With the decision to own a firearm of any type should also be the decision to own a gun safe Firearms whether intended for sport or self defense must be kept securely away from the possibility of theft or the possibility that someone other than the owner could happen across the weapon and intentionally or unintentionally use it to hurt someone. Criminals that use firearms typically do not walk into a sporting goods retailer and ask which guns are best to use for bank robberies or stick ups, the guns they use are from the streets, stolen guns that were once purchased by law biding citizens. Children of any age should never under any circumstance have unsupervised access to a firearm. The use of gun safes weather at home or work is one of the best measures a gun owner can take to prevent these tragedies. This article will provide basic information on what types of gun safes are available and how they differ from one another: by size, how they work, and how well they work.

Large or Small?

There are generally speaking two types of gun safes based on the overall size and quantity of firearms they will be used for.

Large gun safes used for long barreled firearms such as rifles or shot guns these are usually designed to stand vertically and have racks inside to hold the guns side by side without leaning onto one another, some have interior shelves to accommodate ammunitions or smaller handguns.

Smaller safes used for hand guns, revolvers or semi-automatics are usually designed to hold only one or possibly two guns. These must somehow be able to be secured to either a wall, a strong secure shelf or the floor, this is in order to prevent a would be thief from trying to abscond with it and its' contents. Regardless of size all gun safes need to provide protection from theft or unauthorized use and fires.

Mechanical or Electronic?

Another differentiating characteristic among all gun safes is how the locking mechanism works. There are two basic categories mechanical and electronic, with two sub categories under each.

Mechanical locking devices include both the classic locks with keys and the classic combination dials. These are typically the least expensive gun safes and offer the most basic functionality.

Electronic locking devices use either a key pad or fingerprint scanner. These will cost significantly more but offer the most convenient method of access no fumbling with keys or combinations simply type in a multiple digit code similar to an atm or press your fingertip over an illuminated scanner.

How they rate?

No matter what size or type of locking mechanism all guns safes are measured by two standards; how well do they resist theft known as the burglary rating and how well do they resist fire, the fireproof rating.

Burglary rating is measured in minutes and identifies how long it would take an experienced locksmith with locksmithing tools to gain access to the contents of the safe, it would take most common thieves much longer.

The fireproof rating is also based on time, and indicates how long the unit could be exposed to the extreme heat of a fire and still maintain and internal temperature safe enough to prevent damage to its' contents.

If you have guns you need to keep them safe. What types of guns and how many you have, will determine exactly what size safe you need. You need to consider how you want to access the firearms in the safe and what level of security you either require or desire.