Last Updated: by Jeffrey Huber
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How to make sure you are investing in the best gun storage solutions
If you are serious about investing in the kind of high-quality storage solutions for your firearms that will not only allow you to protect yourself, your property, and your loved ones in the event of an emergency with quick access to your firearms but also allow you to protect your expensive firearms (as well as the ammunition and other tactical items you’d like to store in the safe), you’ll want to pay close attention to the information provided below.
Almost all states mandate that you keep your firearms in a very specific gun safes that have several key locking mechanism features and are crafted out of specific construction materials, but even if you do not have to abide by these kinds of mandates it’s still essential that you make the right decision as a responsible firearm owner.
This quick guide has been designed to give you the entire inside information you need to make the right decisions moving forward.
What kind of firearms do you need to store?
Although this sounds like an easy question, it should be the first question you ask when you are looking to buy a new gun safe. If you have just one handgun and are not interested in obtaining more guns or rifles and you don’t want to store lots of valuable items, then a small handgun safe should be fine for you. But if you have already a few firearms, it might be more likely that you will buy another one in the future. You have to consider that when you are looking for a new gun safe. You might want to search directly for a rifle safe which gives you the height to keep your rifles securely locked.
After all, these gun safes are expensive enough, and you don’t want that you’ll have to buy a bigger gun safe after finding out that the first gun safe is too small.
What kind of locking mechanism does this gun storage solution leverage?
The first (and probably the most obvious) thing that you will want to look into before purchasing any gun safe is the locking the mechanism that the particular set up takes advantage of.
All gun storage solutions will have some locking mechanism included, but there is a world of difference between a simple keyed solution and a biometric scanner and numerical keypad. Those differences not only lie in the the specific technology used to allow you to gain access to your firearm (or even eliminate access to those that aren’t authorized), but also in the speed of access that you’ll enjoy should you need to get to your firearm in a hurry.
This is why you need to balance safety, security, and performance as carefully as you can – always leaning towards the side of overall safety while appreciating the “speed” features built into your gun storage solutions.
Also, the individual gun safes have different types of the locking mechanisms. For instance the best car gun safes can come with fingerprint locking, key code locking, or with a standard key locking mechanism. The gun safes which are hidden in the wall have the same kind of possible locking mechanisms.
What are these gun safes crafted out of?
The crucial next feature that you will want to focus on is the specific construction the material used to create your gun storage.
A gun safe or block is only going to be as effective as its weakest link, and even the most highly advanced biometric scanner or fingerprint scanner gun storage option is going to fail if it is made out of the week or flimsy material.
Though in an ideal world you would always choose to invest in the heaviest gauge the steel you could find, sometimes (and in some specific applications) this construction material isn’t ideal. Even still, you’ll want to make sure that you are balancing convenience, portability, and overall safety to the specific user that you’d like to get out of your new storage solution.
Do you feel comfortable leaving your firearms in these gun safes?
This is more of a “gut feeling” kind of question, but it’s one that you’re going to need to focus before you decide to invest in a storage option for your firearms.
Even if you had an old-style bank safe installed in your home that you knew deep down was 100% safe and 100% secure, any trepidation or anxiety that starts to bubble up about your specific gun stored solution is probably telling you to look in a different direction and find something else that you’re more comfortable with.
The mechanics of a gun safe is an important detail to focus on, but you also have to have complete confidence in your option or it’s never going to work out.
Do these gun safes give you instant access to your firearm in an emergency
situation? A critical component that is often overlooked in the buying phase of this process is whether or not a particular gun storage option gives you the ability to gain access to your firearm in an emergency situation without any delay whatsoever that could prove to be quite costly in the long run.
Emergency situations are filled with anxiety, stress, pressure, and absent-minded thinking, and you’re going to revert back to your training to help you get through the situations. If your gun safe is an ability to perform in these high-pressure situations – or if the locking mechanism is too complex to allow you to gain access when you’re excellent motor skills aren’t exactly at their highest level – you could be in deep water.
This is undoubtedly a feature that you want to consider before you purchase a stored solution.
Final thoughts
If you pay close attention to all of the information above, you will be practically guaranteed to buy the best gun storage option available on the market right now!
Jeffrey is a 35-year-old self-confessed gun nut who enjoys guns after the very first trip to the shooting range when he was 17 years old. Currently, he works in the firearms industry while in his free time shares his knowledge with everyone who desire to find his perfect gun.