Buck F
NES Member
The problem is that most big, heavy, high-security safes... 1) Generally don't end up in the master bedroom, and, 2) Take too much time to open in a real emergency.
At the same time, Maura and Andrea scream "SAFE STORAGE" (it's for the children, after all) and so a nice, loaded handgun sitting on the bedside table or in a nearby unlocked drawer is not legal in MA. We might not care a hoot, but Maura & Andrea's police care a whole bunch. Statistically speaking, it is their number one favorite way to screw legal gun owners.
Therefore, we need a solution and quick-opening pistol vaults seem to be it... they are both legal and reasonably effective. But as you point out, they are not going to prevent any theft since you can fairly easily break into them or even carry them away.
I'm still waiting for the Lock-Picking Lawyer to come up with a pistol vault that makes sense. So far, I'm still waiting.
Some might think leaving the beside/bedroom closet safe unlocked while you're in bed is an acceptable risk. If the cops show up in the middle of the night you lock it before answering the door. If they rappel through your bedroom window in the middle of the night I don't think it'll matter much if they caught you with the bedroom safe unlocked.