The folks over at Cheaper Than Dirt have a blog that they use to drive business. Hey, it is a commercial world out there, and we are still an economy that is based on capitalism, good for them.
Every once in a while though they touch on a subject that is worth discussing a little further. This article talks a bit about storage, it makes some good common sense points. In the process of reading it, I gave my own situation and experience some thought and wanted to share with you just a little bit of cultural differences that I have seen.
When I was just a wee lad, the first firearms that I was exposed to were at my uncle’s. Right there in a lighted glass case were his hunting rifles. Of course I thought this was seriously cool and just stared at them for some time.
In the peace time Corps, everything was either in your hands or locked up. Rifle racks in the barracks were locked. The armories in the squad bays were locked and alarmed, and in “the fleet” (as part of the airwing) everything was locked down in the armory. Personal weapons had to be stored offsite.
Once my children were born, and I really started to be concerned about self defense I visited with a friend in Fort Worth. She and her husband had just moved into their first home, and their daughter had just been born. After giving me the tour of the barn, and the shop the first thing that she showed me in their home was…. A BIG ‘OL, HONKING GUN SAFE. I remember this thing was a glossy maroon color and was bigger than I am. It wasn’t hidden away in the closet, or the basement it was right there in a place of prominence in the master bedroom. When I asked her about that she said, “Well were do you expect it to be? If I need something from it, I need it NOW!”.
If I were living in Texas, yep that’s probably exactly what my approach would be too. Living where I do though, it pays to be a bit more low profile. The safe is a bit smaller (much to my dismay) and it is tucked away where you would really have to look to find it. The immediate need safes are smaller, and also relatively well hidden. But, I probably do need to work on more strategic placement around the house.
Fitting this all into how you use those weapons when things go bump in the night, and being able to navigate your home in the dark is all part of your best defense. Give it some thought.
I’ve got a safe that I’ve got bolted to the floor and walls, but I bring out a GLOCK and a shotgun every night when I get home.
Put em back into the safe in the morning.
As I don’t have any kids, I find this works pretty well for the mrs and I.