One of your obligations as a responsible gun owner is keeping your firearms secure from unauthorized use whether from children, other family members, visitors or burglars. Owning firearms is your right, but it’s also your duty to make sure they are properly secured.
While keeping a pistol handy in a night stand or desk drawer may seem like a good idea, if it’s easy for you to get, it is for others, too. At the minimum, guns kept in the open should have trigger locks to prevent a child (or an adult with bad judgment or malicious intent) from firing them. Magazine and breech locks are also available for some rifles and shotguns. Better yet, firearms should be stored securely in a gun safe.
Types of Gun Safes
- Speed Vaults For persons in high-risk locations where fast access to a pistol is needed, there are holster-like vaults that can be attached to any flat surface. The most sophisticated are biometrically controlled to release the pistol instantly at the touch of an authorized user’s fingerprint. Larger biometrically-operated box vaults are available to hold extra magazines and ammunition.
- Drawer Vaults These heavy-duty safes will hold long guns as well as smaller arms and ammunition. They can be used as underbed storage or bolted securely to a structure or vehicle. Some come with biometric locks instead of keys or combination dials.
- Floor Safes For stationary storage of large numbers of firearms and accessories, there are several sizes and models of floor safes. Some include rotating carousels, internal illumination and moisture control. Locking mechanisms range the gamut from keys and dials to biometrics.
Features to Look For
- Size It may seem obvious, but make sure your safe will hold what you want and allow for future needs. Inside dimensions can vary considerably from exterior size and the shape isn’t always the same inside and out.
- Weight Match the weight of the safe to its intended use. Lightweight safes are portable and will keep curious people out, but they can also be easily taken by thieves, even if they are secured in place. Large floor safes (500+ lbs.) are difficult to move, but be sure the flooring will support them. If you want to secure the safe to a floor or wall, be sure it’s safe to drill into it. Some pre-stressed concrete can shatter or cause foundation problems.
- Lock Type Manual locks (keys or combinations) take longer to open in an emergency and may be hard to operate in the dark, but may be fine for many safes. Electronic locks open quicker, can be more secure, are easily reprogrammed, and you don’t have to worry about losing keys or forgetting combinations.
- Fire and Theft Rating A fire-resistant safe is not necessarily theft-deterrent, and vice versa. Consider what you will be storing in the safe and choose one that satisfies your needs. Fire and theft ratings can be confusing, so make sure you’re dealing with someone whose expertise you trust.
Better yet, save yourself time and confusion by dealing with an expert in locks and security. Safes and locks are an important part of your security system and should be chosen carefully. The experts at Alexius Security Lock & Key, Denver’s Hometown Locksmiths, have been installing and maintaining security systems for over 16 years and are happy to discuss your security needs. Give us a call at 303.974.0215 for prompt, courteous attention.
And when you need fast, affordable locksmith services, our bonded and insured mobile locksmiths answer every call 24/7 and respond promptly, arriving with the parts, tools and know-how to get you going.
