Handgun safes should be considered part of the handgun buying process. Having a safe place to store your firearms is the best way to prevent accidents...
Handgun safes should be considered part of the handgun buying process. Having a safe place to store your firearms is the best way to prevent accidents. Even if you don’t have children,
or you don’t keep your guns loaded, it’s still a good idea because visitors can be curious and intruders can be dangerous.
Having your firearm locked away doesn’t have to mean it’s hard to get to. Safe manufacturers understand that you may need to get to your weapon in a hurry, and there are models that cater to giving you quick access to your gun. But this is just one of many things you need to consider before making your purchase.
There are four key questions that you should ask yourself before investing in a safe for your firearms. These will give you a place to start when you shop, and the questions will also help you avoid long-term consequences.
First, how big do you need your safe to be? In order to answer this question, don’t just think about your current gun collection. Think about any future purchases you expect to make, or any other valuables you may want to store. Once you have a good idea of how much room you’ll need, measure the largest item you’re going to stow inside the safe, then add at least 25 percent to that number. This will give you the necessary dimensions for the inside of your safe.
Second, where are you going to put your safe? It can weigh more than a ton, so you need to consider this carefully. It’s not like you can move it around a few times and see how it looks. Measure doorways and wall space to make sure it’s going to fit. If you’re planning on giving it a permanent home on the second floor, make sure your staircase and flooring can support its weight.
Third, what is the goal of your purchase? Do you just need a secure place to store your hunting collection, or do you want to protect your firearms against a possible fire? Different safes are built for different reasons. A safe built primarily for burglary protection isn’t necessarily going to be fireproof, and vice versa. Consider talking to your insurance company and asking them what safe ratings they require for handgun safes to be covered.
Fourth, how much do you want to spend? This is a question you should consider with quality and utility. The price of your safe will depend on its size and type. Are you looking to secure a single handgun, or do you have a cache of valuables you want to protect? You definitely don’t want to trade quality for a desired price point. If you have to go with a smaller safe in order to keep your quality standard high, do it. A safe is only as good as it is effective. It’s not just a purchase, it’s an investment.
Chances are you’re only going to buy one safe in your lifetime. Before you get too overwhelmed with everything that needs to be considered when you’re ready to browse your options for handgun safes, find a trusted company to do business with and ask for advice. If it’s been in business for a while, they will know the answers to your questions, and will be able to help guide you in making your purchase. But with or without the help of an expert, these questions will help ensure that all your bases are covered.
