| Fireproof
gun safes are designed with two main purposes
in mind - to protect the guns from burglary and unauthorized
access, and to protect the guns in the event of a fire.
One of the most important factors in choosing fireproof
gun safes is the fireproof rating of the safe. These ratings
are usually specified in minutes or hours, and give an indication
of how well the safe will protect the guns during a fire
situation. An example of a fireproof rating would be a 30
minutes 350 degree rating. This means that, while being
exposed to a 1700 degree F fire for 30 minutes, the temperature
inside the gun safe would not rise above 350 degree F. This
is a low enough temperature to ensure that the guns (and
ammunition) stored in the safe would be safe from damage.
There are a number of other factors to consider when choosing
fireproof gun safes. The first is the type of guns to be
stored. Pistol safes are much smaller than safes designed
to store rifles and shotguns. A pistol safe can be designed
to store a single handgun in a small, chest type housing.
While this could easily be carried off by a burglar, it
would prevent children or other unauthorized persons from
having access to the gun. Larger pistol safes are available,
usually with a cabinet-style case and interior shelving.
For rifle and shotgun storage, there are models available
with a large, upright cabinet-style housing. These models
range in size up to ones designed to store a many as 60
rifles and shotguns.
Fireproof gun safes are available
with burglary ratings in addition to the fireproof rating.
A burglary rating gives an indication of how long it would
take someone with knowledge of safes to break into the safe
using common locksmith tools. The longer the burglary rating,
the more secure the safe is. Though some ratings are better
than others. CDOJ California Dept. Of Justice label can
go on almost any metal box with a key, combo, or keypad.
So it doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Its like someone bragging
about their car can go 35 miles an hour...(who cares!).
However, if you will take the time to ask questions about
the guage of steel, bolt size, and the lock. You should
be able to use your own good judgement when shopping for
gun safes.
Another factor to consider when choosing fireproof gun
safes is the type of locking mechanism used on the safe.
Models are available with mechanical key locks, combination
locks and electronic keypad locks. The electronic keypad
locks are the most convenient - you simply enter the combination
on an electronic keypad similar to a PIN pad used on an
ATM or debit card machine. Some models have a key override
in the event of a lost or forgotten combination. Models
are also available with an anti-tamper system that disables
the keypad altogether if someone repeatedly enters the wrong
PIN number.
Fireproof
gun safes provide a convenient and secure method
for storing your guns and preventing access by unauthorized
persons. This is becoming more important, since some states
have recently provided for criminal penalties in cases where
a child is hurt after gaining unsupervised access to a gun.
While states have not passed laws requiring guns to be store
in safes, they have made it a very good idea to do so.
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