Local Wave of Firearm Robberies

[Runs With Fire]

Here in west Michigan, there has been a number of high profile firearms robberies in the past couple months that seem to have come up out of nowhere. Locations hit include: Cabelas, Dunham's Sports, Riley's Hardware, Bachelders Fine Gunbuilders, Silver Bullet Gun Store and Range. Yesterday I heard Cedar Springs location Family Farm and Home lost 89 firearms. Local LEO say it's connected with a teen gang in the area ( I think it was a new gang). They are looking for quick in out targets and don't seem to mind most security measures.
There is no reason why they wouldn't hit a personal residence if they knew there was a good number of firearms. I keep my guns locked in a 14 gun capacity fireproof safe , pretty secure right? Except that if I could bring the safe in, someone could carry it out. Bolt it to the Floor? But I could loosen bolts and rip them out just by rocking it. Bolt it to wall and floor? Perhaps, unless they bring a crowbar. How about a larger safe with a wider base so it won't rock? Getting it in through the door Won't be easy, but that's the point. Still, if I can carry/ wheel it in someone else can get it out. A similar topic was covered in a business security conference I attended. It's often easier to remove the safe and break into it later at your own pace. The best option would be to store the bulk of my firearms in a safe room/ walk in vault. I will build one when I move out of a trailer and into a house, but until then, what can I do to better secure my guns, valuables?

 

[JR 137]

Sit in front of it with a loaded gun in your hand

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Here in west Michigan, there has been a number of high profile firearms robberies in the past couple months that seem to have come up out of nowhere. Locations hit include: Cabelas, Dunham's Sports, Riley's Hardware, Bachelders Fine Gunbuilders, Silver Bullet Gun Store and Range. Yesterday I heard Cedar Springs location Family Farm and Home lost 89 firearms. Local LEO say it's connected with a teen gang in the area ( I think it was a new gang). They are looking for quick in out targets and don't seem to mind most security measures.
There is no reason why they wouldn't hit a personal residence if they knew there was a good number of firearms. I keep my guns locked in a 14 gun capacity fireproof safe , pretty secure right? Except that if I could bring the safe in, someone could carry it out. Bolt it to the Floor? But I could loosen bolts and rip them out just by rocking it. Bolt it to wall and floor? Perhaps, unless they bring a crowbar. How about a larger safe with a wider base so it won't rock? Getting it in through the door Won't be easy, but that's the point. Still, if I can carry/ wheel it in someone else can get it out. A similar topic was covered in a business security conference I attended. It's often easier to remove the safe and break into it later at your own pace. The best option would be to store the bulk of my firearms in a safe room/ walk in vault. I will build one when I move out of a trailer and into a house, but until then, what can I do to better secure my guns, valuables?

My opinion of gun safes is that they are very useful in most cases, primarily because the enemy of any bandit is time. If you cost them time, they will continually reevaluate whether or not what they are doing is worth doing. Eventually, they may choose to depart without their target.

Having said that, gun safes are an advertisement. "Here is where I keep my guns, and there are probably a lot of them and they are probably quite valuable." If they are sufficiently equipped and determined, *and* they have the benefit of time, then they may well take your safe.

An alternative is to hide the weapons where they will not typically be found. I knew a cop once who showed me his homemade 'built into the walls and floors' hides. They were slick, and no one, and I mean no one, would ever have noted them. You'd have to tear down the walls and tear up the floorboards and ceilings to have found his hides, and they had the benefit of being a) in more than one place and b) still ready access without knowing a combination or having a key.

 

[CB Jones]

Hunting and collectibles guns go in safe....most burglarers don't want to waste time trying to carry a large heavy safe out.

Weapons for defense are stashed around the house for quick access if needed.

 

[drop bear]

Have a safe and conceal it.

Otherwise people I know have two safes. Guns in one. Bolt and ammo in the other. Bolted in with security bolts.