how to balance safe storage with HD ability?

[SpeedAKL]

So here's the dilemma. I live in a first-floor apartment in a college town. We always lock and bolt our doors when we go out around here because there is a fairly high number of break-ins, and we have numerous firearms in the apartment. There has been an uptick in crime in the area as of late, some of it gang-related, and I don't want my guns getting stolen due to poor safety measures and winding up on the nightly news. Thus, I keep them concealed in a bedroom closet with trigger lock on them. The ammo is under my bed in a sealed container.

However, we have also had an uptick in violent crime - robberies, assaults, threatening with firearms, stabbings, etc, and I don't want to be a victim of a break-in while I'm at home either. Given that an HD scenario involves precious little time, I want to be able to access firearms quickly. In your opinion, what is a good storage method to both keep guns safe from theft/childen/accidents and have at least one at your disposal for a home invasion?

 

[SpeedAKL]

Edit: wow, its far too late at night, I'm getting up early tomorrow to hit the range, and i just realized that the strategy and tactics forum exists! oops

 

[WeedWhacker]

General is a good place for such a topic, I believe.

The measures you take are wildly different depending on circumstances. You mention "children", but don't mention if any live with you. Do any?

If so, take time to educate them if they are at a level where they can understand "powerful", "danger", and "important"; that'll take a while. If not, then I'd suggest getting yourself to the level of familiarization where you are comfortable keeping a loaded firearm close at hand at all times (preferably on-body).

Gun locks are just this side shy of completely useless. Many models will not stop a determined youngster, and they are impossible to open fast enough to allow a firearm to be used in a life-or-death scenario. They also, of course, will do absolutely nothing to prevent a burglar from picking them up and taking them away to hack off the locks later.

So, if someone wants a defensive firearm available for emergencies, the basics as I see them pretty much boil down to this: keep a loaded firearm on your person, preferably in a good holster which protects the trigger. When at home, this can be supplemented by a loaded long arm in a rack, corner, or other stable place around the house. Numbers adjusted to your liking.

The rest of the firearms, ones not deemed practical or desirable for immediate defensive use, should be stored in a good-quality *safe* (not an RSC). Since apartment living is not conducive to installing good safes, an RSC may just have to do instead. Knock-down RSCs (such as Zanotti Armor) have some stealth advantages when moving around, and are easier generally to set up inside a residence. Bolting or chaining them to something is best; loading a bunch of heavy crap in them can't hurt, either. None of this will stop someone who is determined to steal everything you have, but it will stop or greatly hamper the majority of burglars, especially smash-and-grabbers.

To reiterate the reason for keeping loaded firearms about (with exceptions for irresponsible others who might live with you) is the speed of which a break-in can occur for most residential homes and apartments. A standard wooden door frame is little more than a quarter-inch of pine, of which only around one inch or so needs to be kicked out to open the door. In short, most residential front doors will burst open with one stout kick aimed next to the doorknob, which may be the only noise heard before the invaders have a clear path to the living room. How long does it take to walk through your open front door into the first room? How long does it take you to ready a firearm with a presumably armed and dangerous stranger suddenly stepping into your living room?

 

[Rustynuts]

Get a gunvault or a wall safe that has fingerprint access. I tried one at a gunshow and it opens almost instantly. Haven't read any real world trials so noy sure if they function as fast in reality having to scan the print and all. They have key and/or button combination backup though. Not cheap either!

 

[WeedWhacker]

How well do fingerprint scanners work with a sweaty thumb? With mayo from your suddenly-interupted lunch on it? With that cut you picked up last week? With a weak or dead battery?

Well enough to bet your life on it?

 

[mjrodney]

The television show MythBusters demonstrated that a photocopied fingerprint opened the biometric lock sample they had.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/22/digital-fingerprint-door-lock-defeated-by-photocopied-print/

Mechanical locks still rule.

 

[woodybrighton]

a worn holster pretty secure

 

[cornman]

The vast majority of break ins are for theft so I would not worry about having a loaded gun. You would be far better off getting an alarm or better door/ locks. Only the NRA wants you to been in fear of the boogy man that has only one goal and that is to break and get you.

 

[pax]

In your opinion, what is a good storage method to both keep guns safe from theft/childen/accidents and have at least one at your disposal for a home invasion?

Carry it.

Put the gun on when you get dressed in the morning. Don't take it off until you go to bed at night.

Problem solved.

pax

 

[benEzra]

Handguns secured only by a trigger lock aren't secure from theft, just from instant use.

One possibly better option would be to get one of these from Wal-Mart:


http://downloads.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3266151

and bolt it down somewhere. It would be enough to deter most casual thieves, and would be better than a trigger lock from a defensive-access standpoint as well.

 

[fearless leader]

Quote: Carry it.

Put the gun on when you get dressed in the morning. Don't take it off until you go to bed at night.

Problem solved.

I agree. I keep my guns locked up in a safe. I keep a "ready gun" on my person until I go to bed, then it goes under my pillow, so no one can relieve me of it without waking me.

Make sure your "ready gun" is accessable and capable of buying you time to get to the safe if necessary. If you have children and you are putting the gun in a drawer, you can use a S&W Automatic that won't fire without the mag and keep the mag in your pocket.

If you have a digital safe lock, always rub the touch pad down with your palm and pretend to hit some extra numbers. You never know who will be monitoring you or will use powder to see which numbers your hitting.

The door to my safe faces a window, and it occurred to me one day that someone could place a hidden camera on my tree or something to see what numbers I push. I have seen some remarkable concealable spy cameras for sale.

I'll go put on my T/F hat now.

 

[WaltonS]

I say don't leave the gun in the open. If you keep it in a small safe (I use one designed for laptops) then fine, but have a backup, like a lamp or baseball bat lying nearby.

 

[gbran]

There are two issues here.

1. Keep your guns safe from theft/breakins.
2. Keep something handy for HD when home.

I'll take #2 1st.

When I had children in the home, I kept a handgun and a shotty out where I could get to them at night. In the morning, I'd put up the shotty and slip the hangun into a locked mni safe.

Keeping your guns safe in an apartment you don't own is a little tougher.
Best case, buy a 300+ pound safe and bolt it to the floor and the wall. Simply repair the holes when you move.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Do you carry? If so you can keep it with you when not in bed and close at hand when you are in bed. Another option is a quick access safe bolted to something secure.

The vast majority of break ins are for theaft so I would not worry about having a loaded gun. You would be far better off getting an alarm or better door/ locks. Only the NRA wants you to been in fear of the boogy man that has only one goal and that is to break and get you.

I guess he should just sell his guns and have 911 on speed dial. They have stopped every home invasion robbery to date right? The vast majority of candles don't burn down homes so there's no reason to have a charged fire extinguisher either. Better security on the house is always a good idea but if that's the last line of defense then you are putting a lot of reliance on other people for your safety.

 

[Majic]

It shouldn't take much brain power to unlock and have a loaded firearm handy anytime you are at home (even if that means carrying it on your person) and to lock it up whenever you leave. Also concealed in a closet with a trigger lock is not secure. Some type of safe (if small also mounted) would be much better. As it is now nothing is to stop the intruder from taking the firearm if it's found. Once in the hands of the intruder they have all the time in the world to defeat the lock.