Safe Gun Storage In Your Home

There are all manner of rules involved in gun ownership, including rules for keeping it secure in your home. For a quick review, we are going to revisit the four universal rules of gun safety, and then take a look at a few rules for safe home storage.

To begin:
Rule 1: Treat EVERY Gun As If It Was Loaded, All The Time! 
Rule 2: NEVER Point Your Gun At Anything You Are Not Willing To Destroy
Rule 3: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER Until Your Sights Are On Target
Rule 4: Know Your Target And What Is Beyond The Target

These are all common sense, right? You'd think so, but day in and day out at the range we see them violated, by customer after customer. (Yes, range staff does get a bit tired of being swept by muzzles and having guns pointed at us and others.)

Not only do those four common sense rules apply when you are out shooting, please keep them in mind as you devise a plan for safe home storage as well. 

While you are debating the best course of action, here are a few additional things to consider:
First, KEEP QUIET! Don't broadcast what you have, or where you keep it, in your home! Why provide potential bad guys with any additional information? Teach your children to not discuss family business outside the home as well. 

Secondly, examine your personal situation. Are you single? Or do you have children? Do you entertain and host guests frequently? What is the area you live in known for (high crime, low crime)? Don't allow yourself a false sense of security- crime can happen in the deepest of ghettos to the most elite. The only safe place is one you secure by being careful, cautious, and alert. Given your situation at the moment, your plan will vary. Plans are fluid and need to be adjusted accordingly. If it is normally you alone in your home, you need to adjust your plan should you agree to watch your nieces and nephews for an extended stay while Mom and Dad are on a 3 day get-away. 

Thirdly, can you be sneaky? Can you think outside the box? Being able to think creatively and on the sneaky side is going to be a great benefit in how you secure your firearm. Again- have several plans in place for various situations. A bedside placement isn't going to do you much good when a potential home invader rings your doorbell to see if anyone is home. 

Fourth, understand that having your firearm locked in a lock box or small safe is not necessarily going to keep you safe. The benefit of a locking container of sorts is keeping small children from being able to access it. It won't deter a thief from walking away with it, as they will simply pick it up and carry it out. 

The single best place to secure your firearm while you are in your home?
That is an easy answer: on your person. Carrying your gun on you has multiple benefits, from increasing your comfort level as you carry, to being secure in the knowledge that no one else (such as your kids) can access the gun. 

There are times when having your gun on you won't be an option- such as when you are bathing or sleeping. By examining your home and surroundings, you can come up with several different locations to place a firearm. Remember: securing your gun does not always have to mean locking it up behind a biometric safe bolted to your floor deep in your closet. Secure in this instance means out of sight and away from small hands.

If you are willing to invest in a storage option, but are not overly enamored with the large, heavy not overly attractive gun safes on the market, consider gun storage furnishings. Tactical Walls is a veteran owned company, using all American materials, that produces hand crafted items to secure your firearms. No one would ever expect that lovely wallnut shelf holding your service medal shadow box is also securing a short barrel rifle and handguns. Added benefit? Your children won't be able to get into it either. 

Just like every other aspect of owning a firearm, there is no one answer. Be flexible. Have multiple plans, for multiple situations. Be creative and think outside the box. Examine your situation often, and adjust your plan accordingly. Avoid that false sense of security like the plague- don't allow yourself to slip into complacency (ie: "I have a gun now, locked up in the closet, so we're safe. I can get to it in time and remember the combination of the lock before that intruder gets to me, no problem!") Complacency. Kills. 

Stay alert, think outside the box, and stay safe!

Until next time-
~Shannon

She's Packin' MORE Heat!

It's been pointed out that I need to include a bit more information and clarification on choosing the right gun, and also on holsters. Today, we are going to address these questions. 

While you are shopping for the right gun for the job, you need to determine what that job is, and how you anticipate utilizing your particular gun of choice. 
*Are you looking for something to carry with you every day, in a concealed manner? 
*Are you interested in daily carry, but also a higher round count than a smaller pistol may offer? 
*Or are you looking for something strictly for home defense? 

First, some ladies prefer to keep the larger sized, higher round count gun for use in home defense situations. This is not to say you can't carry this gun as well, but not everyone is going to be comfortable toting a full size M&P, or a Glock 17. 

For daily carry, something with a slimmer line may be more appropriate and easier to carry during a long day. In these instances, you may wish to handle guns such as the M&P Shield, Glock 42 and 43, Khar CW9, Khar CW380, or the Ruger LC9s, and LC380.

Glock 43, 9mm. Image from Glock

Second, we need to touch on grip and fit a bit more. Everyone's hands are sized a bit differently, making fit and placement challenging. When you initially pick the gun up, take note of the following things:
- Can you reach the controls (safety, slide release, magazine release) without breaking your grip? 
- If the model you are looking at has finger grooves built in, do they place your hand properly, or is your hand sitting too low?
- Do you have your middle, ring, and pinky fingers of your trigger hand on the grip securely, or just middle and ring? If the latter, can you control recoil comfortably for a follow up shot? 
- As you grip the gun, are your wrist and forearm in a straight line, or is there a bend in that connection? 
 

Wrist in line. Allows for proper control. Image from Google.

Last but not least, a bit more on holsters. In my last post, we briefly touched on retention and I was asked what that meant. The simple answer is retention is what keeps your gun holstered when not in use. Various holsters and manufactures have different styles and levels of retention. You may opt for a holster with no additional retention (other than what is provided by your belt,) or you may choose a high level of retention. Some levels of retention are set up so that as you draw your gun, your index (or trigger finger) must push a button to release the gun. This works well in two ways- for one it keeps your trigger finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot and two it snugly locks the gun in place so that it can not easily be removed by others. Others require the gun to be moved in a certain way to be released. Still other styles are an external screw style, which as the screw is turned, pressure is placed on the gun, giving a very snug fit inside the holster. 
 

Blackhawk holster. Image from Google

At the opposite end of the spectrum and holsters with absolutely no retention at all. These tend to be made from soft materials, in a general size, that do not conform specifically to your guns size or make. These all purpose holsters have their place- in fact, I use one to store my 1911 in when I am not actively carrying it. But I do not carry my gun in one. When you have no retention at all, not only is it too easy for your gun to fall out of the holster as you move, it is also much too easy for someone else to access it.
 

Soft holster- no retention. Image from Google

*Quick side note: as much as we teach and talk about being aware of your surroundings, understand that all the awareness in the world is not always going to protect you from an ambush. Predators will often wait until you turn your head in the other direction to ambush you from the side or from behind. Having a holster with a stronger measure of retention will buy you time to retain your gun and put it to use, rather than the Predator using it against you.

I've mentioned belt twice now, and here is why a good belt is so important. Not only do they help maintain the position of your bottoms, but a proper belt will help you secure your gun in the correct position. In some cases, it will also provide an extra layer of that vital retention, keeping your gun safe and snug against you. 
 

5.11 belt. Snug fit, gun in proper secure position. Image from Google.

Flimsy, pretty, decorative belts are a great fashion statement, but the chances of them securing your gun where it needs to be are quite poor. The goal is to have a sturdy platform for your gun to be secured with. This does not mean you are now limited to only a tactical 5.11 belt in black, flat dark earth, or olive drab. It means you need to examine your wardrobe a bit closer and opt for something a bit wider (about an inch to an inch and a half,) with double layers of construction and a sturdy buckle. Coupled with a good holster, you will avoid your gun drooping and flopping about. Not only is that unsightly, it is unsafe and uncomfortable. 

Until next week, follow these wise words from Yoda:

Shoot straight, stay safe, and keep that finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot!
~Shannon and the Range Crew

Patrick's Indoor Gun Range
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