Closet Gun Safe: Should I Store My Firearm in a Closet?

  • by Casy Smith
Closet Gun Safe: Should I Store My Firearm in a Closet?

Jump to:

Finding the best place to keep your firearm secure but accessible is an ongoing challenge for many firearm owners. As your living situation changes (i.e., moving to a new house, having kids, etc.), you may need to reconsider where to store your firearm. You want your gun to be accessible in a self-defense situation, but you also want it to be secure to prevent unauthorized access from little ones or burglars. 

A typical gun storage spot for many firearm owners is the closet. Closet space has grown in importance in the American home. According to one survey, homeowners’ top pet peeve was a lack of storage space. It’s nice to have plenty of space for clothing and supplies, but is a closet gun safe the best place to store a firearm?

Three Pros of a Closet Gun Safe

Before you begin rethinking your gun storage strategy, reviewing the Four Rules of Gun Safety and our article about safe gun storage here is a great idea. If you decide to keep a firearm in your closet, it’s best to put it in another secure storage option to eliminate as many potential safety concerns as possible.  

#1. It’s a Natural Storage Space

Your closet is a simple, easy place to stow your firearm. Plus, when you store your firearm safe or case in your closet, you can free up some of the floor or shelf space in other rooms in your home. Depending on the closet location and size, it may be one of the most private areas where you can keep your firearm. 

#2. Add an Extra Layer of Security

If you stow a secured firearm in a closet with a door handle, you may be able to add a lock to the door for added security. A locked door can add to the effort required to access the closet, therefore adding to the effort needed to access your firearm. If you add a lock to your closet door, keeping it simple with a deadbolt system is best. A high-tech biometric or pin-entry lock on the closet with your firearm may draw a burglar's attention. 

#3. Cover for Your Firearm

If you plan to store a handgun in a locked case, you can place it behind clothing, supply boxes or other objects in your closet. It’s essential to make sure that you keep the firearm unloaded and that the barrel faces away from where people walk. 

While the closet is an easy spot to store your firearm, there are a few reasons that you may want to keep it elsewhere. 

Cons of a Closet Gun Safe

#1. Clutter Can Obstruct Access

If you decide to store your firearm in your closet, you want to ensure the space is organized. A cluttered wardrobe can make it difficult to access your firearm in a dire situation quickly. A concealment flag or other dedicated firearm storage spot in your home may help keep your firearm in an organized space. 

#2. May Not Be Centralized

While a closet may be a convenient storage spot due to its space, it may be far away from the action if it’s needed in a self-defense situation. Bedroom, office and basement closets can be easily cut off if an intruder enters your home. When home defense planning, it’s a great idea to see how much time it takes you to reach your firearm from the furthest point in the house.

#3. Can Create a False Sense of Security

Storing a firearm in a closet may pose a false sense of security. The out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality can make you think that a child or burglar can’t find their way to your firearm. However, the master bedroom and office closets are a favorite target of burglars, and a curious child can quickly learn where a gun is stored. Locking up and hiding your firearm is a first step to reducing the likelihood of it being accessed.

Now that we’ve had a chance to look at some reasons to use and not use your closet as a gun storage space let’s take a second to go through a few ways you can safely store your firearm in your closet. 

Closet Gun Safe Storage Ideas

#1. Install a Gun Safe

One of the best ways to deter unauthorized firearm use is to place your guns in a safe inside your closet, as it eliminates a direct line of sight for burglars and children.  A gun safe is the most secure way to store your firearm. Depending on the number of guns you need to store, the size of the closet and the safe you purchase, you can potentially bolt a safe to the floor, wall or shelf (check the weight limit first). 

The biggest downside to using a safe is that it may limit your access to your firearm in a self-defense situation. 

#2. Hide Your Firearm in Concealment Storage 

If you have a walk-in closet or a closet with a decent amount of wall space, you can place a concealment flag on the back closet wall. Our Long Slim “Half” American Flag is especially ideal for a walk-in closet, as it takes up little wall space. Concealment storage from Liberty Home Concealment gives you a locked storage solution without sacrificing access speed. While our pieces look best out in the open on display, they can be used in a small space, like a closet.

Visit our products page to find the perfect fit for your home today!

Previous     Next
Back to Articles

Hanging instructions for the Patriot Wall Shelf

Factors to consider befor you start

Installing a Patriot wall shelf can be a very simple project but there are several factors that you need to understand. our shelves have been designed to work with standard pine 2X4 construction that was 16" on center. Because they were designed around the 16" on center pine 2X4 framed walls that is the process for our instructions. Installing the shelves on amy other type of wall is done at your risk. Liberty Home Concealment does not advise you to attempt installing your shelf onto amy other type of wall.

Understanding what is beneath your walls

Anytime you are doing work or attaching something to a wall it is wise to have a solid grasp of what lies beneath the surface of your walls. If you are not comfortable with the task of hanging a shelf on your wall perhaps it would be wise to hire a licensed, bonded, and insured contractor to install the shelf on the wall for you. There are many factors that you should consider prior to beginning yur shelf installation. SAFETY is the first and top priority.

Safety First

As a consurmer of Liberty Home Concealment, it is a safe assumption that you are a gun owner. Liberty Home Concealment sincerely hopes that you have a great grasp of the concept of SAFETY FIRST. The installation of our shelves requires several steps and we highly recommend that you have a friend help you with the installation. This is very important as the size and moving parts of the shelves can make the installation very cumbersome and potentially dangerous for a single person to accomplish by themselves. So please, we urge you to get some help. Secondly, proper tools that are in good serviceable condition are a must. Please use your tools in a manner consistent with the manufacturers intended use. Using proper tools can make the installation quick, simple and enjoyable. But most importantly, SAFE. So, save yourself the trouble and use the proper tools.

CAUTION!!

Failure to follow and comply with these instructions could result in INJURY and even DEATH!

Tools that should be considered for a safe proper installation

Stud finder, Tape measure, Pencil, Level, Electric screw driver, and Safety glasses.

Step 1

Confirm your desired wall has adequate support by finding the studs with the stud finder. Also, remove the foam insert until later instruction. Mark your stud locations and transfer those measurement onto your shelf. Drill pilot holes through shelf in marked locations. We recommend using a 1/8" or 3/16" bit for the pilot hole. A hole too big will allow the screw to pull right through the back of the shelf. That would be bad. And unnecessary. Please use the proper drill bit. Depending on your wall you should be able to locate at least two studs to anchor your shelf into for maximum strength. Some walls may even allow for three studs to be anchored into. The shelf MUST use at LEAST (2) pine 2X4 studs and the shelf bracket's to fully support the finished loaded weight.

Step 2

With the help of a friend, and using a level and your original measurements hold the shelf in its desired location and transfer the pilot hole locations to the wall. You should be using a minimum of two studs for this step. Each stud receiving (3) screw locations. Two internally, and the other two in the brackets on top. For now, only focus on marking the internal locations. Mark the four internal screw holes. Make sure to hold your shelf nice and level for this step or yur final installation will be crooked.

Step 3

With the help of a friend, hold the shelf into its' mounting location. Line up the holes in the shelf with the marks in your wall and your wall anchors, and install the six long wood screws into the wall. Four into two different studs, and two into the wall anchors.

Step 4

Installing the shelf brackets to the TOP of your shelf. At this point your shelf is attatched to the wall but it is not ready for any weight. Please DO NOT ADD ANY WEIGHT until you have firmly mounted and anchored your brackets into the top. Have your friend help you support the weight of the shelf until you can get the brackets tightly mounted to the desired location on your wall studs. Again, use two studs. Do not add weight to your shelf either inside, or on top, until both brackets are fully installed. Using the supplied 3/4" screws attach brackets to the top of the shelf and 2 of the longer screws for the stud attachment.

Step 5

Unlocking your shelf. Use your magnetic key to locate and unlock the bottom of the shelf. Do this while the shelf is open so you can see what is going on. You may even want ot make two small marks on the bottom of the shelf if it helps you to locate the pickup. It will take a little practice to find the location of the magnetic pick up but you will find it. Make sure you aren't inadvertently trying to unlock the gas damper. Once the location of the lock pickup is located, the magnet will hold itself in place. However, the shelf will not fully disengage the locks until you release the pressure on the locks by lifting the shelf slightly upward with a simple squeeze of your hands. Once you hear the audible clicks of the locks disengaging you can slowly open the shelf allowing the gas damper to lower the shelf to its resting stop.

Concealment Picture Frame Installation Instructions

Consider What is Beneath Your Walls

Anytime you are doing work or attaching something to a wall it is wise to have a solid grasp of what lies beneath the surface of your walls. If you are not comfortable with the task of cutting a hole in a wall perhaps it would be wise to hire a licensed, bonded, and insured contractor to install this item in the wall for you. There are many factors that you should consider prior to beginning your shelf installation. SAFETY is the first and top priority. CAUTION!! Failure to follow and comply with these instructions could result in INJURY or even DEATH!!

Recommended Tools

These tools are not required to install your Liberty Home Concealment picture freame however they will help with the installation process. Stud Finder, tape measure, level, pencil, jigsaw, circular saw, keyhole saw, Sawzall, drill/driver, inspection mirror, flashlight and a second set of hands to help with marking your wall before cutting. These products were designed to work with "standard" 2X4 construction that was framed on 16" centers.

Step 1

Acquire all the tools to complete the job. Do not forget about proper personal protective gear.

Step 2

Confirm that your wall space is empty!! Failure to do so could result in serious injury or even death!

Step 3

Clean your work area around your desired install location. Cover any furniture with a tarp, drop cloth, or painter's plastic to aid in quick easy cleanup.

Step 4

Use a stud finder to locate the space between two studs. Confirm that you have 14.5" between the two stud edges before marking and cutting your walls.

Step 5

The back box of your picture frame is the size you need to make your hole. Hold picture frame tight against the wall and use your level to ensure frame is sitting level against the wall. On smaller sized picture frames such as 5"X7" and 8"X10" you will fasten to both studs. While holding the picture frame tight against the wall while checking for level and trace around the outside perimeter of the picture frames back box.

Step 6

Before cutting the entire wall opening Liberty Home Concealment recommends that you cut a small hole within the area that wil become the full-size hole. This is done to check and confirm your wall is truly clear of obstructions inside the wall such as electrical wiring plumbing. It's much easier to patch a small hole vs repairing a large hole because you got ahead of yourself. Do not skip this step!!

Step 7

Once you are sure that there are no obstacles inside your cut area, cut the full rectangle that you have marked previously. Remove drywall cutout away from the wall.

Step 8

Slide your new insert/picture frame into the hole you just cut.

Step 9

Use the supplied screws to fasten to the stud or studs that run up the sides of the rear of the box. On smaller frames box will only fasten to the stud you biased your hole towards.

Picture Installation

1. Lay frame face down on soft surface such as a towel or blanket. 2. Hold firmly and slide picture frame in to the open position. 3. Remove four metal picture retainer clips, if clips are tight use a flat bladed screw driver to wiggle free. 4. Remove wood backer noard and lay picture onto glass. Making sure of proper orientation. 5. Reinstall backer board and 4 retaining clips. 6. Slide picture frame closed and enjoy!

Wall maunting instructions for Freedom Series Coat Rack

Recommendation

Liberty Home Concealmemt does not recommend the use of hollow wall anchors to mount larger items on your walls. While anchors may provide sufficient holding capability, Liberty Home Concealment recommends attaching directly to the studs located inside your wall to ensure the most secure level of attachment.

Step 1

Choose the desired location of the item you are wanting to mount your coat rack.

Step 2

Once you have your ideal location use a stud finder to locate 2 studs in your wall that will support your coat rack. Mark the location of each stud's center with a pencil. Use a nail to confirm stud has been located.

Step 3

Hold product against wall and use level to make sure it is even. Use a friend to help hold level while transferring stud location marks to inside of product to be mounted. Tip: Remember the adage "Measure twice cut once." That same rule applies when making holes in your walls.

Step 4

Check that product is plumb and level before securing. Once proper placement is achieve fasten first screw through product and into stud. Re check for level and attach second screw into next stud.

Step 5

Step back and admire your handy work. Now get started filling your piece of concealment furniture with all the items you are wanting to keep stored securely out of sight. ENJOY!!

YOUR CART (0)

No Products in the Cart