While it is common to see information about “best practices” and advise on the optimal way to perform almost any common task, whether it’s storing guns and ammo or buying groceries, there are some instances where the “dos and don’ts” are a personal choice. Here are three pieces of common advice we see for storing guns and ammo.
Locked up: in a safe vs. trigger locks
Most people lock up their guns and ammo. We do this because we do not want a person who should not have access, gain access. We don’t want small children accessing firearms and ammo. We also don’t want to make our family heirloom rifle a target of theft by leaving it in a closet. But we might not need every gun locked up all the time, depending on our living situation.
Here are a few points to consider when locking up your guns:
1. Do you have small children or visiting neighbor children? You need a safe, or at least a locked room to put your guns into with the addition of trigger locks on the guns. Does this mean every gun? Possibly not. Many people keep most guns in a safe and maybe one or two handguns in a small lockbox in their bedroom, if they have small children.
2. Do you live in a high crime area? Do you leave your home for extended periods of time? Do you share an apartment with friends who have frequent visitors you do not know? People in these situations will want to lock their guns in a safe, and possibly put the safe inside a locked closet.
3. Do you live with just your adult spouse and use firearms frequently? You might be the household that makes choices about locking or not locking based on your daily activities and for what you need a firearm—how accessible must it be?
In the end, the decision to lock your guns is highly personal. But to reduce access to them, it is best to lock them up. If you have small children, locks are a start, but de-mystifying guns and having real world understanding are also good avenues to explore. For example, make a trip to the range and let them see what happens if you shoot a pumpkin or a soda can. Children should understand that guns can destroy, and are not for children to handle.
Many people criticize trigger locks or adding a simple cable lock through the magazine well or firearm’s action as a method of “locking” a gun. However, this is a very economical way to render a gun inert, if you worry children or others who should not use it could possibly access it. If buying a large gun safe is too much, you can even get a free lock through Project Childsafe.
Climate-Controlled
Guns and ammo are best stored in a dry place without exposure to thermal cycling (extreme temperature swings), as well as humidity fluctuations.
It is possible to use places that are temperature stable, even with humidity, if you have nowhere else to place a safe. And while someplace like a garage or basement is not ideal, if you run a dehumidifier of some type, you can safely store firearms that way. You must be very diligent in monitoring it. There are tools to help you do that, and they are worth the investment if you must store guns in a less than perfect location.
As for the ammo, I’d store first in the spare bedroom or locked hallway closet, second in my basement or heated garage (if low humidity), and lastly anywhere with humidity or extremes of temperature. And I would only store it in places with potential humidity if well-sealed and waterproof.
Points to consider:
1. If your ammo supply can fit inside your safe with your guns, this keeps it dry and accessible when needed.
2. If you must use a garage or basement for your gun safe, ensure guns are oiled before you put them away. Inspect them frequently, run a good dehumidifier, and monitor it.
3. Consider that ammo can be safely stored outside of a safe. You can put it into a locked box or closet. If you have children who are overly curious, it’s good practice to separate ammo from firearms.
4. If you are storing reloading components like primers or powder, a cool dry place without thermal shifts is best.
5. If storing ammo loaded into magazines, consider that polymer mags should not be exposed to extreme heat while loaded because it can cause the feed lips to malform, meaning they can deform with both pressure and heat. The severity depends on the specific polymer used. For reference, the Magpul brand has done torture testing in extreme heat with theirs, odds are even those guys would tell you it’s not the best choice to store a magazine on a Texas roof in summer—even if theirs work after such harsh conditions.
To Separate or Not to Separate
The choice to separate guns and ammo while stored is very personal. Again, if you want to keep children from accessing a gun and ammo, separate them. But from a home-defense perspective, having to unlock two items to gain access to your defense firearm is contradictory to the idea of having a tool “at the ready.”
Considering the end goal with regards to your tools, look at your personal situation and decide what best fits your family and situation.
Example storage scenarios:
1. Households with adults and no children: You can likely store guns however you see fit. Your choices should be based on each person’s skill, comfort and the potential need to access the firearm. Guns and ammo could be stored in a safe together, handguns for personal defense could be stored loaded in a nightstand lockbox. You might even have the ability to store a shotgun loaded for the critters going after your chicken coop in the closet at the ready.
2. Households with children: You will want a safe. A safe inside a large walk-in closet or room that can also lock is a bonus. Anything to which you do not want kids to have access should be locked. Your choice to separate guns, loaded mags and ammo is going to vary, depending on your family. Both parents should know how to access the safe and/or room and know what ammo goes with what firearm. If needed, label magazines so your spouse can identify what goes where. This can be helpful in a high stress situation as well.
3. Households with roommates or non-family: You likely want to treat your situation like having children, but maybe even add a little more security, if your roommates and /or their visitors are not personal friends you trust. This could be a situation that causes you to have a safe at another location, like a family member’s home, and just a small lockbox in your apartment. It’s not only about risk of theft from unknown visitors, but liability if someone gains access to your firearm.
The Law
The last point is to understand the laws in your state, city and the housing you are in. If you live in a condo with rules about keeping firearms locked, or if your municipality requires firearms to be in a safe, you must comply to reduce your liability. A great place to understand what might apply to you is to take a local concealed carry or personal defense class.
