Gun Safe Mistakes to Avoid To Get the Most Out of Your Safe
by Luke Fields
When you purchase and use a gun safe, you are making an important move to protect your family members and anyone else who enters your home. A gun safe, when used properly, prevents someone from accessing your gun when they shouldn't, leading to fewer accidents and fewer thefts of firearms. However, some people make mistakes when buying and using their gun safes, rendering them less "safe" than they could be. Make gun safety a top priority by avoiding these mistakes.
Mistake #1: Buying too small a safe.
You may only need to accommodate two or three rifles right now, but what happens when your gun collection grows or you have a friend visit for the weekend and they bring their hunting gun, too? If your safe is too small, you'll have no choice but to leave one or some of the firearms out in the open, in which case, your safe isn't doing any good. Always buy a bigger safe than you think you need so you can accommodate future purchases and any guns that enter the home with friends.
Mistake #2: Not locking the safe.
Usually, gun owners start by being very conscious about locking the safe. But slowly, they get more lax, leaving the safe open if they're home alone or know they'll be using the gun again the next day. The problem with this is that the laziness just gets worse over time. If you're not in the habit of locking your gun in the safe each and every time, you're more likely to forget when it really matters -- when there are kids in the home or you're going away for the weekend. So, be very careful to always, in every situation, lock the safe -- even if you'll be getting that gun out again in an hour.
Mistake #3: Giving the combination to too many people.
Your friend needs to get the guns out so you can go hiking. They yell down the stairs "what's the combination?" You yell it back up to them -- and now suddenly everyone in the home knows your safe combination. You would hate to think that someone you know would steal your guns or do any harm with them, but these things do happen. Kids getting the gun safe combination is also very dangerous. So, don't get into the habit of sharing the combination. If someone else needs your gun, unlock the safe and give it to them yourself. Also, change your combination every 6 months or so just as an extra precaution.
Mistake #4: Not bolting down the safe.
If your safe is just sitting freely in your home, a thief could enter and take the whole safe with them. One they're off your property, they can do what is needed to access the guns inside. Bolting your safe down won't entirely prevent theft, either, but it will make theft a lot less likely. It takes criminals a lot longer to unbolt a safe and then move it than to simply carry it out if the home. Don't assume that a heavy weight safe is safe without bolting, either. If someone was able to carry it into your house, a few strong individuals will be able to carry it out, too.
Mistake #5: Buying based on brand loyalty.
Just because you know and recognize a brand does not mean the gun safe is necessarily the best one for your needs. Make sure you read reviews for multiple gun safes from multiple brands before you buy one, and choose a safe that comes recommended for its qualities, not for its name recognition.
Talk to a professional who sells gun safes and visit sites like http://scscincus.com when you're ready to make your purchase.
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About Me
Welcome to my website. My name is Larry Silva, and I want to talk a bit about private mortgage insurance. You may have heard the term PMI mentioned when you were in the process of purchasing real estate. When I first heard my lender talking about PMI, I was very confused. It was my realtor who sat me down and explained what private mortgage insurance was and when someone is required to purchase it. He told me that PMI is not lifelong insurance; it can be cancelled when the mortgage principal balance reaches a certain point. Once it was explained to me, private mortgage insurance was no longer a mystery or a confusing concept. I would like to pass on what I learned and hope that you find it to be of value.