Do I need a gun safe?

[bollerman]

Quick legal question: I own a firearm, two actually; Do I need to keep them, and/or the ammo in a gun safe? I had been told that, while not required, it is a good idea by a few gun store employees.

Now my Mother-In-Law is insisting that we MUST have the guns AND their ammo in a safe because it is required by law.

Could someone please tell me exactly what the law is and where I can find it. I tried and had no luck. Thank you!!

 

[Slapstick]

Is it a good idea, yes, all your guns should be locked up when not in use,. Is it required by law, no.

 

[Bunnykid68]

A gun that is locked up is useless as a defensive weapon.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Not required by law.

 

[booey50]

You Should get a safe for keeping people out and the guns in...the safe helps control the humidity so they do not rust also,
sorry to tell you that your mother in law is wrong on this one...I know they are never wrong, lol.

 

[Sylvain]

Having them locked in a safe is a good idea, especially if you have children (even if they know about firearms safety).
It's not required by law though.
Of course for self defense you want the gun on your person or in a quick access safe.
If not in use, having them locked is wise.

 

[boatsandguns]

I think its a very good idea to lock the guns when they are not in your direct control. [;put trigger locks on them and lock them in a safe.

When I was 5, I was in my friends house checking out some guns. He was 6. so i looked up to him being a big kid. We checked the barral by looking down it and evrything else .... at one point with the gun laying across his lap ,he pulled the trigger... luckily the bullet only went through my shirt due to the angle I was sitting.. you just never know who might pick up a gun and check it out. Both or fathers were cops.

 

[Que]

1. You need more guns.
2. You need a safe to keep them in, so thieves can only get televisions, computers, and furs.
3. You are not required by law to have a safe, but if your guns are insured, there may be a stipulation in your homeowners/renters insurance that requires a safe.

 

[indyjohn]

All my guns go in my safe except for two: Home defense shotgun (hidden up and out of sight from the young 'uns) and my carry piece. I've been robbed before -in the middle of the day while I was at work; I had a small safe that sat under the bed and was not bolted to the floor, they took the whole thing. That pistol was discovered two years later in a storm drain on the east side of Indy. I have a big safe now, no one will be carrying it out of my house.. If you don't carry it all the time, at least keep it in a safe while away from the house.

 

[Mr. Habib]

A safe is a good idea for a number of reasons, but it is not required by law. Ask your MIL to show you any laws requiring it. She can't.

 

[Fullmag]

Having safe gives the gun owner piece of mind that they're safer from theft or fire in most cases. Makes them useless for home defense.

If little ones or bigger ones are around it would be another measure of security, IMO. Required by state law no, required by mother-in-law, possibly.

 

[LionWeight]

Look at it like this. A gun safe is NEVER a bad idea. You can get decent prices at Dick's Sporting Goods when they have them on sale. If you do get broken into at home guns are easy to pass out a window, tuck under a shirt and generally hide to remove. Put them in a safe and it makes things alot harder for them to get away with them. Like anything else it won't stop all thefts, but it sure makes it alot harder. A friend of mine was robbed in broad daylight. They got almost $7000.00 in tools. (the neighbor saw the guy in his house but he had a ladder rack and she thought he was a contractor doing work on his house) The gun safe was left in his den.

 

[Dead Duck]

I bought some of my guns because of my mother-in-law. She said she doesn't want to be anywhere around guns. So far it works. Get a large safe cause you'll get more guns later. Just don't tell her their all locked up.
She hated big dogs too - Guess what happened next.

 

[Armed-N-Ready]

Safes are a great idea.

Keep guns and other valuables safe when you are away.

 

[bollerman]

Thanks to all the responders, I appreciate the info. We are in the course of budgeting out a proper gun safe, but even that is an issue of debate. My wife felt that a small safe would be enough since we had only 1 pistol. Now we have a 22 rifle, about 30" overall length that would not fit in a small safe. So, we will have to purchase one that will also hold the shotgun I would like to buy next.

As for Her Mother, I do my best to placate her without losing too much of myself because she does do many things for our daughter. Both of my in-laws are retired and well-to-do and they are spending the inheritance they would leave on life experiences for my munchkin.

So, since a safe is a good idea (not necessarily required by law, but In-Law) and we are going to get one anyway, would anyone like to make a suggestion based on above criteria? I would also like to be able to access the weapons quickly when needed. Thanks again for all of the helpful info.

 

[LionWeight]

I'm gonna recommend Dick's Sporting Goods again. I got a 32 gun fire rated safe for $699.99 on sale. You can have shelves on 1 side and store 16 long guns on the other. Keep all your important papers and such in the other side. Added item was a door rack that will store 16 hand guns. For a quick access I think you can get a quick safe for your handgun that uses finger combos. But it's small enough it's gonna get taken if someone gets in when your not home even if it's bolted to the night stand. They also offer smaller fire rated safes too. Keep an eye out for the sales though, they have them every couple months.

 

[Slapstick]

Thanks to all the responders, I appreciate the info. We are in the course of budgeting out a proper gun safe, but even that is an issue of debate. My wife felt that a small safe would be enough since we had only 1 pistol. Now we have a 22 rifle, about 30" overall length that would not fit in a small safe. So, we will have to purchase one that will also hold the shotgun I would like to buy next.

As for Her Mother, I do my best to placate her without losing too much of myself because she does do many things for our daughter. Both of my in-laws are retired and well-to-do and they are spending the inheritance they would leave on life experiences for my munchkin.

So, since a safe is a good idea (not necessarily required by law, but In-Law) and we are going to get one anyway, would anyone like to make a suggestion based on above criteria? I would also like to be able to access the weapons quickly when needed. Thanks again for all of the helpful info.

Tell the wife that a good gun safe isn't just for guns. If you get one with shelving on one side you'll find all sort of valuables and important papers to put in it, not just guns. The added insurance and peace of mind that if someone does break into your home they will have a much harder time leaving with your valuables is worth it. A good gun safe is an investment in security.

I don't know about you but if someone broke in, stole my guns and then used them to commit a crime and someone got hurt and I didn't so all I could within reason to prevent it I'd have a hard time living with that.

One last point, buy bigger than you need at the moment, it's surprising how fast they fill up, not only with guns but other things you want to keep safe.

As far as fast access what I do is keep all my guns locked up except for my carry piece which is either on me or close by, the rest stay locked up.

With a child around I'm not sure what I'd do but I think an option if you want quick access to your hand gun for home defense would be to get a a full size safe to store things not in use, for security against thieves or when you're away and a small quick access pistol case that fits in a drawer to keep it out of reach of the kid. The small pistol safes can be had for as low as $20 that fit the bill that keep children away from them. Just my .

 

[halfmileharry]

Get a gun safe. Protect the kiddies and valuables.
Make sure it's got enough room to hide the mother-in-law's body if she starts getting too suggestive of the way you live.
I bought two gun safes this year from a local auction house. Both had minor damage to the combination boards but parts were very reasonable and my investment in them is just a little over $0.25 cents on the dollar.
I bought a new safe two years ago and when it was delivered it wouldn't open. It was mis-handled and twisted to the point it was NEVER going to open.
Watch moving them around.

 

[schafe]

Untill you can afford / decide on a safe, trigger locks are cheap, and sometimes free from law enforcement agencies. They are better than nothing.... at keeping the kiddos safe, (and general goobers from killing you or themselves).

 

[Shive.Justin]

as stated already, required by law---no.
required by MIL---probably.


honestly, my MIL is as anti-gun as they come. she would probably destroy all guns if given the chance.