So i had an idea occur to me, near where is a building that used to be a bank. It still has the vault in it, i undertand this is normal since vault doors tend to be very heavy. My question is if there was a place where once could store their firearms in a place that was very secure (i.e bank vault) would you pay to store (some of) your firearms there. My idea would be like a mini-storage for guns. each "renter" would have a locker inside te vault that only they would have the key to, and could access during certain hours, say 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. you know come pick up your guns go to the range and return them the same day or next, to a totally secure locatation and not have to worry about buying a safe. I have been kicking around this idea for a wile now, and am interested to know if others would be willing to pay to store their guns and other valuables. I would use a service like this if it was avaliable for most of my firearms, especally the ones that my dad gave me that are irreplaceable. let me know what y'all think.
gun storage
- Thread starter vector248
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BridgeWalker
Member
Not right now, since we don't have many, and use the mid-range guns too frequently too store and the low-end guns are not too worrisome. I could defnitely see wanting something like this in the future. I really do not like hte idea of installing an RSC in my home for many reasons, but would like to acquire (when I'm done with lawyer school anyway) some higher end sporting guns. That would leave low-end and HD stuff on a nice rack at home, but put the high end and infreqently used mid-range stuff in off-site storage.
Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. Shotgun and handgun in the bedroom, milsurps and current projects and main clays gun in a stack-on cabinet in the basement, good stuff not even around. Good solution for around kids too.
My only concern is it serves as fuel for the anti argument that we should all be rquired to keep our guns offsite.
Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. Shotgun and handgun in the bedroom, milsurps and current projects and main clays gun in a stack-on cabinet in the basement, good stuff not even around. Good solution for around kids too.
My only concern is it serves as fuel for the anti argument that we should all be rquired to keep our guns offsite.
this solution would be aimed at people who want to securly store their guns away from kids and crack head theif's and those with very expensive collections. This would be an option to the $7000 graffunder safe. The goal would be to have the monthly cost to be about $25 to $75 a month so that it would e affordable. plus when you get to the size of my collection not to mention some of the other membrers collections something like this might be cost effective compaired to multiple "safes."
finnerandr
Member
It would be good for the Feds when they decide to confiscate all your firearms, they can one stop shop and get the entire neighborhoods guns while they are at it!
ColinthePilot
Member
I don't trust my guns with anyone but myself and one or two trusted friends, both of whom have gun sat for me before (like on vacation). Right now, I'm living on an Air Force Base, and we're not allowed to store on site. They either stay off base or live in the armory (where I had to teach a Senior NCO how to clear an SKS). Mine live off base with a friend. They snuggle up at night with a few buddies, and they're accessible. I must say, I don't think I would be a customer, except for those short term vacation situations. Also, I know of at least 2 gun shops that will store guns you buy from them for a small fee. They both catered to college students who lived in dorms.
Ok vector, I see from your tag that you are from Arizona, which border's California. I don't know how close to the CA your town is, but if it was I bet you could find a number of shooters in CA who would like to store their ARs, AKs, FALs, and so on, there instead of leaving them with friends or family out of state.
230RN
2A was "political" when it was first adopted.
My purely emotional reaction is that it smacks too much of the gun-storage schemes of certain other countries, and which has been suggested by antis for this country.
And "liking" this idea is akin to giving the antis reason to re-propose the idea: "See, they wouldn't mind storing their guns."
However, on a more realistic basis, it's not a bad idea.
I wanted to store a couple of guns at one of those storage lockers but I realized that the only thing separating one storage area from the other was 2 X 3 hog wire. I think by now that the storage-locker folks have improved that situation.
The most secure storage I ever used was an empty truck trailer. A guy up in North Boulder CO had about ten or fifteen no longer roadworthy truck trailers on a lot and rented them out pretty cheap for storage.
The locking system on these truck trailers are pretty substantial. But you had to visit your stuff only during daylight hours.
I had a complete machine shop and a whole crapload of electronic instruments as well as a few guns stored in mine for about two years and didn't worry at all about my goodies.
As an offshot idea, though, I was toying with the notion of somehow or another setting up a storage system for folks who could not carry their CCWs into work. Too many problems, but the basic idea was to park a van in a regular lot and folks who wanted to park their carry pieces in it during working hours could do so for a fee.
But it was just a possible (meaning "not impossible but not really practical") solution to a problem in my building where you have to go through mag detectors and armed guards with wands and whatnot before entering.
And they did not want to set up a check-in point for legally armed citizens.
Yours wouldn't be a bad idea, depending on price, etc, for folks who wanted to keep unused guns in a secure lockup, but I wouldn't want to keep all of them there, and I wouldn't want it to somehow morph into a requirement by a Government entity.
Paranoia is a survival trait.
And "liking" this idea is akin to giving the antis reason to re-propose the idea: "See, they wouldn't mind storing their guns."
However, on a more realistic basis, it's not a bad idea.
I wanted to store a couple of guns at one of those storage lockers but I realized that the only thing separating one storage area from the other was 2 X 3 hog wire. I think by now that the storage-locker folks have improved that situation.
The most secure storage I ever used was an empty truck trailer. A guy up in North Boulder CO had about ten or fifteen no longer roadworthy truck trailers on a lot and rented them out pretty cheap for storage.
The locking system on these truck trailers are pretty substantial. But you had to visit your stuff only during daylight hours.
I had a complete machine shop and a whole crapload of electronic instruments as well as a few guns stored in mine for about two years and didn't worry at all about my goodies.
As an offshot idea, though, I was toying with the notion of somehow or another setting up a storage system for folks who could not carry their CCWs into work. Too many problems, but the basic idea was to park a van in a regular lot and folks who wanted to park their carry pieces in it during working hours could do so for a fee.
But it was just a possible (meaning "not impossible but not really practical") solution to a problem in my building where you have to go through mag detectors and armed guards with wands and whatnot before entering.
And they did not want to set up a check-in point for legally armed citizens.
Yours wouldn't be a bad idea, depending on price, etc, for folks who wanted to keep unused guns in a secure lockup, but I wouldn't want to keep all of them there, and I wouldn't want it to somehow morph into a requirement by a Government entity.
Paranoia is a survival trait.
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i agree.
i do think its a good idea cause iv looked for places like that out here. im in college and cant keep my guns in my dorm, obviously.
id like to have a place i could store them close by so that i could go to the range, have a place to store new purchases until i can bring them home, or just generaly have them near by.
personaly im running out of room in my safe, some where to keep my spare T53's and my other less used/uncomplete guns ( m1917 eddystone, im looking at you.) would be nice
fixyurgun
Member
I wonder which ffl you'd need for this operation. I was told by the atf when I opened my shop that if all I did was repair guns(no sales) they might not renew my ffl. anybody know? jim
For me to leave my guns with anyone not an immediate family member, that person would have to be able to supply me with an insurance binder for a specific dollar amount, naming me, personally, as the insured party.
If that requirement is met, I would probably not have a problem with the idea.
If that requirement is met, I would probably not have a problem with the idea.
The problem for me, is still one of security. The bank vault sounds great, but anybody who is a subscriber has access to the interior where his (and Your) guns are stored in "lockers." It seems to me, at least relative to the people who can get into the vault, your guns would be less safe than if they were in a safe at home.
$25 - $75 per month works out to $300 to $900 per year. That kind of $$$ can get you a decent RSC. Two or three years worth of storage fees can get you something really nice (relatively speaking, in terms of reasonable gun storage).
So, I don't see this being attractive to a homeowner. For renters (either apartment or house) who cannot bolt 500# containers to the floor joists or basement floor, it may be a better option. Apartments can generally not be fortified as well as a house since they are usually rented, so security is more of an issue. Space is also at a premium in an apartment.
There may be some legal issues to this too. By being in the business of storing guns, is it considered taking possession? Must the business have some type of FFL? Will the city/county even grant a business permit for this?
Security is a problem too. Will all "members" be allowed to open The Big Door? From there, how easy will it be to break into someone else's locker? How many people are required to open a bank vault door? I've heard weight is not the issue, but do two people need to turn keys, combo locks, etc?
What happens when the neighborhood criminals break in and relieve the facility of its cache of weapons? Will the business be liable to reimburse owners? Will the state file charges of negligence for "providing" guns to illegal possessors?
Run the numbers. How much will rent be and what were the utility costs for the past 12-36 months? How much is insurance? That should establish a baseline for fixed costs. Now look at the size of the place. How many full size long guns can it accomodate? How many full size handguns can it accomodate? Divide it all out and see what your breakeven point is for the price you want to charge. Will you need to store 100 rifles? 200 rifles? 50 handguns? 800 handguns?
Writing a business plan sucks because it gives you a hundred reasons NOT to start your business. However, they are essential because they encourage you to think concretely about the venture. Many ideas sound good on a small scale, but when you toss in all of the government rules and regs, plus insurance, rent, etc, most ideas fall apart.
If you are really serious about exploring this further, PM me. I've had some entrepreneurship coursework as part of MBA program and I'm an accountant by trade and my undergrad degree is in marketing. I'm no business genius either.
So, I don't see this being attractive to a homeowner. For renters (either apartment or house) who cannot bolt 500# containers to the floor joists or basement floor, it may be a better option. Apartments can generally not be fortified as well as a house since they are usually rented, so security is more of an issue. Space is also at a premium in an apartment.
There may be some legal issues to this too. By being in the business of storing guns, is it considered taking possession? Must the business have some type of FFL? Will the city/county even grant a business permit for this?
Security is a problem too. Will all "members" be allowed to open The Big Door? From there, how easy will it be to break into someone else's locker? How many people are required to open a bank vault door? I've heard weight is not the issue, but do two people need to turn keys, combo locks, etc?
What happens when the neighborhood criminals break in and relieve the facility of its cache of weapons? Will the business be liable to reimburse owners? Will the state file charges of negligence for "providing" guns to illegal possessors?
Run the numbers. How much will rent be and what were the utility costs for the past 12-36 months? How much is insurance? That should establish a baseline for fixed costs. Now look at the size of the place. How many full size long guns can it accomodate? How many full size handguns can it accomodate? Divide it all out and see what your breakeven point is for the price you want to charge. Will you need to store 100 rifles? 200 rifles? 50 handguns? 800 handguns?
Writing a business plan sucks because it gives you a hundred reasons NOT to start your business. However, they are essential because they encourage you to think concretely about the venture. Many ideas sound good on a small scale, but when you toss in all of the government rules and regs, plus insurance, rent, etc, most ideas fall apart.
If you are really serious about exploring this further, PM me. I've had some entrepreneurship coursework as part of MBA program and I'm an accountant by trade and my undergrad degree is in marketing. I'm no business genius either.
I have not looked into the laws and regs yet. The vault door would at first (first year or so of operation) on a timer like a normal bank. Ideally you could be open 24/7, with only a hand full of people (3-5) being able to actually open the vault. The vault would be closed after dark even if open 24/7. As for the lockers my thought was to buy several RSC's, with digital locks and allow the "renter" to choose their own combo. Also the vault would be under camera survalance all the time to ensure no one broke into anybody elses "locker." To store the guns meant one would have to "take ownership" of the guns it would nto beworth the hassle, and maybe that is why there arn't any of these storage facilities out there. For this to ork you would have to have a lot of storage space, and this particular bank building does not have enough room. I have not looked too serously at this, since i don't have the $$$ to even think serously about it. thanks for everybody's imput.
Vector248;
Please tell me, by model number, what $7,000.00 Graffunder safe you'd be referring to. As I'm a Graffunder dealer, with all of my stock under that figure, I'm naturally curious you understand. And no, my stock does not consist of one safe. The number varies, but 6 to 12 would be typical on any given day.
900F
Please tell me, by model number, what $7,000.00 Graffunder safe you'd be referring to. As I'm a Graffunder dealer, with all of my stock under that figure, I'm naturally curious you understand. And no, my stock does not consist of one safe. The number varies, but 6 to 12 would be typical on any given day.
900F
It's going to be pretty hard to find a big enough bank vault to store many guns. Most vaults aren't super big. Also the main security feature on vaults is the timelock if you are open 24 hours that is pointless. To have customers come in and out you are not going to be able to close the door without it being a PITA. You could have it on daylock but there goes the security.
Also ATF regulations are questionable on this one you might get into some serious paperwork to just get your guns out. Many of the fine British makers have offered storage for years even before the crazy regs.
I kind of like your Idea though I think in a metro area it could work.
Also ATF regulations are questionable on this one you might get into some serious paperwork to just get your guns out. Many of the fine British makers have offered storage for years even before the crazy regs.
I kind of like your Idea though I think in a metro area it could work.
LoadedDrum
Member
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- Dec 7, 2004
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- 612
If the service worked like a safety deposit box where an employee of the "bank" and the tenant have to go in together, each with a seperate key to retrieve the tenant's cache I could see this working.
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