Getting the best gun safe for your situation is important. The stats are always changing, but the simple fact is that far too many people are injured or killed by accidents that stem from negligent firearm storage.
What is negligent firearm storage? Keeping your gun in a place that isn’t safe or responsible. That will mean different things to different people. Perhaps this is keeping a loaded gun in an unlocked drawer in your nightstand. Maybe it’s keeping it in your closet, where children can reach it. Maybe it’s your car. In any case, negligence is dangerous, and as an armed citizen, it’s your responsibility to be safe.
The Best Gun Safe For You
So what is the best gun safe for you then? While many people want to get a full size home gun cabinet like a Sentinel, this is no such thing as a a “one size fits all” solution. In this day and age, there are a million different makes and models (and price points). Here is an overview of just a few types of safes that you have to choose from.
Manual or Electronic Gun Safe?
Today’s gun safes come with both electronic and manual opening mechanisms. An electronic gun safe allows you to digitally “key in” the code, and then electronically triggers the safe to open. A manually locking safe on the other hand has a dial that you physically turn to enter the code. In short, many people feel that electronic safes are more convenient. On the other hand, the manually-dialed locks have far fewer fail points, and typically fewer service issues.
Car Gun Safe
A car gun safe is an extremely smart option, if you have made the commitment to carrying a firearm on you. There are many places that will not allow you to carry your firearm on you–the post office, schools, churches, courthouses, and other federal buildings. Many private places of business also prohibit firearms as well.
There are also times when you will be transporting rifles or shotguns, and would like the security of a safe. For these instances and others, having a car gun safe is ideal. Car safes come in many different styles. Some safes are made to fit within the center console. Others are made to fit under the driver’s seat, or attach near the steering wheel. Rifle safes come in options that can be affixed to the trunk, or rear carrying compartment.
Truck Gun Safe
A truck gun safe is based upon the same principles as a car gun safe, with a few obvious differences. Whereas many of the same options are available in a truck as are in a car, the options for carrying rifles or shotguns are different, because you don’t have a trunk to work with.
In these scenarios, a truck vault is a more expensive but highly secure and more convenient option. Truck vaults are built in the bed of a truck, and have drawers that slide open (towards the rear). The vaults are then covered again with essentially another truck bed on top, so you can continue to use the bed of your truck as you would normally. With the tailgate down, you can quickly enter your code and access your firearms. When you are ready to store your guns in the truck vault, simply close and lock the drawer, and you are ready to go.
A gun rack is another option for carrying rifles and shotguns in a truck. These are less expensive than a truck vault, but typically less secure as well.
The Best Biometric Gun Safe
A biometric gun safe (also called a fingerprint safe ) is a type of electronic gun safe, that has one main distinction. Instead of requiring the owner to electronically enter a code, the biometric safe can be programmed to recognize the owner’s finger print. Then when you want to access your gun, you simply slide your fingerprint across the sensor, and the safe opens.
Biometric safes can come in full size, or in a smaller, pistol-specific safe. They can also be programmed to work with a few different people’s fingerprints, so if you have a significant other, adult children, or somebody else who you trust, you can grant them access as well.
You hear some of the same basic arguments surrounding biometric safes as you do electronic safes: “Another fail point”, “What if it can be hacked?”, “What if it glitches right when I need it?”, etc. On the other hand, there are plenty of people that use them all them time, and haven’t ever had issues. You can even find testimonials of people involved in defensive shootings that make mention of their biometric safe.
How To Pick The Best Gun Safe For You
The first critical thing to determine is use case. As mentioned above, there are safes made for different scenarios. Do you want a safe for your home, office, or vehicle? How often will it be accessed? Is it going to be a safe that you store long guns in, and only open a few times a year, or will it be a safe that you store your everyday carry gun in each night?
With this in mind, the next thing to figure out is how much space you have to work with. In the case of vehicles, or safes that need to fit in a drawer or closet, dimensions are critical. If you will have the safe out in your garage, basement, or otherwise open area, the size probably doesn’t matter as much.
After deciding these, the next thing you need to choose is the locking mechanism. Do you want an electronic gun safe, or a manually accessed one? As mentioned above, there are a couple trade offs here.
Finally, cost. You will find varying price points for every kind of safe, with corresponding build quality, features, warranties, etc. In your searching, you will find some really elaborate, James Bond style “spy-tech” safes out there, that cost a fortune. You don’t need these. Remember that the goal here is to keep your firearm secure and accessible. Keep it simple, and stay safe.