Safe storage of guns when not in use always requires an effective gun safe or gun lock.  Safe storage doesn’t just prevent children from gaining access to guns, it prevents theft and misuse of guns by people other than their owners, and protects against suicides by people, including family members of the gunowner, suffering from mental health problems.  Best practice requires storing guns separately from ammunition.

Unfortunately, not all gun safes and gun locks meet minimal safety standards.  There is a long history of cable locks for guns that can easily be cut, and of trigger locks that can be picked with bobby pins or are otherwise ineffective. 

In addition, some gun safes suffer from design or manufacturing defects. Recently, more than 120,000 gun safes sold under the names Bulldog Cades, Machir, Moutec and Awesafe were recalled because of “faulty biometric systems.” According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, “the locks on these safes fail to properly secure, allowing them to be opened by unauthorized users.”

Effective safe storage requires that gunowners equip their guns with an effective gun lock or place them in a secure gun safe. Since there are no national standards or testing programs, gun owners need to research their purchases rather than assume that anything on the market will provide effective security.  Some independent research, for example, is available here.

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