Gun storage off-site; need opinions please

[ChCx2744]

Without divulging too much information or wasting too much time, I'll get down to the point. A friend of mine has a long gun and a few pistols. He has no problem with keeping the pistols in the house, as they are out of view and out of sight, the others being on him. Problem is, the parents may have a problem if they notice the long gun and it isn't very easy to hide. Trying to persuade or coax the parents into allowing him to keep it in there is not an option, as trying to keep his carry piece and BUG concealed is already a task. Question is, what would be some options for him to keep/store the gun off-site?

The only advice and opinions I were able to offer him were:
-Take the gun apart so it can store easier in a smaller place, such as a box and store it that way. (Most plausible option, as the parents don't invade his privacy that much)
-Sell it (Last resort)
-Keep it in the car (A bit unsafe and illegal to have a gun in the car in certain areas)
-Keep it at a friend's home (A bit unsafe and must be a good judge of character)
-Rent locker or space at an FFL, gun shop, range, etc. (Safe, but expensive)

Any other ideas or suggestions that I haven't thought of would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Storage unit. or he could move out on his own.

 

[Pronghorn]

I was in a similar situation. Im at college now, but the police here have a program where they hold onto your weapons for you, and you just pick them up whenever you want to use them. They are actually very considerate about it.

 

[Sport45]

1) Find a gun shop that will store the firearms (all of them) for a monthly fee, or
2) Move out, to somewhere that he's willing to abide by the wishes of the homeowner.

If his parents own the place and don't want firearms in the house that's their right and privilege.

 

[Maia007]

Your friend should follow his parent's rules when living in his parent's house and accepting their support. That's the way the world works.

It appears that he must be over 21, since he has a concealed carry piece.

He should consider becoming an adult, which means supporting himself, and living in his own domicile, where he can do as he wishes. That's the way the world works.

In other words, he may not be able to have it both ways.

The easiest interim solution might be for you, his friend, to offer to store his guns for him. Perhaps both of you could go in together and buy a safe.

 

[Old krow]

Would buying a safe and storing that at a friend's house be an option?

If the long gun can be broken down, a medium sized safe should work.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Do it the old style way
find paint that matches the wall, can of dry wall texture, spatula (most kitchens have a few) dry wall tape and compound
peice of sheet rock 16" (measure the studs to find out what you need)

find a nice lost corner, or even center wall, out of direct light, AND oblique light, cut the drywall centered on the stud, remove, insert rifle, sand the exposed dry wall smooth 2" out from the cut (total of 4" smooth, 2 for the wall, 2 on the cut board)

put compound in the cut, place board and follow the directions, use the spatula to smooth the spray texture to match the wall texture then repaint

now no gun to be found.

 

[browningguy]

He should consider becoming an adult, which means supporting himself, and living in his own domicile, where he can do as he wishes. That's the way the world works.

That's a great thought. But for those that live in the real world, where unemployment among recent college grads is running over 13%, it may not be possible. Maybe I should also tell my 52 year old neighbor who got laid off from the railroad just to "become an adult" instead of considering moving his family in with his mother. I mean what the heck, he's only been working there for 30 years, probably time to find a real job anyway.

However otherwise I agree, if he lives in his parents house he has to obey their rules. Probably renting a storage space at an FFL or range is the safest.

 

[bigalexe]

He should consider becoming an adult, which means supporting himself, and living in his own domicile, where he can do as he wishes. That's the way the world works.

Great idea but this is America and we are in a recession, some of us who were once better off are now out of work and some of us in college can't find jobs to get us by.

Seriously best idea is to store them at a friend's. I once moved out my guns (only 2 guns) due to an extended family member moving in on a temporary basis. This I think is a problem that occurs more often than it would seem.

 

[kingpin008]

Do it the old style way
find paint that matches the wall, can of dry wall texture, spatula (most kitchens have a few) dry wall tape and compound
peice of sheet rock 16" (measure the studs to find out what you need)

find a nice lost corner, or even center wall, out of direct light, AND oblique light, cut the drywall centered on the stud, remove, insert rifle, sand the exposed dry wall smooth 2" out from the cut (total of 4" smooth, 2 for the wall, 2 on the cut board)

put compound in the cut, place board and follow the directions, use the spatula to smooth the spray texture to match the wall texture then repaint

now no gun to be found.

Maybe it's just me, but if you were my kid and I found out that you cut holes in my walls to hide a gun I didn't want you to have, I'd whoop the skin off your butt faster than you can say "Home Depot".

Seriously...that's both extreme, and pretty damn dishonest. Let's suggest things that don't involve damaging other people's property, even if that property is subsequently repaired.

 

[ChCx2744]

I would let him store it at my place, but I'm working out of town until March 2011. He just recently moved back in with his parents and keeps it in his car while he rides his R6 everywhere lol.

I didn't think it was very wise of him to keep it in his car for storage, so I wanted to see if I could offer him some suggestions.

 

[nalioth]

I don't know why folks keep bringing up "rent storage space at an FFL".

An FFL holder must record all weapons on the premises, and this includes the weapon's disposition.

The "friend" will have to fill out a 4473 to get them back after the "storage period", and I'm sure the FFL will get tired of logging them in and out (or the friend will get tired of paying the FFL's fees to do so).

 

[Nausea]

I'm fairly sure you've already ruled out informing them? I understand they might not like it, but if he is paying rent that might help his stance.
As opposed to damaging the wall, perhaps have him create a false wall?

 

[oldbear]

Can your “friend” dissemble his long gun, place it in a lockable case and keep it at friend’s house? Would your friend’s parents allow your friend to take steps one and two and store the item in their basement, attic, or garage?

12 hrs. later I've rethought this some. The young man needs to respect his parents wishes as long as he is a guest in their home. Perhaps this person should sell the weapons and put the money away to be used to get his own place. If he is unwilling to do this rent some sort of secure storage space away from his PARENTS HOME!

 

[ChCx2744]

He risks either them wanting him to move out or sell it if they find out he has a long gun, so he's trying to keep it as discreet as possible. He can't exactly afford to move out yet, so if all other means are exhausted, he would ultimately have to sell it, which as I stated, is down there with the option of moving out. Taking it apart, locking it and storing it at a friends place would only be plausible if I was in town, then I'd have no problem with it, but he can't access my home without me being there.

 

[stonecutter2]

He should come clean to his parents, say he's got whatever guns around, and that he'd like to talk with them about whether he should disassemble them and lock them away, give them to a friend for safekeeping, keep gun locks on them and out of sight, or pay for storage.

One thing I've learned is that dishonesty/deception with your parents can come back tenfold if it's discovered, and their trust in you is worth far more than anything you physically possess.

He shouldn't be deceiving them, and he should be responsible and discuss this with them. Maybe they can come to some agreement/understanding on the matter.

 

[rfwobbly]

Honesty is always the best possible course, especially with parents.

I suppose he got the guns when he wasn't living there, and then had to move back home. Any parent can understand that. What if he moved back in and owned a tractor, or bulldozer? When people are up-front with each other, concessions are a lot more likely.

He might find that his parents would buy a safe if only they had the combination. Then they could both sleep well at night. Him, his guns safe, and they, safe from guns. Besides, once I bought a safe, the wife found hundreds of items she wanted to put in there: the wife's jewelry, check book when the maids visit, the Glenlivet scotch, her Barbie Doll collection, etc.

Your friend should go into that conversation prepared to quote prices. But that's easy because every WalMart, Lowes and Home Depot sells inexpensive safes these days.

 

[o Unforgiven o]

I can't believe some of you guys are suggesting he cut a hole in his parents house to hide firearms from them. That is not in anyway the right thing to do and certainly not High Road.

He needs to tell his parents that he has guns in their house, even if that means he can't keep them there anymore, period.