Do I need a gun safe?

[double-d]

A safe is always a great investment.  Have two large ones bolted to my garage slab and keep my valuables in them.
Have three firearms that are almost never locked up and are for home defense. Two plus my carry pistol.

Don't have kids and my inner circle knows that I must be notified about kids coming over so I can temporarily secure two (typically in a locked vehicle of ours) while carrying the third.

IMHO- a locked gun does no-one any good should you need it in an immediate emergency, that includes keypad/biometric safes.
That's my 2?  YMMV

[dragon813gt]

Since ?safes? have been mentioned in almost every post I wanted to point one thing out.  The ?safes? marketed towards gun owners are actually residential security containers.  They aren?t true safes and the fire ratings on them are worth as much as the sticker on the door.  There?s a reason actual safes cost what they do. 

Search Craigslist for old jewelry safes if you want to pick up one for pennies on the dollar.  These are real safes w/ UL fire ratings.  They provide actual theft and fire protection.  That?s why they cost what they do new.  I see a good bit of operational double door safes w/ one hour fire ratings between $800-$1500.  That?s right in the range of gun safes.

As I said in my first post, something is better than nothing.  But the marketing of gun safes is full of misinformation and outright lies.  Thick steel is what buys you time.  And you have to pay for it.  But if you?re just trying to prevent a quick smash and grab or little fingers away from your guns the gun safes serve their purpose well.

[Erratikmind]

For myself, a good quality gun safe is a must. I keep more than my firearms in my safes.

[recoilguy]

For myself, a good quality gun safe is a must. I keep more than my firearms in my safes.

I wouldn't want my son telling me what I had to do in my  house ?...that being said what he uis saying is pretty smart.

I have more then 1 gun safe and like the previous poster I keep other valuables in them besides guns. It makes it so anyone wanting my guns will have to have a fork truck and a lot of time. They are now protected, inaccessible unless I want them to be and easily accounted for.

RCG

[Underwhere]

I'm going to stir the pot and say that most safes I've seen look to be easily and quickly defeated with a crowbar. Look on YouTube for plenty of examples of people getting in within 30 seconds.

I wouldn't get a safe thinking it would delay thieves. They don't care about damaging the safe. They'll get in.

Kids do care about damage because it's evidence they were tampering.

In my opinion the best way to keep guns out of the hands are to keep them out of sight somehow. A safe is an easy and obvious target. Something hidden and secure is best.

Get creative.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

I'm going to stir the pot and say that most safes I've seen look to be easily and quickly defeated with a crowbar. Look on YouTube for plenty of examples of people getting in within 30 seconds.

I wouldn't get a safe thinking it would delay thieves. They don't care about damaging the safe. They'll get in.

Kids do care about damage because it's evidence they were tampering.

In my opinion the best way to keep guns out of the hands are to keep them out of sight somehow. A safe is an easy and obvious target. Something hidden and secure is best.

Get creative.

Where do you think you could possibly hide a gun that a thief could not find it? Also thinking you can hide guns or ANYTHING else from snooping children is absolute foolishness. Kids left to their devices will find things like you can't possibly imagine.
My uncle had a .32 Colt that not even My aunt knew about till I found that thing attached to the bottom of a drawer when I was 7. They were quite surprised when I came walking out with that.
Also no thief will defeat a good gun safe with any crowbar. I've seen those bogus videos and they are not breaking into quality safes,they pick the low end models. I'd love to see some one get in mine that way. You better be a real safe cracker not some crack head looking for a quick score. Just ain't happening.
A quality safe is the ONLY way to go.

[recoilguy]

Where is the like button when you need one?

There is a giant difference between a gun safe and a gun cabinet.

I would also like to see anyone get into my safes with a crow bar in 30 seconds. I would really like to see someone try carry them off
because they cant get in them. Get a good gun safe, that's pretty creative enough.

RCG

[dragon813gt]

Also no thief will defeat a good gun safe with any crowbar. I'd love to see some one get in mine that way. You better be a real safe cracker not some crackhead looking for a quick score.
A quality safe is the ONLY way to go.

Yes they will.  If it?s not bolted down they will tip it over and use wrecking bars to pry the door open.  There are many videos on YouTube showing just this thing.  The door gap on almost all gun safes is large enough to allow insertion of the crow bar.  Once the safe is on its back they?re able to use their entire body weight to pry the door open w/ ease.  A RSC only has to withstand an a track for five minutes w/ basic tools.  Start using power tools and they can be opened even quicker.

When discussing a ?safe? the manufacturer name matters.  Liberty and Browning don?t make safes.  They make residential security containers.  Now the likes of Graffunder and AMSEC do make actual safes.  There are many other manufacturers of safes that the average gun owner has never heard of.  But that?s because they aren?t willing to spend $10,000 on a safe.  If it doesn?t have a TL rating then it?s not a safe.  There are specific tests it has to pass to carry that rating.

Anything is better than nothing.  But don?t be fooled into thinking your valuables are safe in a residential security container.  Especially documents.  Document safes are tested differently and are designed to keep temps low enough so the paper doesn?t burn.  This isn?t going to happen in a RSC.

There are a lot of good videos on Sturdy?s website.  Scroll to the bottom for the pry-bar attacks:  https://www.sturdysafe.com/pages/video-list

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

Also no thief will defeat a good gun safe with any crowbar. I'd love to see some one get in mine that way. You better be a real safe cracker not some crackhead looking for a quick score.
A quality safe is the ONLY way to go.

Yes they will.  If it?s not bolted down they will tip it over and use wrecking bars to pry the door open.  There are many videos on YouTube showing just this thing.  The door gap on almost all gun safes is large enough to allow insertion of the crow bar.  Once the safe is on its back they?re able to use their entire body weight to pry the door open w/ ease.  A RSC only has to withstand an a track for five minutes w/ basic tools.  Start using power tools and they can be opened even quicker.

When discussing a ?safe? the manufacturer name matters.  Liberty and Browning don?t make safes.  They make residential security containers.  Now the likes of Graffunder and AMSEC do make actual safes.  There are many other manufacturers of safes that the average gun owner has never heard of.  But that?s because they aren?t willing to spend $10,000 on a safe.  If it doesn?t have a TL rating then it?s not a safe.  There are specific tests it has to pass to carry that rating.

Anything is better than nothing.  But don?t be fooled into thinking your valuables are safe in a residential security container.  Especially documents.  Document safes are tested differently and are designed to keep temps low enough so the paper doesn?t burn.  This isn?t going to happen in a RSC.

There are a lot of good videos on Sturdy?s website.  Scroll to the bottom for the pry-bar attacks:  https://www.sturdysafe.com/pages/video-list

Maybe you missed the part where I said I've seen the vids? Like I said you won't get in mine that way and their is no small child who will ever get into even a low grade safe unless it's left unlocked. Even a cheap safe is a good idea to keep small hands away. That alone is worth it's weight in gold.

[CCWLearner]

I have a "safe" in a closet, a large steel box that holds rifles and pistols, has a simple key lock, and doesn't claim to be fireproof.  This is for storage.  Firearms in there are unloaded.

Then I have a quick-open pistol lockbox on my nightstand.  I keep two pistols in there, holstered and loaded, for home defense and CCW.

Then I have a lockbox under the seat of my car, for when I need to disarm before entering a "gun free zone".

Yes, I think I need all of these locked containers for my firearms.  I have children, now teenagers, in my household.  For them, their friends who visit, and any uninvited guests, this will at least slow them down significantly if they are attempting to get their hands on my firearms.  I have taught my kids gun safety and have been carrying them to the range and teaching them how to shoot pistols and rifles.  For now, though, they have no access to them, other than through me.

[Underwhere]

I'm going to stir the pot and say that most safes I've seen look to be easily and quickly defeated with a crowbar. Look on YouTube for plenty of examples of people getting in within 30 seconds.

I wouldn't get a safe thinking it would delay thieves. They don't care about damaging the safe. They'll get in.

Kids do care about damage because it's evidence they were tampering.

In my opinion the best way to keep guns out of the hands are to keep them out of sight somehow. A safe is an easy and obvious target. Something hidden and secure is best.

Get creative.

Where do you think you could possibly hide a gun that a thief could not find it? Also thinking you can hide guns or ANYTHING else from snooping children is absolute foolishness. Kids left to their devices will find things like you can't possibly imagine.
My uncle had a .32 Colt that not even My aunt knew about till I found that thing attached to the bottom of a drawer when I was 7. They were quite surprised when I came walking out with that.
Also no thief will defeat a good gun safe with any crowbar. I've seen those bogus videos and they are not breaking into quality safes,they pick the low end models. I'd love to see some one get in mine that way. You better be a real safe cracker not some crack head looking for a quick score. Just ain't happening.
A quality safe is the ONLY way to go.

I'm sure many will disagree with me, but to each his own.

One disadvantage to safes are that they are easy to spot and usually represent a target for a thief. Simply because they are designed to hold valuables.
If you have a secure container that doesn't look like it holds valuables, or you can place a safe or secure container in a space that is hidden I personally think that's much better. I would prefer a thief not even know where I keep my valuables than challenge him/her with breaking into a safe.

Again I'm sure people have differing opinions.

I'm sure there are great safes out there, but they are rated by time it would take to break in...meaning none of them are foolproof.

As far as children are concerned, that's a different topic. We aren't concerned about crowbars so much as we are just having a place to keep them away from easy access.

My opinion is to have some sort of very secure storage that is well hidden and does not scream "look at me, there are valuables in here"


https://hiddenpassageway.com/hidden-gun-safe/

[Luvdog]

Do you "need" a gun safe?

Only you know if you need one.  That being said, why doesn't your son want them to see any guns?  I'd rather educate them and teach them safety rules versus pretending guns don't exist.

An educated child is much safer than an uneducated one when it comes to firearms and safety.

Growing up, guns were everywhere and never locked.  Usually leaning in the corner by the front and back door.  We all knew the rules.

All that said.  I have a safe for storing various things that I want to "protect" including any firearms. 

But training and education are still way more important for the safety of my family.  Because you never know when you may forget to latch the door, or maybe you're cleaning / working on something and the leave the door open.
You can't just rely on the safe to keep them out of un-informed hands.... kids are smart and can get in to locked storage.

[gwvt]

I think it's our responsibility to secure our firearms in the best way we can afford to do so. I have more than one safe and I bought my daughter one when I gave her firearms. I always have at least one pistol accessible when I'm home and have no kids visiting but as others have said, a kid will find a way to access stuff, even if it seems out of reach. Education is great, making rules is great but kids are kids and don't always follow the rules - even the good kids. I would not want to have to live with myself knowing I could have prevented a loved one's child from accessing one of my firearms and failed to do so.

[inletman]

we can put guns out of sight in our closet...and can lock our bedroom door. I would think that would take care of the kids??

Breakins are different of course, but we live in a small coastal town without much crime....maybe fooling myself

[Underwhere]

we can put guns out of sight in our closet...and can lock our bedroom door. I would think that would take care of the kids??

Breakins are different of course, but we live in a small coastal town without much crime....maybe fooling myself

There will many that disagree but if they aren't there that often and the room is locked I don't see why you would need anything else (foregoing theft, fire etc)

I recognize that I am forgetful so in these situations I try and keep guns in a place that is locked by default, not a place where I need to remember to lock up. Just in case I actually do forget.