Temporary home stay/Home defense

[Mastrogiacomo]

I thought I'd ask this in a couple of places to see what folks thought. We have to move by the 14th out of home but the condo won't be ready until a week or two so it's a hotel or homestay during that time. I'll probably put my guns in a storage as my sister doesn't have a permit and her basement is prone to flooding when it rains. I have a Class A - should I keep the SP with me for defense or lock it up and go without?

 

[thebigc]

i would just lock the guns up and leave them in a closet at your sisters im pretty sure she doesent need a permit to have them stored in her house and you should keep the sp with you theres no reason to leave it behind.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

That's what I'm thinking. As a woman, I don't feel comfortable with my parents and I alone in this hotel without protection. My new .357 2" DAO is small enough to conceal but large enough to keep us safe should we be surprised during the night.

 

[sumpnz]

If you're at a hotel, keep the SP with you. Homestay will depend on the rules of the home you stay in. I'm sure there's plenty of trustworthy THR members in your area that will let you keep your guns in their safe (assuming they have the room at least) for a couple weeks if you don't want to/can't keep them at your sister's.

 

[pax]

I'd say keep the SP with you, for your own peace of mind and also because you just never know.

The rest of the guns, you might be able to store at a local FFL's, though I don't know how that works or what it would cost. Or (not familiar with the laws back there either but) if you have a completely trusted friend with a good safe, you maybe could store them in your friend's safe for the duration.

It sounds like you're not comfortable taking the guns to your sister's house, so ... well, what I'd try to avoid doing would be leaving the guns somewhere where I didn't feel they were completely secured & safe. Your threshhold for what feels safe & what doesn't might be different than mine (and that's okay) but in the middle of a move, you really do not need one extra worry on your mind so whatever you do, make sure it's something that doesn't leave you wondering.

My .02

pax

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

We're going to call my brother who has a second room just above his garage which is dry and secure (gotta ask). My sister will have to take the cats (which she'll love and we'll miss them terribly). I plan on getting defense rounds for this gun; the area where we'll stay (hotel) will be near an area where several sex offenders live for some odd reason. Looked it up on a state sex offender list - many go for children but some are on it for rape of adults. Just our luck to be near such fine people. Should one of them try my room one night, I'd like my SP and five buddies watching my back. Hope it's a very short term stay.

Forgot to ask, I work in a federal building so I can't take it with me in the pocketbook. My father can't carry with a Class B but I can't leave it behind in the hotel while he's out on business so I'm thinking a fanny pack will work. Any good names? I don't want him wearing a holster as it might be obvious - particularly to my mother.

 

[carebear]

Fanny pack for him? If he can't carry it and will just be transporting it for you he just needs something relatively sturdy. Most "Gun" fanny packs are still overbuilt and tend to look kinda big.

I use my (emptied out) dayplanner (the 5x7ish size) for low key transport. I'm not going to be fast drawing from it but it blends in and doesn't look particularly valuble (theft-inducing).

Nothing that sticks out with any conceivable outfit either. Whereas I still think of fanny packs as a "sports" accessory. If you're a man (father)and are wearing something with pockets, especially professional attire, and they're empty but you have a little bag strapped to you, it looks odd to me.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

This is getting more fun. He doesn't want to carry it at all, even in the fanny pack, as my mother will ask what's in it and he can't carry. I can't blame him really as he's restricted by permit. I can't take it to work as I'm a federal employee and can't leave my SP in the car so even taking that might be a problem. How could I secure it in the hotel if I take it?

 

[vito]

You might think twice about keeping guns in a public storage locker. In many cities these storage facilities are prime targets for burglars. My son is a former LEO from Milwaukee where he had many calls to such places after they had been broken into.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

That's my concern Vito. This is getting a little ugly when I consider all the risks.

 

[wdlsguy]

How could I secure it in the hotel if I take it?

Does your hotel have in-room safes?

 

[sumpnz]

Your options for the SP are limited. I might suggest you get a pistol safe that can be secured (by bolts, cable lock, etc) to something like the heater, bed frame, or some other object that is essentially not able to be moved or taken apart without substantial tools. That and put at least some effort into concealing its presence from maids and the like. Or see if the hotel can give you a room that provides an in-room safe box.

The other option would be a pistol safe that is bolted into the trunk area of your car. I know you said that you're a federal employee, but do they search your car before you get into the parking area? Even when I worked at Raytheon in Tucson if they did search your car (they usually only did this if you didn't have a Raytheon badge) they really didn't look that closely, and would not have noticed a pistol safe if even a small amount of thought went into concealing it. It's only for a couple of weeks, so I really wouldn't be too worried about getting caught unless they thoroughly search your car.

As to your other guns, I still think finding a friend with room in their safe is probably one of your better bets if the sister and brother don't work out. After that, maybe makeing some sort of arrangement with an FFL, or shooting club (if you're a member) might be possible. If you're planning on buying another gun or three, and a bunch ammo or accessories you could probably convince a dealer to store your existing collection for that time. Or find a gunsmithing shop and have them do a little work on each gun such that they'll need at least a couple weeks just to do all that. That way you'll get them safely stored and get some improvments/maintenance done at the same time.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Going without self-defense makes less sense to me than going without food.

 

[hso]

Use a hotel with an in room safe and secure it there.

Why pick a hotel where you know there's the potential for problems?

 

[Wiley]

For a week you're probably not going into a 5-star hotel (which would have a vault with safety-deposit boxes), so..

1. Unloaded in a locked case in the car trunk while a work? Mags and ammo in the glove compartment.
2. Store the carry piece with the other guns and go naked for a week? (Sometimes the only option.)
3. Some even lower rated hotels have safety-deposit boxes. Put the piece in a nondescript container and lock up.

 

[silverlance]

um..

what is an sp?
some sort of miniature .357 dao that throws explosive darts?
a chaingun that fits in a fanny pack?
thermal detonator?

 

[carebear]

Ruger SP-101 5 shot stainless .357 Mag.

More or less a Ruger "J-frame"

Most major national chain hotels (Holiday Inns, La Quinta's and such) have an in-room safe in the closet. Most major chains also don't have a big theft problem from those safes.

It ain't the best option but it is hardly giving the gun away.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

Thanks for the info gentlemen. I agree leaving without protection is bad news, especially when you consider most of the hotels in my area are littered with men on the sex offender list. God knows why they live all in that area but they do, so if one of them tries my door, they'll be in for more than an innocent, helpless five year old....

I'll look into the safe option at the hotel. Thank you.

BTW, as for the gun work, I have at least 19, 20 guns off the top of my head so it'd get expensive, but hope to do that down the road.

 

[wdlsguy]

If all else fails, run a bicycle lock through the frame or trigger guard, and find something solid in your room to attach it to.

 

[spacemanspiff]

Whereas I still think of fanny packs as a "sports" accessory

and how many times, pray tell, have you hemmed and hawwed over whether or not your fanny pack matched your spandex or running shoes?

btw, thats a rhetorical question. no one really wants to know the answer.

i'd say hollow out a book and stash the gun in it. maybe, a cookbook?

 

[GLOCK19XDSC]

My local range/gun store rents lockers. I believe they're about as safe as they can get there because there's a hell of a lot more strewn about the store than what could be gotten out of the lockers (assuming a BG can disarm the employees if during the day or break in through the iron bars if at night). That may be an option for you as far as storage goes.

I saw a book safe in the local Staples for $15-$20 that may fit the bill for the SP if you decide to go that route. They aren't what you normally see advertised for gun storage.

If there is no safe in the hotel you can also look into one of these for the car:
http://www.center-of-mass.com/About_Product_Safe_Incar.htm

Good luck!

 

[sumpnz]

So Mastro - What have you decided on?

 

[Third_Rail]

Oooh, ooh, I know this one...... use common sense and see if you really want to obey terrible laws.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

Well, I decided I'm keeping my guns with me - with the possible exception of my long guns that my brother will hold on to for the week or so. My former instructor, who is also a cop, suggested that I contact the local P.D. and ask them to store the weapons and speak to the firearms or the evidence officer and explain my situation. A good suggestion but I think I'd feel better if they were with me. So, since I'm federal, that means taking time off from work until I get settled in my new home. This way I don't run into trouble storing/hiding guns in the hotel to having to take them where I legally can't. When I go out, my parents will be there, when we both do, they go in the trunk.