Locking a takedown break-action shotgun?

[ArmedBear]

I have a BT-99 that I want to lock.

(My state law shields me from liability for criminal misuse or accidental misuse by a child if I lock up an unattended gun with an approved lock.)

Any good ideas about how to lock it?

There's no receiver to pass a cable through, there's no Greener lockup to stick a padlock into. The whole gun is very simple, with a single 34" barrel and no safety, and it has no obvious holes to pass a lock through.

And yes, I know, it's unlikely that a trap gun would be used in a crime, or that a kid would even know how to put it together, so I'm not too worried about that. But I want to be "covered" legally if there are kids around.

 

[larryw]

If you slip an "approved" lock between the back of the trigger and triger guard to prevent the trigger from operating, will that suffice? Another option would be something like this: http://www.triggerlock.com/triggerlocks.asp

 

[Zero_DgZ]

What about finding a big box to lock the sucker in? Is that "approved"? I dunno how your local laws work.

Locking gun cases are easy to find. Sounds like you'd need a big one.

 

[ArmedBear]

Thanks, all.

An approved cable-style trigger lock can be wound through the triggerguard so that the trigger can't be pulled. Good enough, and God knows I have plenty of those things lying around.

California laws are weird, for anyone that's interested. Ruger's included locks are not approved, apparently, and I've had to pay a few bucks for an approved lock that was clearly inferior, while the store had to keep the included lock. It motivated me to get gun safes, though. If I have a safe or approved lockbox, I don't have to buy a lock.

I think some other states have similar laws, though they're all a bit different. If a kid steals my gun and does anything illegal with it -- just about anything, really, since a kid isn't allowed to stroll around with a firearm -- I can be prosecuted as a felon. However, if it was locked up, I'm home free.

Personally, I'm not eager to have my guns stolen, and I'm even less eager to have them used for a crime. So obviously, this isn't the only measure I take to prevent these things from happening. It's just a matter of the letter of the law in this case.