Firearm storage -- outside the home

[loneranger]

Yeah what the others said.

Check with your gun club, they have a vault where they store training firearms and ammo. Maybe room for yours?

 

[Palladin]

do not relinquish your possession....period.
Get a quality safe, if she still bitches, get a new wife. In the long run, if she's saying 'its the guns' and you find out it's not.....be on the lookout for a restraining order, then you won't have any guns.

 

[Roscoe]

If the "gun safe" compromise is not accepted, it means they are concerned about you, not unauthorized access, and you have some serious thinking to do regarding how your family relates to you.

This + 10000000000

Edit :

Been through this one... remember that you have to live with you more than anyone else. Respect yourself.

Edit^2 :

And yea, this situation is far more sucky than it feels....

 

[Tyke]

Tell them if the guns go so do their shoes and pocketbooks.

 

[Dr. CCW]

Are they afraid you are going to shoot them? I'm not joking.

 

[Pilgrim]

educate, educate, educate.

 

[FreeWillie]

If the "gun safe" compromise is not accepted, it means they are concerned about you, not unauthorized access, and you have some serious thinking to do regarding how your family relates to you.

Rob just put it as plain as it gets.

Going a little further. Mom has irrational fears and she's spread that fear to the youts. That's something you need to look at too.

 

[GaryW]

Another option is a safety deposit box. My uncle has a 454 (BP) Colt in his and despite it hasn't been fired in years and is a pain in the a** to load, it's almost always available. If matters come down to it, it might be an option, but a safe if the easiest, best solution.

 

[Brad.in.IL]

All,

For those who posted serious, honest, meaningful comments, thank you. For those who posted comments about turning in my man-card, visiting a family law attorney, suggest finding a new wife via internet dating sight, you're not helpful. I thought this forum was about the free exchange of ideas so we could, among other things, help each other.

How I presently store my firearms:
All guns are unloaded when stored.
Ruger pistol is in the original factory box & secured with a combination lock.
The rifles are also secured with combination trigger locks.
Neither my wife nor daughter know the combinations. The combinations are not written down or otherwise recorded. They exist only in my memory.
The guns are subsequently locked inside a steel rifle cabinet which is bolted to the basement wall.

LenS, neither the basement nor the garage are climate controlled. I periodically check for rust.

Ammunition is stored separately from the guns, also in locked containers. I have a travel supply secured with a combo lock and a bulk supply foot locker with a keyed lock. I am considering changing this to a combo lock. When not in my possession, the keys are in a secure place.

Purchasing a full blown safe is not financially viable at this time. I have thought about using a self-serve mini warehouse near my club, but I would need to determine if the rental contract has any prohibition about storing firearms, ammo, etc. I would also still have the problem of not having a place to clean & maintain the firearms. Since I shoot only corrosive surplus ammo through the Mosin, I always clean the same day I shoot.

The club to which I belong (Shirley Rod & Gun) does not have on-site storage to the best of my knowledge. Eddie Coyle, please confirm. I have not checked at Harvard, but even if they did have storage for member use, I cannot afford their membership right now, nor do I want to join the NRA, one of Harvard’s membership requirements.

I have thought about and discarded the idea of asking local law enforcement for suggestions. I can see where this could lead to opening a can of worms I could never close.

Using the “they are for our protection” argument has not worked. My wife is steadfast in her belief that the police will be available 100% of the time to protect us from harm. I live near, but not in, Lowell. When I mention the “Asian gangs” coming to loot our house during extended power failure, natural disaster, etc., she believes it could never happen as we live in a “safe” town. I know, Newtown, CT was also a “safe” town. Look up, “falling on deaf ears” in any dictionary.

I have tried many times to educate and/or reason with my wife on the subject. It is difficult to educate one who refuses to be educated. I’ve been down this rabbit hole before with other subjects.

I believe the “getting them out of the house” is part of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind proposition. I have an alcove in my garage where three sides are the concrete foundation of the house. I could build a secure door across the front of the alcove and move the rifle cabinet behind the secure / locked door. I could also put a combo lock on the door and not give the combo to my wife or daughter. I also suspect for the cost/effort for this construction could come close to the cost of a decent safe.

Rob B., your suggestion about Daughter & Wife being concerned about me and my safety is a discussion I need to have. Thank you for pointing that out. Your reply is exactly the reason I posted this question.

Dr. CCW, part of the family conversation will include if they fear me using the arms on them. If the answer is yes, then I have much bigger problems to address.

Pilgrim, as I stated above, it is almost impossible to educate when one refuses to be educated.


Again, thank you to all who provided meaningful suggestions.

Brad

 

[SteelShooter]

If all else fails, I can hold them for you, I'll even set up a Facebook page for them so you can visit when ever you want to and see their many adventures, I promise to take them out once a week to get some exercise and I'll even clean up after them. Seriously though, good luck

 

[Business]

If they refuse to be educated refuse to entertain their idea of getting your guns out of your house untill they do. I don't mean to be blunt but hit her with a stailmait.

And on a side note, relax and take it with a grain of salt regarding the sarcastic responces. this is a internet forum not Parliment jokes will be made. Your not a paid member and your only 41 posts in. Be prepared to take a razzing or two

 

[Terminator03]

Brad, it sounds like you have your hands full on this, and believe me, I've been there too. My wife did not want me even bringing them into the house and told me that I needed to keep them in the garage. In my case at least, she wasn't afraid of me using them on the family. Her main concern was that she didn't want my young daughter to be exposed to guns at all, or even know that I own any. I was able to convince her that it was not an option to store them in the garage unless she was willing to invest in full climate control (which would also benefit my machine shop equipment and collector car). She scoffed at that suggestion, so I got my way with the understanding that I could never pull them out, or clean them when my daughter was awake, or home. I agreed to that, even though my daughter knows that I have them because I felt that it was more dangerous NOT educating her about them and the safety aspect because as we all know, kids WILL find stuff no matter what, so I'd rather have no mystery to "discover" accidentally. Because I carry concealed every day, it was also necessary to teach her about that so she wouldn't accidentally "expose" me while in a public place, store, etc. She frequently hugs me, and I was afraid she would wonder what was under my shirt if she hugged me around the waist. Now, she discretely fixes my clothing if I am printing! She also knows NEVER to discuss it at school, or with any friends, mom, etc. It's not ideal, but it's the best I could do in a bad situation. My wife doesn't like it, but accepts that the guns aren't going anywhere. If you are not able to come to a reasonable compromise (assuming that she isn't afraid of "you" having guns), then your best bet is probably to sell them rather than store off site, because they will be useless to you for anything but range shooting. If you ever NEEDED your guns they would be worthless to you. Even with your current storage solution, you could never get them unlocked, loaded and ready for use in any reasonable time to make a difference so what's the point in keeping them? These are all serious things to consider. If you can't afford a big safe, can you at least afford a $500, or less 10-12 gun model? It sounds like your collection should easily fit in one of those, and you could keep them (or at least 1) loaded so it would be accessible in an emergency.

 

[Dr. CCW]

When I got the blowback from my mother and wife years ago, it was never said, but I highly suspected that they thought I would snap someday like the stories you hear in the news. I know that is definitely the fear of many in the public. You hear it every day. Someone with a gun is going to get mad and use it. Now, I don't fully disagree with this. I have seen some heated arguments by very emotional people who get physical. I've been in these. They throw things, spit at you, and push and shove. I've been in Russia, where things come to blows over parking spaces, the price of milk, and alcohol. It happens here too, but it is not so culturally prevalent. Some cultures are more emotional and aggressive. We have more of these folks immigrating here, so you see it. So, not everyone should have a gun. Thank God we all don't.

I would pose the question. If the gun can't chase your family members around and shoot at them and they are safely secured and handled, then are they afraid you might snap? I would not take offense if that is the case. The media paints those who do snap as normal every day citizens, loving parents, church goers, quiet, and peaceful people.

That is why people are afraid to think that someone might be carrying concealed. It is the fear of the boogy man, but it does happen. You have a better chance of winning the lottery. You have a better chance of being protected by that CCW.

I hope you are able to turn this around.

 

[Steve Marshall]

Once again, we are confonted with a question that shouldn't even be asked. Here are your answers. (You didn't parent as well as you should have, else your daughter wouldn't feel as she does)
Keep your family, lose your guns.
Keep your guns, lose your family.

 

[EddieCoyle]

There's no provision for storing members' firearms at the Shirley club, and likely never will be (for liability reasons).

 

[quincy]

Family or marriage counseling may be option. A sit down with a professional to "talk it out" with your family may work. Find out where the real fear lies and then deal with it accordingly.

 

[JonathonEmergency]

tip of the iceberg.

 

[Koolmoose]

Family or marriage counseling may be option. A sit down with a professional to "talk it out" with your family may work. Find out where the real fear lies and then deal with it accordingly.

I am very sympathetic to your problem. You will need to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL if you go to a therapist as most of them are ultra liberal and profoundly anti gun. Both the APA's (psychiatry and psychological) have strong anti gun stances and are very anti 2nd amendment.
Steve

 

[Yiogo]

I don't know what to tell you, Brad. I do sympathize with you. My wife doesn't like guns either. You can buy a safe from OConnor Hardware in Billerica for around $400. I think that's your best option. You have an investment in those guns . I think saving for a safe is a wise option. It will also slow down a thief, coupled with my house alarm, which is one reason why I got my safe. If you have to sell one of the guns and buy the safe. Yiogo

 

[ochmude]

All,

For those who posted serious, honest, meaningful comments, thank you. For those who posted comments about turning in my man-card, visiting a family law attorney, suggest finding a new wife via internet dating sight, you're not helpful. I thought this forum was about the free exchange of ideas so we could, among other things, help each other.

How I presently store my firearms:
<snip>

A) Your current storage setup is vastly more secure than anything I ever did when I was still a MA resident. If your wife and daughter are not comfortable with that setup, and you cannot afford a more secure safe, the only other realistic option that I see for you is to simply liquidate your collection. Honestly, that's what I see eventually happening anyway if you go with some sort of "offsite" storage option.

B) You're family trusts the police more than you.

C) Re-read B.


I wish you the best of luck and I really couldn't tell you how I would deal with that situation if I was in your shoes.

 

[piman]

I sympathize with the OP and have been and regularly get dragged into the same problem. I think a safe deposit locker as a backup is a good option though it isn't clear that the rifles will go in there.

Personally I think there should be courses taught by LEO or ex-LEO, which brings out real cases where firearms were used by civilians and resulted in preventing death/destruction etc. This would be squarely aimed at women because I think they are grossly under-represented among our ranks and honestly we have a chance of converting if the security of their kids is in question. Why LEO/ex-LEO? I think non/anti usually have a unfailing belief in them, in most cases assuming they should be the only ones to carry firearms and will protect civilians... More people we have on our side, especially in MA, the better...

 

[calsdad]

All,

In the wake of Newtown, CT my daughter has started having "school shooting" nightmares. Both my daughter and my profoundly anti-2a wife have asked that I store my firearms outside the house.

Does anyone on this board have any reasonable suggestion on how / where I could store my:
1) Ruger target pistol
2) Mosin Nagant 91/30
3) Marlin 60 tube feed .22 rifle
outside the home?

I have a couple of trusted close friends who could, for a period of time, probably store my arms for me. Family members are not an option. All are either rabidly anti-2a or live too far away, or both. I have thought about asking my local police for ideas but I really don't want to take that option. I could also reach out to GOAL to see if they have any suggestions. The club to which I belong does not have a storage option.

No snarky comments please . . . . I am serious about this.

Thank you,

Brad

If you're faced with an imminent problem and need to get them out of the house or the wife is going to have a meltdown - I could store them for you (if you trust me with them). Your info says you're "near Westford" - I'm in Chelmsford.

Aside from that - I think what you've got is a learning problem here.

My wife wasn't that keen on the gun thing when I first got them. She said she felt uncomfortable with them in the house and all of the usual moonbattery. I haven't heard a word out of her about getting rid of them after all the shootings though. I haven't really asked her - but I think she is coming around. I CONSTANTLY send out news stories every day to a mailing list - and she is on it. Most of the stuff I send is hard core libertarian / conservative. So - if she reads even 25% of what I send she's been subject to a healthy dose of propaganda.

Long term you should be working on them - both of them. One of the most useful things I ever did was take the wife shooting. She's not a huge fan - but after shooting a pistol a few times she fully understands now that guns don't work the way the anti's portray them as working. You don't just load them up with hundreds of bullets and they go on a rampage killing everything in sight.

After the CT shooting I actually overheard her talking with her sister and one of her friends about guns - and correcting them on things they were wrong on. I also had a conversation with a friend a while back after one of the earlier school shootings who has three school age daughters. The school had been telling the kids to hide behind desks and things like that. I told him that's the type of behavior that has gotten a lot of people killed. If they were confronted with a shooter - RUN, dodge - weave, etc. DO NOT just sit there. He hasn't taken me up on it yet but I told him I would take him to the range to demonstrate if wanted to really understand.

It might prove beneficial to you to at least take the wife to the range someday - present it as you being concerned about her safety and wanting to show her how a gun really works in case she is ever caught in a situation she will know better what to do - or something like that. Not knowing your wife this might not work - some people are too far over the bend, but unless you want to just give the whole thing up you're going to have to figure this situation out.

Unless your close friends are licensed - I believe that having them storing the firearms is a violation of MA gun law.

If you REALLY want to keep them on the property - get yourself some gun storage tubes - and bury them. You can use PVC piping - but they do make storage tubes that are designed for burial - and the covers come off a lot easier than having to cut them off like you would typically have to do with the PVC solution.

I'm not mentioning the safe thing - because I'm assuming you already have one.

- - - Updated - - -

Holy shit. Man up for God's sake... You are the husband - the father and the head of the household. Certainly, in the wake of the tragedy, you will have to deal with a lot of emotions around this issue - including your own, but that's what men do. I get so tired of reading these threads about "my wife won't allow me to have guns", or "how do I make my family feel better about guns"...Men have been pussified for decades now and perhaps now is not the time for figuring out how to store your guns "outside your home", but rather to man the fu*k up, support your family, educate your family, protect your family and lead your household...

Unfortunately in MA - that "man up" thing ends up sending a lot of guys to family court - where the females take them to the cleaners - and get their gun licenses revoked.

 

[ochmude]

I am very sympathetic to your problem. You will need to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL if you go to a therapist as most of them are ultra liberal and profoundly anti gun. Both the APA's (psychiatry and psychological) have strong anti gun stances and are very anti 2nd amendment.
Steve

THIS. I was initially going to suggest having your daughter talk to a therapist to help process the psychological trauma that she's dealing with. It's entirely possible and in fact very likely, though, that a therapist, acting as a "mandated reporter", would tell you that you that not getting rid of your guns would be interpreted as child abuse. It would not be a empty threat and DCFS could easily get involved. This is something were you need to be extremely careful.

 

[Palladin]

you've secured the firearms well with the required limits, point this out to her. At this point, and not busting your balls here, the simple answer is "they are secure". If she can't understand that, I think you may have bigger problems.
This isn't a case of your carry piece is laying on the kitchen counter; we have little kids in/out of our house all the time..our rule is: 'it's on you, or it's locked up'.

 

[calsdad]

Unless the garage is climate-controlled, he'd have nothing but rusted guns.

Not necessarily true.

My safe is in my basement. Which is unheated - so it gets pretty cold during the winter and can get warm and humid during the summer.

I sealed up the door with some weatherstripping around the edge so I get no air infiltration. I also put one of those goldenrod heaters in the bottom of the safe - and I have about 8 of those Remington dessicant pack things that you can plug in to regenerate. Some of the stuff that is just in there being stored and which doesn't have very much finish left (old milsurps) - are wrapped in those gun sock things that are supposed to keep the moisture away. I've had this setup for about 5 years now - and I don't detect any rust on any of the stuff I have.

A totally unheated garage would see more drastic temp swings though. Although I bet you could build "shell" of insulation over a small rifle type safe - using some of that foam board insulation - put a couple of goldenrods inside the safe - and the thing would be find because the insulation would keep the temp swings down.

 

[calsdad]

All,

For those who posted serious, honest, meaningful comments, thank you. For those who posted comments about turning in my man-card, visiting a family law attorney, suggest finding a new wife via internet dating sight, you're not helpful. I thought this forum was about the free exchange of ideas so we could, among other things, help each other.

How I presently store my firearms:
All guns are unloaded when stored.
Ruger pistol is in the original factory box & secured with a combination lock.
The rifles are also secured with combination trigger locks.
Neither my wife nor daughter know the combinations. The combinations are not written down or otherwise recorded. They exist only in my memory.
The guns are subsequently locked inside a steel rifle cabinet which is bolted to the basement wall.

LenS, neither the basement nor the garage are climate controlled. I periodically check for rust.

Ammunition is stored separately from the guns, also in locked containers. I have a travel supply secured with a combo lock and a bulk supply foot locker with a keyed lock. I am considering changing this to a combo lock. When not in my possession, the keys are in a secure place.

Purchasing a full blown safe is not financially viable at this time. I have thought about using a self-serve mini warehouse near my club, but I would need to determine if the rental contract has any prohibition about storing firearms, ammo, etc. I would also still have the problem of not having a place to clean & maintain the firearms. Since I shoot only corrosive surplus ammo through the Mosin, I always clean the same day I shoot.

The club to which I belong (Shirley Rod & Gun) does not have on-site storage to the best of my knowledge. Eddie Coyle, please confirm. I have not checked at Harvard, but even if they did have storage for member use, I cannot afford their membership right now, nor do I want to join the NRA, one of Harvard’s membership requirements.

I have thought about and discarded the idea of asking local law enforcement for suggestions. I can see where this could lead to opening a can of worms I could never close.

Using the “they are for our protection” argument has not worked. My wife is steadfast in her belief that the police will be available 100% of the time to protect us from harm. I live near, but not in, Lowell. When I mention the “Asian gangs” coming to loot our house during extended power failure, natural disaster, etc., she believes it could never happen as we live in a “safe” town. I know, Newtown, CT was also a “safe” town. Look up, “falling on deaf ears” in any dictionary.

I have tried many times to educate and/or reason with my wife on the subject. It is difficult to educate one who refuses to be educated. I’ve been down this rabbit hole before with other subjects.

I believe the “getting them out of the house” is part of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind proposition. I have an alcove in my garage where three sides are the concrete foundation of the house. I could build a secure door across the front of the alcove and move the rifle cabinet behind the secure / locked door. I could also put a combo lock on the door and not give the combo to my wife or daughter. I also suspect for the cost/effort for this construction could come close to the cost of a decent safe.

Rob B., your suggestion about Daughter & Wife being concerned about me and my safety is a discussion I need to have. Thank you for pointing that out. Your reply is exactly the reason I posted this question.

Dr. CCW, part of the family conversation will include if they fear me using the arms on them. If the answer is yes, then I have much bigger problems to address.

Pilgrim, as I stated above, it is almost impossible to educate when one refuses to be educated.


Again, thank you to all who provided meaningful suggestions.

Brad

If you think you could get away with it - and there is a place in the house where you think the wife just plain would not look - then try storing them there. There are places in my house where my wife just plain does not look. Or maybe she does and she never tells me. Either way - there's stuff I have that I'm pretty sure she would wring me neck for if she knew I had it - and I just put it in the out of site out of mind corners of the basement or garage and she never says anything.

This will only work if you then tell her that they are out of the house and being stored at the club - or the friends house - or something like that. Given that you don't have a huge collection - you could probably find a place to put them relatively easily. They would fit inside a rafter bay in the attic - or garage - if you have such a thing around.

Given that it sounds like you have some financial issues - that would likely be your cheapest way out.

But yes - it essentially means you would be lying to your wife. So I would only do this combined with a long term effort at education. Prepare for it - it might take years. My personal opinion is that you don't educate people like your wife by being obvious about it - you "educate" them the same way they were indoctrinated to hate guns in the first place. Thru subtle propoganda and indoctrination.

"Hey did you see this story - there was mall shooting in Colorado - this guy came into the mall with a rifle, killed two people - and was reloading because he was going to start shooting again - and there was this kid there - 22 years old - and he had brought a pistol into the mall even though he wasn't supposed to. Story says the kid pointed the pistol at the shooter and when the shooter saw the kid there he just shot himself in the head. Says they interviewed the kid and he said he felt like he had too because he was there with a friend of his and her little 4 year old daughter (embellish!) - and he didn't want to see either one of them get hurt."

Your wife will likely reply with " well if all the guns were gone the shooter would not have had one either".

So you can follow on a few weeks or month later with stories about how the US government has supplied guns to Mexican drug cartels and how criminals all over the world smuggle guns and use them against defenseless people.

Like I said - long term education.

 

[ericcif]

To be honest with the few and type you have and they way they are stored now is not good enough you need to just get rid of them. A safe or any kind of storage method (outside of a friend holding them) would just be more costly then value of the firearms. I don't know if any of these gun have any special meaning to you as I have thirty guns and about a 3rd belonged my father before he died and they are NEVER going anywhere. Glad my wife never puts me in this position because I would miss her.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

 

[Mflagg73]

Store them at a friends house till you can afford a good safe... I'm just happy I don't have this problem. All the shootings has my wife turning towards guns in the house rather then pushing them away.

Mike

 

[calsdad]

you've secured the firearms well with the required limits, point this out to her. At this point, and not busting your balls here, the simple answer is "they are secure". If she can't understand that, I think you may have bigger problems.
This isn't a case of your carry piece is laying on the kitchen counter; we have little kids in/out of our house all the time..our rule is: 'it's on you, or it's locked up'.

From his description it sounds like she's likely to not understand it. She just wants them gone.

Unfortunately what you've often got in a situation like this is a rock - and a hard place. And if he wants to keep the guns and the wife he's going to have to hide the guns - and lie to the wife for a while - while he works on her.

It's not good - but it is what it is.

- - - Updated - - -

To be honest with the few and type you have and they way they are stored now is not good enough you need to just get rid of them. A safe or any kind of storage method (outside of a friend holding them) would just be more costly then value of the firearms. I don't know if any of these gun have any special meaning to you as I have thirty guns and about a 3rd belonged my father before he died and they are NEVER going anywhere. Glad my wife never puts me in this position because I would miss her.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

My take is that he's got financial issues - so rebuilding even this small collection might end up being a "never happens" exercise. A bird in the hand is sometimes worth two in the bush.

 

[calsdad]

Once again, we are confonted with a question that shouldn't even be asked. Here are your answers. (You didn't parent as well as you should have, else your daughter wouldn't feel as she does)
Keep your family, lose your guns.
Keep your guns, lose your family.

He could also lose his guns and lose his family.

Part of having a family is passing on your beliefs and values. It sounds like that part of the equation needs a lot of work in this particular situation.

An irrational fear of guns is something that could get either the wife - or more importantly the daughter - killed.

It sounds corny - but sometimes people have to overcome their fears to move ahead in life. Encouraging irrational fears and/or failing to address them is not a long term plan for success.