How Do I Maintain the Safe Storage of Firearms During the Holidays?
- by Casy Smith
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- Maintaining safe storage of firearms while you're away for the holidays
- Keeping your firearm secure when hosting for the holidays
- Lock up your gun with concealment furniture
Whether you’re traveling or hosting during the holidays, there is so much to prepare for. Between finalizing your packing list, setting the menu for your guests and wrapping those last-minute gifts, there’s no shortage of items to tackle during the end of the year. However, have you thought about how you plan to secure and store your firearm?
If you are gone for an extended period or inviting over family, maintaining the safe storage of firearms is critical to your safety and peace of mind. The last thing you want is for your cherished gun to end up in the hands of a criminal, child or other unauthorized user.
Before you light your Yule log and pour a glass of egg nog, please take a moment to review our firearm storage tips for home and holiday travel.
Three ways you can maintain safe storage of firearms while traveling
If you plan on hitting the road or the skies to see relatives or take an end-of-year vacation, securing your firearms and home is essential before you head out. While summertime tends to be the biggest time of the year for break-ins and burglaries, the holidays see a spike in illegal activity due to the influx of new expensive items and a lack of residents to watch over their new gifts.
Firearms are a prime target of thieves due to their resale value or potential use in other crimes, so making them as difficult to access as possible is critical. Three tips we suggest before heading out for holiday travels include:
- Placing “quick-access” firearms into a more secure safe. While you want all of your firearms to be secure while you are home, you may have concealed firearms at a quick-access point as part of your home defense strategy. Moving these firearms into a more robust safe will force thieves to work to access your firearms.
- Ensuring your moisture management works properly. If you are planning to leave for a long period, it’s a great idea to wipe down your firearms with a silicone-impregnated rag and test your safe dehumidifier or moisture absorber is ready to protect your firearms from corrosion.
- Maintaining your travel smarts. The best way to protect your firearms is by keeping burglars out of your home entirely. Locking your doors, arming your security system and giving your neighbors a heads-up that you will be gone are simple, but effective ways to make your home less appealing to break into. A facade of activity goes a long way in reducing the likelihood of illegal activity.
Now that we’ve discussed some of the ways you can protect your firearms while you are away let’s review the importance of protecting guests and yourself from potential firearm injuries.
Keeping your firearm secure when hosting
If you plan to share a holiday meal with loved ones in your home, your firearm must be inaccessible to everyone except for you. While you may want to maintain your home defense strategy during your gathering, a wandering child may be able to locate and injure him or herself in an instant if a firearm is not secure. In addition to potential injury, there may be legal ramifications, depending on what state you live in, for owning a gun that was easily accessible to a child.
It’s best to keep all firearms not inside a locked concealment storage piece in a safe to prevent accidental discovery and unauthorized access.
Keeping your firearms locked away is a win-win
Regardless of where you celebrate, keeping firearms locked up is critical to keeping them out of the hands of unauthorized users. When you’re at home, you don’t have to choose between keeping your firearm hidden or accessible. Our collection of hidden firearm storage options makes it easy to stage home defense guns around your house. Visit our products page today to browse our full selection.
