By Fahad
Gun safes are a great investment for storing your guns. But there are many reasons to own a gun safe and a few reasons not to own one.
While a gun safe ensures the safety of your kids, house members, and neighborhood and makes you a good citizen, here are some important reasons why you must OWN a gun safe.
Reasons To Own A Gun Safe
I’ve summarized some of the most crucial reasons for buying a gun safe. You may never have thought they really matter.
A gun safe is not merely a case. It has advanced features such as biometrics, solid steel construction and a secure locking system. These are unbreakable boxes of metal and thieves cannot steal anything inside it.
A gun safe not only keeps the firearm secure but also eliminates all the possible chances of your children or any other house member gaining access to the weapon.
You can check out this article where I’ve shared reviews of four best large gun safes with the highest fire rating and insulation capabilities.
Some people who own a gun safe can access their weapon faster in case of an emergency compared to those who don’t.
Just make sure your kid isn’t sneaking on you when you unlock it ;).
It also shows to the law that if you own a gun, you’ve also taken the responsibility for its proper safety.
Similar, a few cities like Northglenn, CO’s rebate offer incentives for purchasing a gun safe.
Moreover, you can get a write-off if you keep tax documents and business papers in the fire-rated safe.
Similarly, a gun safe for an Florida will also be a write-off. It is better to consult your accountant before you buy one.
To further add fuel to fire, these groups push their messages whenever any accident or tragedy happens which involves guns, especially the ones that are not protected.
In order to protect your rights, you must own a gun safe and refrain from becoming a target of such anti-gun groups.
Reasons Not To Own A Gun Safe
While owning a gun safe may not have any drawbacks but here are a few reasons to be fair.
Your firearm, hard earned savings, jewelry and other valuable items are gone. Some professional thieves nowadays use a pry bar and curb pin to break into gun safes, especially the ones which are easily breakable.
Or, you just came back from a camping trip with your kids but you see that shiny metal box all pried open with nothing left behind.
These scenarios are sad and depressing.
Even if you plan to build your own gun safe with a thick sheet of steel and concrete base fire lining, the costs rise quickly and it can get expensive.
Initially, some of the gun safe companies, in order to cut down the cost, reduced the steel thickness in half and used lighter fireproofing. Most of the people were happy with the price reductions.
However, in a couple of years, the industry got more competitive. A few companies thought to make their safes highly secure to top the competition. Unfortunately, they made them less secure.
In the gun safe industry, the quote “You get what you pay for” doesn’t work. You may get some cool features like a shiny lacquer with chrome plating, beautiful interior and overall appearance of the safe. But what’s the benefit if it breaks just with a pry bar or an axe?
So, think before you buy one.
While it protects your gun and other valuable items, the safe just sits there mounted on the wall or floor. It only moves when you want to take it with you or move to a new place.
Moreover, they may not offer the best bang for buck protection-wise. There are chances if you don’t have the right information you may invest in a wrong product and regret it later. Also, I’ve seen most of the gun safe owners hardening their exterior doors.
Another thing is a fireproof gun safe, which is a lower priority than ABC fire extinguishers for furnace room, garage or room with fireplace.
Lastly, if you are expecting a normal gun safe to be very durable, think again and read incidents where gun owners found their safes pried open. Gun safe companies charge way too much while durability is always a doubt.
The normal weight range for most of the big safe is 300 lbs. to 980 lbs. While moving the safe is difficult, it can also damage your tiled floor or painted walls. A skilled team charges a lot.
You may want to shift to a new house or move the safe to the upper portion. Its weight is always a big challenge to deal with. One has to think of every scenario before investing.
There have been few incidents when safe owners tried to move it and injured their back. You either need help or have to invest in a moving service.
Just imagine that you are a curious gun collector, a year from now, it will be hard to stomach the new cost. Moreover, selling your old safe won’t win you a lottery.
In addition to that, the cost of steel, advancing technology and other materials is increasing day by day. A safe that costs $1,000 today won’t be available at the same price tag a year later.
With these ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ reasons to own a gun safe, I hope you will be able to access your decision more accurately.