one gun, have all the guns disassembled with no ammo around the house. You say none of the bedroom doors have locks, but you can replace them with doorknobs that do lock. Maybe get roomates that you trust?

[eXe]

What about a Homak gun safe, they are cheap (about 100 bucks or less at kmart) and will provide at least some security to the guns while you are not there?

They are smaller in size then most gun safes but will take long guns and handguns. This should be good enough. They have a pretty decent lock on them also.

[Dilettante]

In Cali it's perfectly legal to have an unloaded gun in your trunk, as long as you have no ammo in your trunk.

[Black92LX]

well i guess it depends on what you have?? just a couple handguns????

Get something to lock it up RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that is something that needs to be handled immediatly

[4v50 Gary]

Yep. Get a Homak and load it up with lead bricks to give it weight. Attach a hasp so you can padlock it too. Keep the critters out.

[LiquidTension]

If you just have handguns, you might look into a small fire safe like they sell at Office Max. A GunVault might work as well.

[Harry Tuttle]

at a minimum run a bike lock thru the trigger guards
and shackle them to your bed frame

you can put an exterior lock on a bedroom door in 5 minutes
and a chunk of 2x4 can "lock" the sliding door

[hillbilly]

Also, see about getting yourself some new roomates.

hillbilly

[Standing Wolf]

Also, see about getting yourself some new roomates.

Starting yesterday, if not sooner.

[Ant Mod]

In Cali it's perfectly legal to have an unloaded gun in your trunk, as long as you have no ammo in your trunk.

Unfortunately I have a Jeep. I also beleive that th elaw reads that you cannot have a gun in your car unless you are transporting it to a range or to somehwere to store it. However I think the police would be hard pressed to prove that you are doing otherwise.

[Russ]

I think Harry Tuttle had a great suggestion for your situation. If you have family near by, perhaps you could store your guns with them. If you have an attic, that's usually a good place to hide things also.

[treeprof]

The Homak cabinets are pretty sturdy- mine resisted a determined attempt to break into it not 2 wks after I installed it. The dual locks of Homak's doors are what set it apart from some of the less expensive ones- don't skimp!

[Edward429451]

Until you can get a safe or new roommates, you could drive a couple nails into the studs inside your closet directly above the door with a couple wraps elec. tape to protect finish and hang them. Its amazing how well they're (casually) hidden, you have to look straight up to see them, they could easily go through the shelf area and not see them.

Temporary solution here. Do get a safe.

[JimJD]

All of the suggestions here are the way to go.
Of those, a small safe of some kind, and a lock on your points of entry/egress are paramount.
Do you keep gun locks on them?
I hope you have had a talk with your roomates about the possible unauthorized entry.
Be well.

[Sunray]

Find a surplus/used office supply place and buy a steel cabinet with a lock. Put a lock on your door too. And have a discussion with your roomies.

[Beetle Bailey]

If you have bolt-actions, you can remove the bolts and lock those up at least. If your roommates are showing off your guns, eventually one of your roommate's "friends" will come in to "borrow" your gun. "Who, me? Nope, wasn't me. . .":mad:

[Kamicosmos]

Get rid of the roommates period. If money is tight, sell the place if you own it, or move to a cheaper pad if you're renting.

In the mean time, definately get something to put them it! Buy a metal tool box and a pad lock and bury it in your closet under a blanket or something.

And secure your sliding door. That is just plain dumb.

[rayjay]

Gun safe.

[Tommy Gunn]

I checked Cabela's and they have an affordable gun cabinent that can fit in most closets. *click here* (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/vertical-item.jhtml;jsessionid=RPQABBNEDF1V0CWQNVECFGIK0BWUOIV0?id=0014929224897a&navAction=jump&navCount=0&indexId=cat20799&podId=0014929&catalogCode=ID&parentId=cat20799&parentType=index&rid=0330601092602&cmCat=MSN&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.2_A&_DAV=http%3A%2F%2Fa1460.g.akamai.net%2Ff%2F1460%2F1339%2F6h%2Fwww.cabelas.com%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcontent%2FPod%2F01%2F49%2F29%2Fp014929ii01.jpg&hasJS=true)


http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/22/48/97/i224897vr01.jpg
Homak Ready-To-Assemble 7-Gun Cabinet
Price: $79.99

[c_yeager]

For future refference people like this probably shouldnt even be aware that you own firearms. If they arent TRUSTED individualy who you would trust with your firearms then its none of their buisiness wether or not you own them.

[Tommy Gunn]

It's going to be pretty hard to live with someone and not let them know you are a gunowner.

Of course your roommates should be people you can trust. If you can't trust 'em, then its time to find some new roommates.

For future refference people like this probably shouldnt even be aware that you own firearms. If they arent TRUSTED individualy who you would trust with your firearms then its none of their buisiness wether or not you own them.

[EricO]

Ant Mod: Everything here is good advice. You may be in a position that getting rid of your roommates is not possible though. There are two routes that you could go - hiding the firearm or placing in a visible/or hidden (but not too difficult to find) safe. One inexpensive way would be to purchase or use the original trigger lock (to deny unauthorized use) and stash the handgun somewhere unlikely anyone would look. A hollowed out book, or someplace in your private room that would be difficult to find. You could also purchase a lockset at a hardware store and place it on the room dr. or the closet door (if it isn't the sliding type). Obviously, you need to be able to trust your roommates, so go and have a heart to heart talk with them regarding the seriousness of the matter. One more thing, if you choose to hide the weapon, never let anyone (roommates included) know where it is.

EricO

[Roadkill Coyote]

Your living in a college house, in which folks still think it is perfectly acceptable to go through each others stuff, with no locks? That particular college mindset is as much, if not more, of a problem than the physical layout. A lock on the bedroom door, or a small locker, is a short term solution at best. Neither of these things will slow someone down for long, and you don't know how many people know that you have weapons available for the taking. Weigh the financial costs of moving against the moral and legal costs of having one of your firearms stolen or misused, and get out of there.

You didn't just graduate from college, you got a job and responsibilitites like gun ownership. You graduated from that mindset, and are being forced to separate yourself from it by those responsibities. Sorry to sound harsh, but your situation sounds harsh to me...

[EOD Guy]

In Cali it's perfectly legal to have an unloaded gun in your trunk, as long as you have no ammo in your trunk.


Not true! Unless you have a CCW, the only time you can legally have a firearm in your car is when traveling to or from your home to or from an authorized activity, i.e., range, gun show, gunsmith, etc.

[Baba Louie]

At the very least, this is one of the best examples I can think of for Trigger Locks being used if you cannot or will not buy a Homak or equal type safebox.

Adios

[semf]

A few years ago after I got divorced I was living thru the same thing. We weren't in college and worked for the same company but as I was a lot younger and cuter I was dating alot, any way I wasn't home alot. One day I came home and my roomies were playing cops and robbers or something with my new shotgun , in the middle of my tirade I racked the slide to show them that there was a round in the chamber, I had hidden it under my mattress (nobody would think of looking there). After that I secured it with a bicycle chain combo lock and tied it up in the box springs of my bed, making it useless for immediate use but not too hard to get to when I got home. Luckily I live in Fla where glovebox carry has always been legal so I was able to keep my handgun with me.

At that time I had never heard of a gun safe in a home and trigger locks may have been available but I did not know of them. Today there are many more, affordable options.

I don't think you sais where you live (I'm assuming Cali), or what you are trying to protect and how many

[ENC]

Bank safe deposit box

[pbman]

Well if you are really short of money and can't afford a safe, i would pawn them, for a small amount of money. They will be much safer, and the interest would be low. This would work for the short term.

[CJ]

I live alone on the third floor of a gated apartment complex, and I still keep mine locked up in a safe, or at least a locking case. The safe is a good idea, especially the heavier ones to keep them from wandering off.

Also, I discovered that a local range will rent out secured storage lockers for firearms, so that might be worth looking into until you can get more secure accomidations for your firearms.

[ReadyontheRight]

At the very least get trigger locks. Master makes combo trigger locks for ~$10 on which you can change the 3-number code.

I you have handguns only, spring for ~$170 and get the large Gun Vault.

http://www.gunvault.com/

You can fit 4 handguns and extra mags in the large size. You will probably find a Gun Vault useful for years (kids, kids friends, etc.)

If $$$ are an issue, just get a regular small safe for handguns or one of the $79 safes mentioned above for long guns. I'd still put on a trigger lock though with an inexpensive safe.

[Kharn]

pbman:
I've heard its not safe to pawn guns, as a disreputable shop can claim an item is "lost" and you are entitled to only the value of the loan as compensation. Thus if you pawned a $800 pistol for $20 and the shop "lost" it, you'd be sitting on the curb with $20 in your hand and no pistol (at least thats the way it works with jewelry, getting the ATF involved might help when its a firearm).

Kharn

[Ant Mod]

I live in Ca and own two handguns and one shotgun.

[Daedalus]

I am a college student and have a roomate who is in college. However my roomate is someone who has been a best friend since middle school. He knows I have firearms and he also knows I dont like people touching them without my consent.
Still I put a lock on my bedroom and plan to get a Sentry 10 or 14 gun safe. Even if you trust your roomate absolutely, house guests that may be visiting while you are out have to be taken into consideration.
My suggestion - get a lockset for your bedroom and ask a generous relative for a homak cabinet as a holiday gift.

[ARperson]

If he's renting the place, he probably can't make alterations to the premises without the permission of the owner and/or landlord.

However, the owner/landlord can get in trouble for not fixing the sliding door since it is obviously a safety issue.

In the meantime, follow the previous suggestion and cut a 2x4 down to size and shove it in the tracks of the door to keep it from being opened from the outside. I did that when I lived on a bottom floor apartment and my door DID lock.

And get a safe. Scrimp and safe, but get the safe. Best way to prevent unsolicited touching of your firearms. The other suggestions are good, especially if temporary, but nothing is as good as a good safe.

[pbman]

Your rights probably vary by state law. I've never done it myself, but i have a friend who lived in a bad neigborehood and pawned his tv, radio, cd's...... everytime he went on vacation. It worked out for him real well.

If someone is worried about rommates or their friends stealing it, it may be a chance worth taking.

[semf]

I have a Sentinel 16 gun locker i bought from Wa-Mart for $120 I have also seen smaller Homacks at Sports Auth. for around $100.
If you are short on cash try this. Take 2 I-bolt with a long treaded section, about an inch, Screw them into studs at an appropriate distance from each other, get as thick a chain as you can, run it through a inner tube or some type of rubber sleeve, run this through the bolts and trigger guards of your guns, lock it up with a good lock.
Before I got my locker I did something similar to a gun cabinet I had, which screwed the cabinet to the wall and allowed me to lock the guns to the cabinet, while still being able to display my guns.

[c_yeager]

Ive pawned several guns in my time, never had a problem getting one back. If they deal in firearms they are an FFL, losing a gun is a big deal, especially if there is someone who is going to notice. If they sell it there will be a form 44 indicating it as such. To much paper trail with guns to let them get "lost" too easily.

[Big Mike]

Buy a safe. Mike

[Double Naught Spy]

So what if the roomies are in college?

If you have people fondling your stuff at home, then they don't need to be your roomies. If they have to be roomies, buy a friggin' safe or lock box of some sort. How hard is that to figure out?

[rayra]

Another recommendation to buy at least Homak locking cabinet, asap.

And spend $20 on a key-locking doorknob for your bedroom, TODAY

[semf]

I have a box full of trigger locks. If you are really short on cash, and believe me I've been there, I can send you some.

[Erik]

Store them in a gun locker, or preferably a safe.

Anything less is inviting trouble.

[Stevie-Ray]

Gun Vault. My multi was just a little over 100 bucks and it holds my 4 CCWs perfectly. Or at least a Sentry Lock Box. These can be had for about 45 bucks, but I don't know how many you could stuff in there.

[Sven]

In my state, right now you would be storing the firearms in an illegal fashion - check your local laws... and get a GunVault or ANYTHING that is secure and that bolts down to the floor.

Hide it well.

[Stickjockey]

At least check out these guys (http://www.life-jacket.com.LJhome.html). Good for handguns, semi/pump shotguns, and AR-style rifles.