Finding the best place in your home to put a gun safe is no simple task. Each potential location has some perks and some problems. Your bedroom is the most convenient place, but the safe may take up too much space. The basement seems reasonable, but it takes a long time to make it up and down the stairs.
Why shouldn’t a gun safe be stored in the garage? There are a multitude of reasons why a gun safe shouldn’t be stored in the garage. The garage is not the most ideal location for a gun safe due to the presence of humidity, fluctuating temperatures, and a risk for fire.
In addition to these factors that make garage gun safe storage less than desirable, they are more prone to be subjected to theft when they are not secured inside of the house. Even though the garage is an attachment, it will still technically be outside and up for grabs in the eyes of a thief.
Gun safes not only safely store your firearms, but protect money, important records, and other valuables. When looking for the best location for a gun safe, there are a lot of factors to think about and consider.
Along with just choosing the right gun safe, though, you must also choose the correct placement for the safe inside of your home. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about storing your gun safe in the garage.
Why Shouldn’t a Gun Safe be Stored in a Garage?
There is a multitude of reasons why the garage is not an ideal place for your gun safe. If you choose to store your firearms in your garage without taking necessary precautions, you’re taking on many risks. Here’s a list of risks you take if you decide to store your gun safe in your garage:
- Theft
Safes are like thief magnets. If your house is broken into while you’re away, thieves will flock to your safe, trying to get the valuables inside. If you put your gun safe in the garage, you significantly increase the odds of thieves accessing it. When you open your garage door, your safe could be visible to potential thieves on the street. Also consider that if thieves cannot open the safe, they’ll try to lift it from your home and break into it elsewhere. If your safe is in a garage, thieves have less distance to travel to load it into a truck or van. Avoid this possibility by keeping your safe out of the garage.
- Humidity
Moisture is a major threat to the condition of your firearms. Guns are tough and sturdy machines, but their complex interior devices are sensitive to moisture. Garages are very poor humidity insulators. Concrete does not keep humidity out of the environment effectively and garage doors are usually not insulated nor watertight. It’s too easy for humidity to condense inside of your safe and damage your valuables. If you own an electronic safe, humidity can condense and seep into the keypad of the lock, breaking it. If you allow your firearms to be exposed to moisture they won’t operate smoothly, malfunction, or break. In addition to damaging your guns, humidity can ravage your ammunition as well. Ammunition is made of brass and powder. Brass can corrode when exposed to water and begin to break down. Gun powder becomes inoperable if it gets wet. This is extremely dangerous, as defective ammunition can cause misfiring, potentially causing harm to you and others. Imagine needing your firearm in an emergency only to realize that your guns are jammed, and your ammunition ruined.
- Temperature
Concerning heat, temperatures will not naturally rise to a level where it endangers the content of your safe. The real threat with temperature is the cold. In the winter, the temperature of your garage can fall below freezing. What effects will this have on your safe? If your safe has an electronic lock, there can be several issues. If the safe uses a magnetic ink to display digits and messages, this screen may become frozen or cause operation problems. The batteries powering the lock may become too cold to operate, locking you out of your safe.
- Fire
A fire is a severe risk for your home and the valuables you keep in a your safe. If you store gasoline for your car, motorcycle, chainsaw, lawnmower, or boat in your garage, the space is a pretty dangerous fire hazard. There’s also likely to be flammable paint thinners, lumber, or chemicals stored in your garage. Your safe could be melted shut in some cases. If you have a mechanical lock and the fire is hot enough, the dial could be melted and deformed beyond use. Electronic locks are also susceptible to fire, as the rubber buttons could melt, wires could get fried, and circuits could be destroyed.
The best locations for a gun safe avoid as many of the above risks as possible. This is why the garage is the worst place in your home to keep a gun safe. You’re taking many unnecessary risks if you choose your garage to house your gun safe.
What Makes a Good Gun Safe Location?
As a preface, remember that every potential location for your gun safe has trade-offs. There isn’t one absolutely perfect place to keep your gun safe.
Some locations may have excellent theft prevention, but difficult to access quickly. Some places are very convenient to access but jeopardize your belongings with a fire risk.
Before we get more into detail, take a look at the list down below to get an idea of how to find the best location for a gun safe.
Ideal gun safe locations have:
- Low risk of fire
- Controlled temperature and humidity
- Low risk of theft
Where you keep your gun safe influences the amount of security it offers. A strategically placed gun safe makes your belongings inside completely secure, while a poorly placed safe only jeopardizes them.
If you’re thinking about putting your gun safe in the garage of your home, think again. Gun safes should not be stored in your garage for many reasons.
This article will delve into the reasons why you should never store a gun safe in your garage. We will also discuss the pros and cons of all possible locations for the safe, proper gun safe setup procedure, and additional accessories you’ll need to keep your firearms and other belonging secure.
The most important thing to do when selecting a space is make a safety checklist. Consider the three most important components of safe security: fire safety, humidity/temperature control, theft security.
Try to find a place for your safe that meets as these three criteria to the fullest extent.
Keeping your most valuable belongings safe from fire damage is extremely important. Depending on the size of your safe, it’s impossible to move your safe out of harms way in a fire.
Be strategic when you place your safe and maintain distance from potential sources of fire. Don’t place your gun safe anywhere near fireplaces or kitchens, the two leading causes of housefires.
Humidity can devastate your firearms and ammunition. Make sure you check the humidity of the space your thinking about and judge if it’s suitable for your safe.
Dehumidifiers are extremely important pieces of equipment for keeping your firearms safe. They can be installed within the safe or in the room to maintain a low level of humidity, reducing the potential damage to your firearms.
It’s also important to ensure that you’re able to prevent your safe from getting too cold, especially if it’s an electronic safe. Make sure that you can directly control the temperature of the room you decide to put your safe in.
The primary concern of theft security is the visibility of your safe from the outside. Once again, this is why the garage is the most unsafe place to keep your gun safe. Keeping your safe in an easily visible location from the outside will attract thieves that are casing your house.
A safe is a thief magnet because it guarantees valuables inside the house. Locations that provide theft security are such that thieves can’t see the safe from outside your home, can’t find the safe if inside your home, and won’t be able to move it out of your home.
The Best Locations For a Gun Safe
Now that we know the three most important parameters for gun safe locations, let’s take a look at a few possible places. Think about your home, and all the possible areas you can fit your gun safe.
What comes to mind? Do the spots you think of adhere to the above criteria? Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of the most common gun safe locations.
Best Locations For a Gun Safe:
- Basement
- Bedroom
The basement is one of the most secure places to put a gun safe.
First of all, if your gun safe weighs more than 1000 pounds, the basement is the ideal location for it. You don’t want weak flooring to give in and allow the 1000lb safe fall through.
If the climate gets humid, use a dehumidifier to keep the safe free of condensation.
A big bonus for the basement is that it’s very difficult for thieves to take the safe out, as they would have to climb stairs while somehow lifting it. On top of that thieves cannot see the safe in the basement if they’re casing your house.
Basements are also ideal locations for fire safety as the foundation of your home and with little flammable surroundings.
One thing to note is whether or not your basement is directly under your kitchen. If an extremely hot fire breaks out in your kitchen, the floor could collapse from the heat and fall onto your safe.
Also note whether or not you live in a flood area. If your neighborhood floods your basement could become a swimming pool with your safe at the bottom. If your area is subject to frequent flash floods, the basement isn’t the best place for your safe.
Another disadvantage is the distance you must travel to secure your firearms during an emergency.
If your bedroom is on the second floor of your house, you’re required to travel down two stories before being able to access your guns. Keep that in mind when considering the best place for your gun safe
When you keep a gun safe in your bedroom, you can enjoy quick access and convenience. If your gun safe is in your bedroom, you’ll be able to respond to an emergency quickly.
The bedroom is safe from flooding, especially on higher floors. If your bedroom is on the second floor you won’t have to worry about floodwater getting to your safe.
The master bedroom is a common target for burglars, however. FBI statistics state that the master bedroom of a home and parts of the home visible from outside are where burglars search for valuables.
Make sure your safe is a secure one if you choose to place it in your bedroom.
Safe weight limit for higher floors. If your bedroom is on the second floor of your home, there’s a limit to how much weight your floor can support. You don’t want your safe to fall through the floor.
Fire hazard applies to the safe, especially on the second floor. If a fire breaks out in your home, your safe becomes a very dangerous thing if it’s on a high level in the house.
It may be inconvenient and take up too much space in your room. Especially if you plan on having equipment accompany the safe.
These two locations are the most common. The basement offers the best security in the house but the least ease of access.
The bedroom has the most ease of access but is a pretty vulnerable place to have a safe. Think of which location works best in your home.
How to Set Up a Gun Safe
After you’ve decided where to put your gun safe, it’s time to set it up. Before you choose a spot, however, make some measurements around your house. Measure narrow hallways, stairways, and doorways. When looking for a safe to buy, pay attention to the weight and dimensions of the box.
Depending on how heavy your safe is, consider hiring a moving service especially if the safe is too heavy to lift by yourself. If you’re moving the safe by yourself, be prepared. Get a heavy-duty dolly that can support the weight.
If you plan on moving the safe up or down stairs, invest in a specialized stair climbing dolly like a Powermate.
Safes typically get transported on top of a pallet. This may seem like common sense, but never leave a pallet underneath your safe, as it makes your safe much easier for thieves to transport. Once you’ve placed your safe, it’s time to anchor it.
Unanchored safes are very easily tipped over, pried open, or taken from your home.
If your safe lies on a concrete floor, it can be bolted into the floor. If the floor isnt an option for bolting, you can anchor your safe in a drywall stud, brick wall, or cement wall. Any wall material that’s strong enough to support the safe will make a good anchoring point.
It’s not recommended, but if you have no choice other than the garage for your safe, here’s a few ways to make it more secure:
- Bolt the safe to the concrete floor and try to put some kind of furniture over it. This includes placing a closet with no bottom panel over the safe to make it look like a standard piece of furniture that burglars won’t bother to look through.
- In the summer and spring, make sure you to put a dehumidifier inside and outside of the safe to ensure condensation doesn’t damage your firearms
- Keep flammable materials, liquids, and chemicals away from the safe to minimize risk of fire damage.
Additional Accessories Needed for a Gun Safe
A gun safe is a great security measure, but it cannot work alone. There are some necessary accessories to complement your gun safe. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Additional Gun Safe Accessories:
- Dehumidifier
- Bolting
- Handgun storage
- Corrosion protection
- Air cleaner
- LED Lights
- Light for mechanical locks
The dehumidifier is the most important internal accessory to have for you vault. Keeping humidity out of your safe is crucial for keeping your firearms, or any valuables inside the safe free of mold and moisture.
Bolting, on the other hand, secures your safe and makes burglars unable to move your safe.
There are several forms of efficient handgun storage that makes the most of the space inside of your safe. This is something that you definitely need for maximum effectiveness.
There are also anti-corrosive coatings you can use for your safe that prevents chemicals from corroding the metal of the lock.
A good air cleaner will keep the air inside of the safe clean and free of mold.
Bright LED lights can be installed into the safe to illuminate the interior when opened. Very good option for optimized presentation and nighttime usage.
And, last but not least, an LED light can be mounted on a mechanical lock to increase visibility during nighttime usage. This is incredibly helpful because mechanical locks can be very difficult to see and operate properly in poor lighting conditions.