Wife wants guns gone; Alternative storage solutions?

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FWIW, I think most people fear what they either don't know or don't understand. My wife is not a "huge fan" of guns either. I went years without any firearms in the house. She realizes that my reasons for the guns is the overall protection of my family. I believe the best way to address this issue is to educate her. Maybe the best way to educate her is to have her go through an NRA gun safety course? If you try to teach her - she may not listen (this is what we do with the ones we love unfortunately). A 3rd party may be best. Once she gets some exposure in a safe environment - it may allay some of her fears. You need to listen to her too. Her fears may not make sense to you - but to her they are real. You'll never get beyond these by minimizing her concerns - only by empathizing and helping her to get past them in a safe manner.
 
It's always about a little compromise.

I understand your analogy, but getting all of YOUR guns out of the house does not completely negate a firearm problem if an intruder does have a firearm.

Compromise, get a good safe.
 
Honestly, she has some baggage that she needs to unload. She needs help from a therapist. She really needs to work out her problems.

I think you need some type of steel gun cabinet or safe.
 
Ask her if you can store them unloaded. There is no chance of a mishap if they are kept unloaded.
 
Dumbest Advice

Tell your wife to DEAL WITH IT, POUND SAND or DIVORCE HER is the dumbest advice I have ever heard for a man who loves his wife and as he said "want to keep her around". There are other solutions. Some of which have been mentioned herein. A safe or storage facility away from home are among the best.
 
Atom, You say you LIKE your wife and that you LOVE shooting, strange choice of words. Deal with this issue now or it will only get worse. If she LOVES you then a solution will be found, if she doesn't, it won't.
 
snubbies said:
Tell your wife to DEAL WITH IT, POUND SAND or DIVORCE HER is the dumbest advice I have ever heard for a man who loves his wife and as he said "want to keep her around". There are other solutions. Some of which have been mentioned herein. A safe or storage facility away from home are among the best.
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Thank you. What I was hoping for were suggestions from people in Austin about off-site storage that they knew of, not relationship advice from people who have been through a few wives already.
 
Tell your wife to DEAL WITH IT, POUND SAND or DIVORCE HER is the dumbest advice I have ever heard for a man who loves his wife and as he said "want to keep her around". There are other solutions. Some of which have been mentioned herein. A safe or storage facility away from home are among the best.
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If he was a gun enthusiast before she came into the picture and knew he owned firearms there is NO WAY he should back down on this. I am all for compromises, locking them up in a safe unloaded for instance. But he should in no way, shape or form give into this demand.
 
A centurion safe made by liberty can be had for around 650 to 700 dollars. It would be more than adequate to suit your needs. Just bolt it to the floor and lock her up and the wife should feel safe. Put the safe in a subtle spot in your home and I think this might solve your problems. Good luck.
Has she had a previous bad experience with guns?
 
Buy a small gun safe for them that will fit in the end of your closet. and don't tell her the combo to get in. If you can't get her to deal with this small concession more poop will come along thru time. And you will give in again.
You and her do need to work thru her issues with fireams.
 
There are compromises in all relationships. How do you currently store your gun? Sounds like they are unloaded in the closet with the safeties on. Do you have an RSC already that they are stored in? Most women that are not into guns don't want to walk in the closet and see guns whether they are loaded or not. You should compromise and get an RSC and she won't see guns in the house the same way she currently does.
 
Atom Smasher

You sound like a very reasonable and considerate husband. But I think perhaps you're trying to be a little too accomodating to your wife's demands.

If she sees your guns as being deadly weapons just lying around the house, like an accident waiting to happen, what about all the other things you may both own that could be as equally harmful as your guns? What about the kitchen knives, scissors, screwdrivers, hammers, or an aluminum baseball bat? All of these tools are just as potentially dangerous as your guns but yet there's no request to move them out of the house. I believe a gun safe is a more than acceptable solution as a place to maintain in-home security with your guns without the need for off-site storage.

Marriage is about compromise and finding a workable solution to any problems you and your wife may have. If she is unwilling to compromise, or has some sort of underlying fear or obsessive/compulsive issue regarding firearms, perhaps these could be addressed through some sort of joint counseling program. Good luck with your efforts in finding a workable (and not too extreme), solution to your problem.
 
Atomsmasher. Long thread. Interesting reads.

Firstly

I would try to get her to a basic firearms safety course. Our classes are designed for the total novices. The students usually come our of there and return weeks later with their first gun and a smile on their face. Hopefully you will be picking out a S&W LADYSMITH type as the home defense gun you BOTH rely on.

Option two.

I did not read that she was totally opposed to putting them in an home safe of some kind. My wife objected, not to the guns, but the refrigerator sized safe I bought. NOW it is equally filled with her stuff. She named it Ton-Ton and she uses it daily for something. If you will get her to allow the safe, and you to store the guns in there, you may be easing the issue until she is more comfortable with them in the locked safe. I would try that compromise. You did not state if you want a loaded home defense gun at hand. If not, get a world class flashlight, an ASP, and some pepper spray.
 
Since she's not opposed to guns, have your wife start reading www.corneredcat.com, religiously.

Offer to split the difference with her -
a) buy a gun safe/locking cabinet (I bought one at Walmart a few years ago @ $75)
b) it goes in the garage. It's not in the house [living quarters] but it's still under your lock and key.

I applaud your committment to your wife even though her wishes go against your desire. I suggest you continue talking with her and explain why it's important for you to keep your firearms. Don't over-sensationalize, but explain in careful and deliberate terms why you would like to keep them with you and not off-site.

Q
 
Does she understand thay they can actually protect(not unloaded btw) you if someone tried to break in?

I think some counseling is in order for both of you.If she encourages your shooting but doesent want them in the house that is kinda unfair and contradictory.

She loves you and trusts you so unless you get drunk and play cowboy her uncle related fear leaves me wondering a little.Maybe something else going on here?

I think a gun safe is the best solution but that is for you(and her) to decide.

Is this a recent problem or has she been this way from day one?What has happened that has triggered her fear?
 
Atom,

You do seem to be in a bind. There does not seem to be a good place in your area for off site storage so it looks like you need another solution. What would she say to a good gun safe WITH the guns in cases in the safe and the guns NEVER to be uncased on your property. Also no ammunition on the premesis.
If they need cleaning or work do it at the range or a friends home etc.

This would be a reasonable compromise.
 
The OP wants to make his wife happy. That's admirable.

Classes, talking rationally with facts, hearing stories, reading Armed Citizen are all good for rational, thinking human beings. Less so with irrational ones like some people whose minds operate like a pit bull's in attack mode--they clamp on and little can be done to dissuade them.

In reading Atom's OP and subsequent responses, he appears predisposed to storing his firearms offsite, so it seems that he only needs assistance finding suitable storage facilities at an appealing price in Austin. His marital relationship is his business.
 
What about a really durable climate controlled small outbuilding with a safe inside to store most of your firearms? Having just one pistol or shotgun in the house (stored safely) for SD may be less scary for her.
 
I find it interesting that so many folks would rather keep there toys and dump their wives. It's just another facet of the X-gen "me factor". I could write an essay on how I suspect this spills over into other areas of apathy, selfishness, and lack of integrity but I think I've already said enough.

Atom, I suggest you turn to your own common sense and listen to your own heart. Talk things through with your wife and strike the best compromise for you both.
 
Women think differently then men. I know we're not supposed to say that in 2011 but it's true. Women think more with their hearts and men think more with their heads. They are more emotion driven while we are largely more fact driven. Unfortunately she appears unable to process the logic behind your belief that your guns will not run around the house causing mayhem all by themselves.
Apologies if anyone was offended by the truths stated above.
I've suggested this to others in your situation.
Pull up the sex offender registry in your area and show her how many sex offenders are in your neighborhood. It's always some within a few miles if you live in an urban area (sad isn't it?). Now google your local police depts. average response time.
Sit her down and show her exactly how far you can roam around that house in 3-5 minutes (if you have really good response times). Swing by the kitchen and grab a knife from the butcher's block and then stroll back to the bedroom. It will not take you but a few seconds to get from the front door to the kitchen and then to the bedroom. This should open her eyes but again....women are not logic driven so you have to appeal to her emotions.
Have her sit quietly while you count down the PD response time in your city. Time moves veeeerrrry slowly when you're sitting in silence watching a clock move.
One last thing, when you are at the mall next time have her take a look around. Ask her if she's stronger then any of the men that she sees. If they're under 60 or above 15 then the answer should be 0. Half of the population of your city is probably stronger than she is and it's almost guarenteed that the violent people are going to be stronger than your wife.
You can try these arguments but I don't know if they'll work. You may just find yourself paying for a dog and an alarm system instead of keeping your guns.
 
I find it interesting that so many folks would rather keep there toys and dump their wives
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I don't view firearms as toys...and should the day come that you need one to save your life, you won't view them that way either.

His marital relationship is his business.
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Then he should have left that out of the post and simply asked where he could store off site in his area. The moment he made this thread he made it our business.
 
My agreement with my wife is to keep one in a quick access safe, out of sight, while the rest are locked up, out of sight. The locked up and out of sight conditions were what worked for me. She was against any at first, and I wasn't a gun owner when we married, so it took some work to compromise.

A safe inside an offsite storage facility seems to be your only other solution. When taking/removing them from there, use boxes/bags/containers that look innocuous so nobody sees what you keep in there. I don't know of any offsite places in Austin that are firearm friendly so to speak.
 
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