{"id":1332,"date":"2014-05-27T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2014-05-27T16:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/?p=1332"},"modified":"2014-05-27T11:53:21","modified_gmt":"2014-05-27T15:53:21","slug":"hiding-guns-in-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/hiding-guns-in-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Stashed in Plain Sight: Hiding Guns Without a Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following your response to the poll we ran back in February<\/a>, we\u2019ve been focusing on the topic of concealed firearms throughout the Spring at Lucky Gunner Lounge. Most of the content so far has revolved around gear and techniques for carrying concealed handguns. But as I promised back when the poll results came in, our coverage of \u201cconcealed firearms\u201d will be broader than just handguns, so now it’s time for something completely different.<\/p>

Hiding Guns\u00a0In Plain Sight<\/h3>

In just the last couple of years, we\u2019ve seen dozens of products pop onto the market that offer alternative ways for storing and hiding guns in your home besides the traditional gun safe. The most popular fad in firearms storage right now seems to be the secret compartment gun cabinet. There’s\u00a0always been DIY\u00a0home-made or professional custom\u00a0one-off\u00a0furniture available with drawers, shelves, and compartments hidden in every conceivable location, but the small boutique custom furniture shops that specialize in camouflaged gun storage are enjoying\u00a0a new\u00a0surge in popularity. Some of the designs are even being mass produced, and the smaller pieces like hallway mirrors<\/a> and end tables<\/a> with hidden gun compartments are more affordable than ever.<\/p>

\"Hidden<\/a>
This curio cabinet from American Furniture Classics holds up to ten long guns in a sliding hidden compartment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The advantages of hiding firearms\u00a0inside\u00a0what appears to be everyday furniture are obvious. It\u2019s a discreet way to keep a self-defense tool handy \u201cjust in case\u201d. The need for complex locks or heavy metal doors is not as great since the location of the items is secret. You could conceivably set up your home so that a firearm is always within arm’s reach, no matter where you are in the house. In theory, the unassuming camouflage will fool\u00a0burglars, small children, or anyone else you don’t wish to have access to your firearms. If\u00a0someone\u00a0with sticky fingers were to start rummaging through your stuff, who would think to look behind that innocent mirror in the hall, or try to pull out the front of the shelf on your bookcase<\/a>?<\/p>

\"Gun<\/a>
From shelf… to GUN SHELF! Anything can be improved by adding guns. From wood-geek.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"QLine<\/a>
“How about a little light reading? Would you prefer the World Atlas, Plantagenet Ancestry, or… oh, forget it, let’s go shooting”. The Safeguard Shelving System from QLine Design.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

And of course, there\u2019s the undeniable cool factor. You can\u2019t help but get that warm and fuzzy secret agent feeling any time you activate the magnetic switch on your bedside table to reveal a waiting handgun and high powered flashlight.<\/p>

But hold on there, Mr. Bond. There are a few downsides to storing and hiding your guns this way. The risks don\u2019t necessarily negate the advantages, but before you hire a contractor to convert your staircase into a shotgun vault<\/a>, consider the following:<\/a><\/p>

Professional Criminals Are Smarter Than You<\/h3>

At least when it comes to committing crime. While they may not have an advanced degree in Residential Security Circumvention, many career burglars have the equivalent life experience. In order to effectively hide something from a home invader, you have to know how to think like one, and chances are they’ve put a lot more thought into where to find valuables than you’ve put into where to hide them. A hiding place that seems ingenious\u00a0to you might\u00a0foil\u00a0a teenage delinquent who’s out for a quick buck,\u00a0but then there are the home invasions that leave the house looking like this:<\/p>

\"Burglary<\/a><\/p>

Now imagine your piece of furniture with the clever secret compartment has been tossed over on its side. Will the contents stay hidden?<\/p>

And if you have any other gun accessories laying around, or maybe even a “real” gun safe in addition to that special hiding spot, you’ve just given the burglar a free tip: “This guy has guns.” Now the home invader has\u00a0motivation to look extra hard for your firearms. Will your efforts to keep those guns hidden hold up to that kind of scrutiny?<\/p>

Kids Aren’t Stupid Either<\/h3>

This point doesn’t require a lot of explanation. Just think back to when you were a kid yourself. You can probably remember a time when adults underestimated you. Maybe you found the Christmas presents in November, or you knew exactly where mom hid your Game Boy when you were grounded. Kids pay attention to details that adults ignore. They also spend a lot of time exploring their surroundings, and that includes poking around at furniture, under beds, and in closets. If you have young kids in your home who don’t know about gun safety, assume that any\u00a0compartment, safe, box, or closet\u00a0that isn’t securely locked is accessible to them, which can make hiding guns in your home a bit more difficult.<\/p>

Furniture is Not Fireproof (Usually)<\/h3>

No matter how clever the hiding spot, you can’t trick a house fire into skipping over your hidden gun safe. Though there are some exceptions, most of the secret compartment type furniture is not designed to protect the contents from fire. If you have firearms you consider irreplaceable, make sure they’re stored in a fire-resistant safe. Your local fire department can give you some advice about how long your valuables are likely to\u00a0last in a fire, if you have any doubts about the manufacturer’s claimed fire rating.<\/p>

<\/p>

\"Bed<\/a>
The CouchBunker from the BedBunker company is one hidden gun safe that does come with a fire rating. Just for the safe, though… if there’s a fire, the couch is toast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Your Homeowner’s Insurance Doesn’t Cover Firearms<\/h3>

No gun safe or hiding place is completely invulnerable to theft or fire. So if the worst happens and your whole collection disappears in a break in, your insurance will still cover it, right?<\/p>

Probably not.<\/a><\/p>

Most policies will only cover firearms automatically up to a limit, usually about $2,500. If your gun collection is worth more than that, you’ll need to purchase a rider, or buy firearms insurance from another company. The same rules usually apply to other valuables such as jewelry, coin collections, and hand tools as well.<\/p>

The extra riders are usually affordable. My own insurance company will cover an additional $5,000 worth of firearms for $60 per year, and up to $10,000 for $110 annually. A policy available through the NRA<\/a> covers a $6,500 collection for $65 per year. For high-value collections, the insurance company may require an itemized list of your collection, along with serial numbers, descriptions, and photographs of each item.<\/p>

Don’t Be That Guy<\/h3>

According to\u00a0Department of Justice statistics, 230,000 firearms are stolen every year, most of those from the homes and vehicles of private citizens.\u00a0In a survey of incarcerated criminals who were arrested while in possession of a firearm, 37% said they obtained their gun through theft or the black market. The number of\u00a0children\u00a0accidentally killed by firearms is at an all time low<\/a>, but it still happens and not all gun safes are as child proof<\/a> as you might think.<\/p>

Part of being a responsible gun owner is to not make it easy for your guns to be added to those statistics. There are dozens of effective ways to store your firearms safely, and whether you choose a traditional safe, or some other hiding spot, be sure to think critically about how hard it really is for a determined person (whether child or criminal) to work their way around your security plan.<\/p>

 <\/p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following your response to the poll we ran back in February, we\u2019ve been focusing on the topic of concealed firearms … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[47,22,143,19],"class_list":["post-1332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-toolbox","tag-concealed-carry","tag-gear","tag-gun-storage","tag-tactics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHiding Guns: Where to Stash Firearms Without a Safe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tips and tricks for storing and hiding guns without a gun safe. 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