How to Keep Your Hunting Rifle Safe at Home

How to Keep Your Hunting Rifle Safe at Home?

There are more guns in the country now than there are people. Hence keeping a firearm in your home for safety has never been more important. So, if you’ve decided to keep one at home, first ensure the family’s safety from it as well.

Learning how to keep your hunting rifle safe at home is vital for everyone’s safety at home, especially if there are children. However, figuring out the ideal way to keep the gun safe at home is tricky. That’s why this article will revisit your options and suggest some necessary tips.

Things to Consider Before Keeping a Gun at Home

Before deciding on the ways of keeping the gun safe from everybody, you need to consider some other factors as well.

Location

One of the most important considerations is the location of the rifle in the house. First, if it isn’t readily accessible, keeping the rifle or any firearm isn’t of any value. In case of any emergency, the damage will have been done by the time you locate, unlock, and remove the trigger guard.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the criminals are smarter than you think. They know exactly where most people tend to keep their firearms. So you have to be creative and look for unusual places to store the gun.

Children

No matter how small the children are in your home, never underestimate their capabilities. Did you know, more than two-thirds of gun-related tragedies involving children can be avoided only if the gun owners stored their guns responsibly?

Children are driven by extreme curiosity, and they manage to get into spots and places you wouldn’t dream possible. So, if you are a parent with children living at home, extra measures need to be taken to keep them safe. You can never be too careful around children.

Neighborhood

If your neighborhood is not so sober or stable and you know theft is a serious problem, you have to be extra careful in keeping the gun at home. It is better not to let anyone know that you possess one with you.

Ways to Keep the Rifle Safe at Home

The ways to keeping hunting rifles safe may be different for different people. You should examine your own situation before applying one or more of the methods below.

Another thing to consider is the layout of your home since certain places will be more suitable than others. Keeping these in mind, let’s have a brief look at the ways you can keep the rifle or any firearm safe in your home.

Keep It Locked

Locks prevent a gun from being loaded or fired. Most of the time, these locks are provided by the manufacturer of the gun itself. There are different forms of gun locks like trigger locks and cable locks.

The trigger lock clamps around the rifle’s trigger to lock it in place. It prevents the trigger from being manipulated. One thing to note is that a trigger lock must never be installed on a loaded gun since it comes in direct contact with the trigger.

And as for the Cable lock, it is a long steel cable that prevents the action of the rifles or shotguns from being closed. It also prevents magazines from being loaded in a semi-automatic pistol.

Keep It Unloaded

If you’re a responsible gun user, then you must always keep it unloaded unless you intend to use it. This is particularly important when storing the gun at home to prevent any type of accident or injury from happening, even if it falls into the wrong hands. It is also recommended to store the bullets separately from the gun as well.

Use a Firearm Case

Gun storage is a sturdy box that keeps the gun safe from others. You can readily buy them at your local sporting stores. They come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and materials.

The primary job of the gun case is to protect the firearm from physical damage or external impact. Most cases can be “legally” locked while transporting it to or from any shooting event.

A locked gun case will keep it safe from being used by children. However, its usefulness is limited to the materials from which it is made. That’s why it is necessary to keep it in a safe location as well so that a thief will not reach it.

Using a Gun Safe

A basic safe is superior to any other storage options discussed in this article. Placing the rifle in secure storage within a well-concealed rifle safe is the best way to ensure it is prevented from any unauthorized access.

The heavy-gauge steel, weight, complex locking mechanism as well as the option to bolt it directly to a concrete slab altogether frustrates anyone’s effort to take it without permission. When you use a rifle safe, it will protect the firearm safe from any disaster like flooding or fire also.

Finally, Teach the Family to Be Safe

Did you know that around a third of homes with children in the US have guns? It is estimated that around 4.6 million kids live in their homes with unlocked and loaded guns. It is a scary statistic indeed, and as a parent, you should realize how serious a risk it is to have a gun at your home.

However, it is important to note that guns can be a matter of curiosity for both children as well as adults. That is why it is imperative to instill a mindset of safety and responsibility in all the family members about the dangers of guns and the safe conduct of a firearm.

Practicing good weapon conduct yourself will teach the kids how to live by that example as well.

Final Words

Where we place the guns in a house has a major influence on the amount of security it will offer. There can be major consequences if you fail to properly secure the weapon at home. That’s why knowing how to keep your hunting rifle safe at home is very important indeed.