Firearm ownership is not just about the which gun you own or how well you can shoot it. Storing your firearms safely is also near the top of the list. This isn’t a concept all of us are familiar with. Some of us grew up in homes where firearms were a way of life. There might have been a rack of hunting rifles in the den or a shotgun behind the door. They were ready and accessible, yet almost decorative. They were more of a tool than a gun and only of interest when said tool was needed. My son for example doesn’t take a second look when I have a rifle from work laying out. He’s been raised in a 2A home. He’s almost 18 and still asks before he touches a gun. It’s just the way it is.
While this approach is right for some homes, it’s not right for homes with young children or a lot of traffic. Keeping firearms secured and out of reach of curious kids should be the number one priority of a gun owner. The dangers of what could happen if a child finds a loaded gun are unthinkable and it’s so easy to just lock them up. If you still aren’t sure how to fit it into your home, here are this week’s GunTalk Top 5:
Welcome to 2025 where you can open a safe now with RFID technology! What is RFID? Basically, through voodoo magic your key is a small device that you wave in front of the safe to gain access. The sales pictures show a wristband being waved in front of the screen instead of the old combination style lock and lever, but they have keys you can stick to your phone case or wherever you find most tactical. They are paper thin and easy to hide so your options are endless. When the safe opens, a drawer slides out making grabbing your gun safely much easier than sticking your hand in the hole and digging around. Hornady wasn’t initially known for their safes, but over the last few years, they have become quite popular. Measuring 10.5”x12”x3”, you can easily store a full-sized handgun with a light and an extra mag or two. Hornady also provides a physical key and a programmable access code in case you lose your RFID key.
The GunVault Multi-Vault is a great choice if you want to store more than just one handgun. With this safe, you can store 4 handguns securely with the foam insert. It acts as a rack holding each gun in its own space without rubbing against the one beside it. Another advantage to this 14.02”x10.27”x8.88” safe is you can remove the foam rack and just use the space inside if you want to lock up your jewelry or medication along with a firearm. The GunVault uses ergonomics and finger slots on top to help you find the four buttons needed to input the combination in the dark. A quick series of button pushes, the door flies open, and you are ready to go. This model also includes a physical key incase the battery dies, or you forget your combo.
BullDog Cases and Vaults is another company that has been around for quite a while selling not only their personal vaults, but also a metric ton of plastic cases all over the country. Their entry into my list is the most economical choice but also doesn’t offer the bells and whistles of the others. This is about as basic as it gets when it comes to small gun safes. Using a luggage style combination wheel lock system with a turn knob to open, this little guy is great if you want to go sleek and concealable. The steel cable helps secure the vault to your choice of locations and provides a nice foam top and bottom inner layer to keep your pistol secure inside. Measuring in at a sleek 9.5”x6.5”x2”, this case doesn’t leave much room for extras, so your pistol and three TicTacs will pass comfortably right through TSA guidelines or be perfectly content locked to your bedframe.
An option we haven’t considered yet for safe storage is in your walls. Not every safe has to be out in the world for everyone to see and imagine how cool you’d feel if you had to move a painting to get to it! Talk about superhero vibes.
SnapSafe offers several styles of safes, but their Electronic In-Wall safes caught my eye. Instead of the old-style combination lock, this modern marvel uses a 4-button keypad like the GunVault without the finger slots. It does offer dots on each button so you can open in the dark if needed with some tactile cues. You will have to get the toolbox out to install this one as it will take some sawing and drywalling to make it look nice. Once in its home, you’ll have a 16.25”x22”x4” storage area that can hold the things you value enough to not show everyone as well as keep your gun accessible.
Concealment furniture is another craze that has really taken off in the last 10 years or so. What started as a hollow bookend has now turned into an entire industry of ideas. Everything from tables to chairs to headboards can be built to conceal one or many firearms in very creative ways. Lockdown has done a great job with their In Plain Sight Concealment Shelf. Using a magnet, their shelf drops open revealing an LED light and a gi-normous 24”x11.75”x3.25” storage area maxing out at 20lbs of weight. When closed it’s just another shelf in the room with a plant and a picture. If you are comfortable with only magnet locking storage, which I don’t recommend if you have children, then this is a great option and can get you in the fight in no time. Just don’t lose your magnet…
-Nick
.png)
.png)
.png)
