ome people question whether it’s worth the expense or hassle of getting a gun safe, and the answer is a resounding “yes you should.” There are too many benefits to getting one and too many drawbacks to not having one to entertain not having a gun safe of some sort.
This can include a solid strong box for locking up a concealed carry gun or a standing vault for pistols and long guns both. It’s perhaps the only truly safe method of gun storage available.
Furthermore, gun safes can save lives, especially if you have little ones at home or they frequently visit
Safe Gun Storage Saves Lives
Another consideration is safe gun storage. A good rule of thumb is that if a gun isn’t in the hand or on the hip in a holster, it should be in the safe. This becomes even more vital if you have children or children frequently visit your home.
On Dec. 23, 2016 (the Friday prior to this writing) the 2-year old son of a veteran Cleveland police officer obtained his father’s service weapon and fatally shot himself, making the rounds on news wires during the holiday weekend.
The Washington Post examined reports of similar incidents at the end of 2015, finding at least 265 reports of toddlers shooting themselves or others. Of those, 83 were fatal; 41 were fatal to the toddler that picked up the gun and 42 were fatal to a person accidentally shot by the toddler.
The Every Town Research foundation examined accidental shooting data from the Centers for Disease Control for the years 2007 through 2011, finding an average of 62 children aged 14 or younger per year died by accidental gunshots, either shooting themselves or others. When enough information was present to make such a conclusion, they concluded 70 percent of such incidents are preventable by having and using a gun safe.
Since many school shooters obtained firearms from parents or relatives (though not all did) it’s surmisable that some may have been prevented with the deployment of a gun safe.
Whatever else anyone thinks of Everytown (it was founded by Michael Bloomberg, a known gun control advocate) or for that matter the Washington Post, it’s hard to argue with the idea that it’s not the best idea for loaded firearms to be easily accessed by children. How to easily prevent them from gaining access? By keeping them locked away,