Do I need a gun safe?

[zatoh]

Or at least get a small one and conceal it. I thought i lived in a "safe" area but we had a break-in in June. My stomach dropped when I checked the house out but I felt relief when I saw that my stuff in the Safes was secure.

[NoHeavyHitter]

Get a safe - it's worth it just to feel more certain that your firearms are safe in your absence.

[Ron-Solo]

I don't think the answer is that clear cut for the OP.

Here's why. A safe by itself is essentially a metal box with a locked door on it. Unless its bolted down to the structure of the home, all the bad guys need do is bring a dolly and wheel it out the door.

Bolting it down helps, but the OP's setup means the only place he can keep it is in the garage . Assuming his foundation can even be drilled into-certain ones have tensioned cables which prevent this-the fact that its located in the garage poses problems. Think a big truck with a giant chain kind of problems. Without an enclosed closet space to prevent use of saws/tools ,a garage located safe strikes me as vulnerability posing as security.

IMO, the OP should invest in security through obscurity.Get an alarm and take responsible steps to ensure firearms are not littered about the house in plain sight.

While it is entirely possible that a sofisticated thief could breach a safe, or drag it away with a tow truck, the reality is that most residential burglaries are committed by teens and tweekers, all looking for stuff they can quickly convert to cash or drugs. Guns bring good money on the street.

In addition to quality safes, I have a quality alarm system to back it up.

[Ninety]

boobietrap your closet and put them in there . My friend today was along the same lines as the previous posters... own a gun? Buy a safe.. My thing is.. are those bedside safes the elctro ones that i don't mind bolting to my nite stand... really safe from theft? NO talk about wheeling out a whole safe.. i could carry out my nite stand with the gunvault attatched... if you are questioning whether or not to buy one.. i think you already know the answer.. just looking for some support in the expenditure

[Bobby Ricigliano]

the reality is that most residential burglaries are committed by teens and tweekers, all looking for stuff they can quickly convert to cash or drugs. .

Yep. It's funny how all the outlandish, sophisticated theories exist when the above is true the vast majority of the time.

[myk]

Nothing new here, yes, please get a safe...

[Ron-Solo]

boobietrap your closet and put them in there . My friend today was along the same lines as the previous posters... own a gun? Buy a safe.. My thing is.. are those bedside safes the elctro ones that i don't mind bolting to my nite stand... really safe from theft? NO talk about wheeling out a whole safe.. i could carry out my nite stand with the gunvault attatched... if you are questioning whether or not to buy one.. i think you already know the answer.. just looking for some support in the expenditure

Yeah, boobietraps are illegal, and in many cases a felony.

A lock box that you bolt to a nightstand isn't a safe. It is designed to keep kids from accessing your gun, not to secure it from theft.

We are talking about a real safe, not even a stack on gun cabinet.

It took four men to put my gun safe in place when it was empty. Then we bolted it down into the concrete really well, and filled it up. It would take some serious lifting power to move it now. My alarm will have gone off and will be howling in their ears while they figure out their next step before the police arrive.

[voiceofreason]

At the very least, get a gun cabinet and weigh down the inside with heavy material. Yes, they can dolly it away, but the point is not to make it impossible, but difficult.

At least it will stop smash and grab burglars.

A safe would be best, but not everyone has the budget/location for one (upstairs rentals).

You can get the pistol safe boxes at Turners for $40 sometimes.

[Supertac916]

I'd offer for you to keep your guns in my safe, but it's full and I need another one

Safes are good for multiple reasons and not just keeping thieves away from guns. You could store all important documents and other valuables. Bolt it to your garage door and hook up a motion sensor in there. These days you could deactivate the alarm remotely as your opening the garage. It'll also keep your valuables safe from fire for a few hours in the event of an earthquake and fires.

Buy a quality safe though

[uhlan1]

Yea, the overwhelming number of burglars are snatch and grab losers. They're in and they're out. Have it sold for meth just as quickly. A safe will stop 99.99 of them especially if bolted to the floor. Imo, your safe gets broken into or stolen it's someone you know. Show and tell no one.
Oh, and they're scared ****less of large breed working line dogs like German Shepherds. Get one of those and a safe and they'll hit your neighbors instead fo' sure (no offense to your neighbors).

[BrokerB]

" my neighborhood is safe" ...always makes me laugh. You think dirt bags only steal from the poor ghetto ?

Safe is a must . Bolt it to your wood wall frame /studs or to concrete is also a must, if not its just a nice to go box .

[liberty47]

Buy a safe

[Mr. Beretta]

#1- Get a safe
#2- Refer to rule #1

+100

[delta9]

Ok - you guys talked me into it!
Going to order a safe next week. I saw this one at Lowes http://tinyurl.com/c7bc7cg

[Sennasixty8]

The challenge is to find a safe large enough to grow 'into' and still fit within the San Francisco sized 'home' foot print.

The doors and stairs leading into your beloved home need to be measured and then measured again.. (been there done that).