Stop Procrastinating Get a SAFE/RSC

[dtalley]

I started typing this around 8am today, it is now after 4pm and I am finishing it up. Chain of Events.

We recieved a bonus at work last Thursday and was talking with a co-worker about what we were going to spend it on. He was going to just bank his and I was torn between a Gun Safe/RSC or a new gun purchase. My Co-worker said get the Safe/RSC, I had pretty much made up my mind and was even looking on the internet at them. Then again I sure was wanting an AK or another Handgun. Anyway Fast Forward to Monday the 13th (yesterday). I get home at 5pm to find my front door kicked in. As I was dailing the police I walked through clearing each room. I get to the master bedroom and it was a mess. I knew there was a problem. As I entered the room the closet door was open and things were a mess.. Sure, I had 8 long guns in cases stacked in the corner of the closet. GONE. I had a small residental safe (like you get at Walmart) about 3' tall. It contained 5 handguns, some jewlery and a small coin collection that I have been working on for 25 years. 3 of the long guns were inherited from my father and grandfather. They took the whole safe. Of course it wasn't bolted down or anything. Also missing was my wifes jewlery box full of stuff. Luckly they did not look in the closet in the spare bedroom (more guns). It was obvious it was someone that had been in our house before. (our teenage children don't have the best of friends)

I have read that some people store their guns in closets, under the bed, in the drawer and such (just like me). It made me want to type this.... I just want to tell you that if you own a gun and plan on buying more, spend the money on a Gun Safe/RSC. NOW...

I received a call from a detective this morning around 10am and he said he had our stuff. I went down to the station and sure enough he had it all, including the beat open safe... After 3 hours of paper work and stuff I was able to leave with everything except 4 handguns. They were used in a Driveby Shooting late Monday night and I could not have them until balistics were done and they are cleared (shot up cars not people). They had received a tip while investigating the driveby shooting and raided an apartment at 4am this morning they found my items and others things. During the investigation at my house yesterday evening I furnished the police with detail list of guns missing including pictures. They were amazed and said most people don't have even the serial numbers recorded.

This afternoon I purchased a 28 gun Safe/RSC that will be delivered tomorrow. I have learned a valuable lesson and had my prayers answered and was able to get most and at some point all of my items returned.

So for those of you that have guns in your closet, under your bed and in the sock drawer, START SAVING FOR A SAFE/RSC AND BUY ONE. Don't be like me and procrastinate for years. I was lucky to get mine returned in such a short time you may not.

Thanks for reading my story. I hope It has opened some eyes.

[felix]

WOW!!!! ... felix

[ron brooks]

Congratulations on getting your things back.

Ron

[eka]

The best peace of mind I've ever bought. My advice is buy much larger than you think you need. You probably aren't going to stop buying guns and you can never get as many guns in the safe as the manufacture says you can.

Glad you were able to salvage your collection.

Keith

[45nut]

Pretty stressful situation obviously since it took all day to write. I am glad you got and will yet get your stuff back. I also hope they prosecute the evil perp's to the hilt.

[NVcurmudgeon]

I've had my Liberty safe for 15 years now. Within the first year of ownership, it protected my guns when some little punks broke in. I consider that it doesn't owe me a cent now. Only trouble is that I bought it about half the size I should have! It is getting crowded as my collection has grown. My pelllet gun has been demoted to a cabinet.

[D.Mack]

dtally.... one more thing to consider, bolt it down, otherwise it just makes a large box ,for them to carry everything in one trip on a hand truck or dolly. A nieghbor of mine had a safe that took the two of us to get it in the house empty. The buglars got it out loaded without even scratching a wall. DM

[omgb]

I bought a gun safe three years ago and suffered a break-in last year. My safe is in my garage and that's where the scum entered. They couldn't get the safe open though they obviously tried. (A cannon purchased at COSTCO) They did run off with a case of 7.62x54 ammo that I was deconstructing for the slugs. The ammo was bad news and had case separations in almost every clip so good luck to whomever bought the stolen crap. They also got some tools and some old records. I know who took the stuff, it was some skater-white trash from up the street. The cops didn't get them but, two of the three boys were killed in a drunk driving accident earlier in the year. Boo Hoo, the gene pool just got flushed. The third boy had a come to Jesus moment and survived the crash. He has since apologized to me and offered restitution. I declined. He's seen the light and the other two guys are beyond my justice now.

My advice, buy a safe and use it. FWIW, they got past my two dogs with cans of compressed air.

[carpetman]

omgb---They got past my two dogs with compressed air. Thats not really a good way to blow up a burglar. Arm those dogs with dynamite--compressed air might work on cats maybe.

[Dale53]

Please, fellows and gals, read the above carefully. Buy a safe, or safes, and BOLT THEM DOWN.

Install a good burglar alarm.

Use Tom Myer's Software to properly list your gear complete with photos

http://www.uslink.net/~tom1/printarms.htm

You cannot believe how much easier this will make your life if you have to file a claim with your insurance company

Insurance? You do have insurance, don't you? It can be added to your home owners policy along with your expensive camera gear (it is best to "Schedule" your equipment for "all risk" coverage).

Just DO IT as soon as possible. The above account takes place everyday in every town and city in the land.

Dale53

[454PB]

I bought a big Cannon gun safe about 25 years ago. At the time, it cost about the same price as a couple of nice S&W N frames, but it has given me a lot of piece of mind.

As dtalley mentioned, you also HAVE TO have descriptions and serial numbers for all guns. Pictures are great too, and in this digital age, easy to store.

No matter how big, heavy, well built, and expensive your safe is, a determined thief with a portable oxy-acetylene set can get in.

Oh yeah, and put a couple of bricks of primers right behind the lock mechanism[smilie=1:

[GregP42]

I just bought one myself, after talking to the owner of the gunshop who I have known for years he talked me into a larger size than I currently need just because I will buy more and trade back and forth. As heavy as that safe is I still bolted it into the concrete floor.

So do buy a safe, I feel much better now that I have mine all behind more than just the door to the closet!

Greg

[madcaster]

Muzzleloaders like to store their blackpowder in their safes,I hear,but I'm not recommending it to "stop a theif"!

[Cherokee]

Buy the biggest safe you can get into your house. You will fill it up eventually. Bolt it down. Remember to keep it locked. I also keep the torches/tips for my welding outfit in the safe.

[fourarmed]

The big Zanotti safes are shipped in 6 pieces, which you assemble with hardened steel pins. They have the advantages of being a lot easier to move in, and you can put them in a room from which they are too big to remove.

[bishopgrandpa]

Many forego a safe because of the cost. That can't compare to the lost of your firearms. I have two and looking for a bigger one. My brother had two handguns stolen before he bought his. Twelve years later one turned up after an old man died and his daughter turned it in. Whether we get them back or not is one thing. What the scum do with them is another. SAFES--SAFES--SAFES. All the advise given so far is right on.

[omgb]

There are worse things than having your guns stolen. having them stolen and then used to kill or harm and innocent person has got to be among the worst. To think that some poor child or a LEO was shot with my weapon just because I was too cheap to buy a safe is a thought I'd rather not bear. Then too, what about the teenager who in some idiotic moment of adolescent insanity decided to get his dad's gun and shoot himself? A safe is excellent insurance against such a tragedy.

I bought my first safe when I had several highly emotionally charged sessions with one of my teens years ago. I slept better after I did. I bought the upgrade 3 years ago and it was a good thing. The Sentry safe I had purchased years ago would never have resisted the efforts of those punks who broke into my home. the Cannon took it without a flinch.

It almost never pays to be cheap about important things. A good safe may cost the same as two guns, but how much is a life worth? I figure it's all part of responsible gun ownership. If I can't afford to keep my guns secure, then maybe I can't really afford to own guns. Just a thought:shock:

[AZ-Stew]

I chose a safe over gun insurance, and haven't regretted it. I don't know about the NRA insurance (the additional insurance you have to pay extra for for guns in excess of the 3 (?) they cover automatically under your membership), but most homeowners policies require submitting a list of serial numbers and descriptions in order to issue a gun "rider" to the household policy. That list was something I'd rather not give out. I thought of it as a shopping list for burglars if it somehow passed from the insurance company to the wrong people. With the safe, I don't have to give a list of my stuff to people I don't know, and the cost of the safe was ammortized years ago in saved "rider" fees on my insurance policy. Without any additional costs, my homeowners policy will cover burglary or fire damage to the safe. Believe it or not, you can even deduct the cost of your safe from your federal taxes on a one-time basis. I guess they figure it's less revenue loss to the government than the deduction claim for your losses if you get ripped off.

Another motivator for me was the thought that if I had guns stolen or lost in a fire, even getting a fat check from the insurance company wouldn't guarantee that I'd be able to replace some of the guns I have, i.e., family heirlooms, my first .22, my older revolvers and a number of discontinued models that I bought new and wouldn't feel satisfied with if I had to replace them with used guns of the same type, assuming I could find them. Some of you may consider an insurance check for big $$ a "party" of sorts, being able to go nuts buying new guns to fill the closet (where the last ones were stolen from), I'd rather keep what I've got. In addition, you'll spend part of your insurance windfall buying the safe you should have bought earlier anyway, so you'll never get back all the guns you lost, even if you're reimbursed 100 percent for your losses.

I'll soon be in the market for an additional safe so I can move my camera equipment out of the gun safe and convert the additional space to hold more rifles.

In addition to your welding torches, be sure to put your angle grinders in the safe, as well.

Regards,

Stew

[Bent Ramrod]

dtalley,

Very sorry to hear of your misfortune, and I hope you get the rest of your property back quickly. I decided to get a safe about 15 years ago and have only regretted the fact that they don't have expander joints to accomodate new purchases. It's a real load off my mind to know that the local amateurs, at least, are foiled.

I remember as a pre-teenager going past a house in our neighborhood and seeing, through their living room picture window, a fantastic collection of flintlock muskets, all hung on the living room walls. Nobody thought anything about it, back then. Those days are gone for good and all.

[Ron]

Here in Oz where all of our firearms are registered against our firearms/pistol licence, the decision as to whether or not to buy a safe has been removed from us. Bottom line, you want and possess a firearm you will have a safe to put them in. Safe keeping is inspected by local police at least once per year. Breaches carry heavy penalties.

[John Boy]

Most gun owners have other valuables in their home than just firearms. Consider installing a security system that includes smoke detectors which connect to your local police or security answering system. And a Halon fire extinguisher or 2 in the home is excellent to have handy ... http://www.h3r.com/halon/index.htm

Instead of a safe, I went this route:
... Glass breakage detectors - motion detectors (1st and 2nd floors) - telephone tamper sensor - smoke detectors in addition to window/door sensors that are all connected to the security answering service. Total cost was less than $1000 with an annual $200 fee for the security answering service. Might add, there is a home owners policy fee reduction with such a setup

The Halon extinguishers are on the 1st and 2nd floors.

This way, I can store all my firearms on the wall rack in the reloading room with the reloading equipment and have a sense that they are safe. Plus, it's nice to be able to see them in plain view... Priceless!