In 1960s small town America where I grew up, folks took a pretty disinterested view of personal safety. The seat belts in our 1958 Pontiac Chieftain lay factory-folded under the cushions for a solid decade, never once used. People never dreamed of wearing a helmet for biking, snowmobiling or any such risky rides. They were all too eager to climb a tree without a safety harness, stick their hands into roaring farm machinery, and smoke themselves blue in the face.
The apathetic approach held true for firearm storage, too. My cousin Dave's family kept their ample inventory of hunting rifles and shotguns lined against a wall in the parents' bedroom closet. That was no secret to a curious pack of pre-teen boys, of course, and whenever we had the house to ourselves, we made a beeline there. I had been cautioned about guns, but Dave assured me, "This one doesn't even work -- it can't shoot." So we felt safe playing Army with the .410 single-shot, even with pointing it at each other.
Attitudes Toward Safety Have Improved Attitudes toward safety have improved slowly across America, but in our community they changed all too suddenly. Something happened that would rock our town and shock our citizens into realization of what tragedy carelessness can cause. ...
But that's another story. More important today is that people are generally better aware of gun safety in the home. Awareness is one thing, of course; willingness to invest the time and money to make safety a reality is something else.
It boils down to this: "Store guns so they are inaccessible to unauthorized users, especially children," says John Robbins, Manager of Communications at the National Rifle Association.
Safe gun storage starts with fundamentals, Robbins said. Make sure guns in the home are never loaded (except when absolutely necessary for self defense purposes), but always treat them like they are; keep actions open and otherwise render them impossible to fire; keep ammunition separate, and keep both guns and ammo sequestered to minimize attention they might attract.
Robbins pointed out an often-overlooked option to increase safety of guns in the home: disassembly or partial disassembly. There's little chance of a young child putting a disassembled semi-auto shotgun back into shooting condition.
Even better: you can invest in equipment designed to increase firearm safety. There are several types available, but there's one that is hands-down superior to all.
Safes: The Safest When it comes to the dual duty of keeping people safe from guns and guns safe from people, nothing can compare to a gun safe. They make access to unauthorized users virtually impossible. They protect against gun accidents, theft, fire in many cases, and even dust, dings, and humidity damage to the guns contained there. Sales of gun safes have increased exponentially in recent years as more gun owners realize what a wise investment they are.
There are basically three types of gun safes available:
1. The gun-locker style of safe includes the more lightweight, economical storage units that offer limited capacity and burglary protection -- and little or no fire protection -- but at a lower price. A good example of a heavy-duty unit in this category is the Stack-On cabinet sold by The Sportsman's Guide for under $400.
2. The maximum security safe offers greater protection from fire and burglary and provides other benefits. A fine example of this design is the new Remington Elite Series, which features several models with capacities of from 15 to 52 long guns, and fire-resistance to 1,200 degrees F for up to 45 minutes. Prices for these types of safes typically start at around $1,000 and go beyond $2,500 for the high-capacity models.
Along with the practical attributes of a truly bulletproof safe like these is the aesthetic appeal they offer. An owner can be as proud of such a safe as the contents it protects and it usually becomes a treasured family heirloom that appreciates in value over the years.
3. Pistol safes come in two designs: one to store multiple pistols safely and compactly, and the other to keep a single pistol safe, but handy for potential self-defense purposes. A good example is the MiniVault Deluxe, which features key or electronic keypad locking and a spring-loaded door for quickest access to your pistol. These safes are essential if you insist on keeping a loaded pistol for self-defense. They sell for around $100 to $150.
Other Options Short of keeping your gun in a safe, there are other options for securing firearms. Install trigger locks or secure actions open with cable locks. You can employ a gun rack with locking collars that provide a degree of security from accident and theft. Or, you can keep guns stored in locked cases, cabinets or closets.
That little .410 we liked to play Army with -- the one that wouldn't shoot -- came out of the closet one day. Somehow a shell had found its way into the chamber. My 8-year-old cousin Dave pointed it at a little girl and pulled the trigger.
They buried her three days later.
There's just no excuse for an apathetic attitude when there is so much at stake. Keep your guns safe.
For a fine selection of gun safes, click here.