It’s not the gun itself that makes it dangerous; it’s what we do or not do with it that makes it deadly. Even if you don’t think it’s important for your specific home situation, practicing proper gun storage is important for any gun owner.
Being passive about it can result in an unfortunate accident or a short-lived lifespan for your gun. Whether it’s about your or your loved ones’ life or your own gun’s usability over the years, it’s always a good idea to establish a safe storage for your guns.
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6 Ways to Safely Store Your Firearms
It might seem that a locked drawer is as good a storage as any for your gun, but it’s not as safe as you think – both for you and your gun. It takes special care and protection, if you plan on making it last you years. Here are 6 ways to safely store these prized possessions.
1. Keep in a Gun Safe or Cabinet
Whether you pick a sturdy and reliable gun cabinet or gun safe, these items were invented for this specific purpose. Some gun owners are frequent users while some others are mere collectors.
Wherever you belong, your guns are always better off kept in these secure and hard-to-reach storages. This helps to keep away them from external hazards that might damage them or from people who might do damage upon themselves or others by using them as weapons.
2. Keep Firearms Unloaded
Unless the guns are actually in use and ready to fire in a shooting range or far outdoors, guns should be kept unloaded when they’re brought back into the house and kept in their usual storage space. There’s no use for guns to be loaded when they’re just going to sit inside a safe or cabinet.
3. Store Ammunition Separately
Once unloaded, it’s even better to store all kinds of ammunition away from the actual guns they go into. Store them in a separate container. As with guns, ammo have specific types of storages like ammo cans for safekeeping.
It’s even more logical to do it this way because ammo can get affected by environmental factors and can get unusable much quicker than guns do.
4. Use a Gun Case
Earlier, we mentioned storing firearms in gun cabinets or safes. Another option is to utilize a gun case.
Some gun cases are for individual guns, which would be more sensible to have than the cabinets or safe if you only have one gun. The interior usually has a designated space that is also in the shape of your gun so it won’t move around while the case is closed and is in transit.
That’s another quality that you might want to consider if you often bring your gun with you but don’t want it to be actually on you. The case makes it easy to lug around and carry without feeling it on your hip the whole time.
5. Get Strong Locks
If your guns are stored somewhere in the house in a gun cabinet or safe, it’s only expected for them to have locks. It’s a safety precaution that works two ways: it can keep other family members from accidentally getting to your guns (especially kids), and your guns are kept safe from anyone who might attempt to steal them.
Most gun cases and safe are integrated with a built-in lock, especially the latter. It’s always advisable that only you possess the key to it or know the combination that unlocks it.
As for traveling, there are specific tips that make traveling with firearms easier while they’re stored in a case. It’s a complicated process, especially when traveling on an airplane, but it can be made easier by following some helpful tips about locking your guns for protection and safekeeping.
6. Determine a Location
Where you store your guns is as important as deciding what type of storage to use. For stationary storage like cabinets and safe, it’s important to place them where they will be protected and away from factors that might ruin them (such as humidity).
One thing to consider is flooding. For this you might want to put it in an elevated place. However, you wouldn’t want to put a heavy storage in the higher levels of the house, considering the limits of the floor support.
The basement is a common place for gun safe and cabinets. Another place to put them in is a home office where you can be sure other members of the family don’t usually go into.
