Not sure about where you live, but out here in N. California, about the only thieves we ever get are smash-and-grab kids and tweekers. They want to be in and out in 5 minutes, so the most important aspect of security is stealth.
And don't underestimate the power of a barky dog.
Which one of your theories applies in this case?
Do you think that those sorts of people would be capable of removing a safe that is attached to a wall, with lag screws?
i
No, not in your neighborhood. I would be more worried about fire protection. If you lag a medium to large sized safe with fire protection to a wall stud you should be all set. Heck just the weight of one of these babies will stump anyone for several hours. Your looking at 1000 lbs or more with some sort of fire protection/insulation in it.
After you get through wrestling it into place and banging up several doorways along the way you won't worry about it...
Capable? maybe. Motivated to do it? I don't think so. We were broken in to about three years ago. The burglars were clearly looking for the most value in the least time. They got all the laptops and jewelry and the $200 digital cameras and camcorders. They left my Nikon D70 kit sitting on the floor because it was in a backpack and my dad's Acutron watch, presumably because it didn't look valuable. All the firearms were well hidden and not disturbed.
I know that. My questoin was, is a safe the best way to do it.
On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:32:32 -0500, the infamous Ignoramus10294 scrawled the following:
Maybe go with 2 gun safes. A large upright with extra storage space for your wife's jewelry.
-- After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. -- Aldous Huxley
Don Foreman wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
There are small safes specifically designed for handguns that allow quick access:
We tried to remove a real safe installed in a reinforced concrete wall once with a jackhammer. The concrete was so thick, strong, and had so much steel in it the job was abandoned after a few days of work barely made a dent in it.
On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:28:18 -0700, the infamous Jim Stewart scrawled the following:
[silence from then on]-- After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. -- Aldous Huxley
I have a riding crop next to my bed, does that count?
Depends on the objective. If the objective is child safety, something like this will get it done:
If I had a child or irresponsible adult resident in my home I would have one of these or something rather like it of my own design and fabrication.
Beyond child safety, security is strongly situation-dependent. No security system or device is absolute. The only difference is how long and what skills and assets are required to breach and defeat. Stealth can be a useful adjunct to physical barriers and devices if done skillfully: they can't steal what they won't find in the time they're willing to risk.
Another leg on the security stool is creating risk (or the illusion thereof) of capture or worse. Think ADT or Honeywell monitored alarm system, junkyard dog, Fort Knox, or a stash or cache multilevel boobytrapped by one who is very good at his or her art and craft.
Well, in the first place, bedrooms are the first place burglars look! In the past, I worked in law enforcement twice. It gave me a good insight!
Steve R.
You need two - or three (His and Hers) - seperate safes.
For a handgun, you need a small lockbox with a combination lock that can be opened by feel in a dark room. The push-button combination lock is a classic - and DO NOT leave it at the factory default combination setting.
You can't really bolt it down that well, unless you want to bolt your whole bedroom set to the floor and hide steel bracketry inside. Do what you can, chains and lag bolts to the studs - slow them down.
It would be a really good idea to wire a tamper switch to the handgun safe and have it on a 24-hour zone of your alarm system. Whether it's kids getting into it, the cleaning lady getting snoopy, or a thief trying to take the whole nightstand "To Go" and find out what's inside later, you want to know about it. Now.
And while wiring it up, it's easy to put a Panic Button switch next to it. When the Alarm Company gets a signal for the silent alarm button trigger at the same time as the gun safe opening, they know to roll the Cops before wasting the time calling you to confirm - since you are probably in a situation where seconds count.
Oh, and they can tell the Cops that the resident is armed. Which is kind of important, you don't want them acting on reflex and ventilating the holder of the first gun they see.
For larger valuables and long guns, you really need a free-standing safe. Bolted securely to a concrete slab floor, and in an inside room where they can't just drive a forklift up to it and load it up. And the tamper & alarm switches aren't a bad idea there either.
-->--
You teach children about guns, just like looking both before crossing the street, that stoves are hot, about how to use tools.
I suppose it is an interesting comment on modern society. When I was a child we were taught that there were certain actions that one just did not engage in as they resulted in immediate and painful retribution.
don't touch Papa's tools don't touch Papa's guns don't sass Mama don't leave the gate open so the critters could get out don't tell lies (at least if you might get caught) don't steal
There were probably others and I'm sure that I don't remember the entire catechism but I don't believe that learning them caused any particular mental trauma.
But now it seems that children must be protected against doing things that they should have been taught not to do.
Cheers,
Bruce (bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)
On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:00:10 -0400, the infamous "Buerste" scrawled the following:
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! My mind's eye! Don't _DO_ that, Tawm.
-- After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. -- Aldous Huxley
It's nasty and a lot of work, but a floor safe is worth it. A definite thing to do for anyone building a house. Think about it. If you were a bad guy, could you get a safe off a wall, or rip it out from some attachment? I think we all could with time and tools. Even a floor safe, but only a pro that knows there's a lot in there would attempt it, and then, they probably would use a stethoscope than a jackhammer.
Still, a hassle to get into in a hurry to get a handgun out. I have my handguns very accessible, just placed in places that thieves probably wouldn't look on a quick search, and are high enough that the kids can not get to them. I have four around the house, and two shotguns. Not paranoid, but when you need one, you don't want to tell the guy, "Wait here a minute until I get back. I have to go to the other side of the house." As for the jewelry, a floor safe is good. The next best thing is to build a secret compartment in a cabinet that looks like part of the unit. Or even in the back of her underwear or socks drawer. My wife stashes jewelry, then sometimes it is months before she remembers where she stashed it.
I am plagued with rock squirrels. Little bastards strip the fruit trees and chew up stuff for fun, then crap all over the place. One came in the yard yesterday, and my two grandsons were here. I ran to the safe and got out the shotgun, as I had put it in there knowing they would be here yesterday. Came back, opened the door, popped the squirrel with a 12 ga. low base shell, and everyone was like ho hum. No big deal. Musta been two of them, because they were laughing as one took off to the left. Me and one grandson went and checked, and I did get the one I was aiming for, dead as a hammer. Otherwise, I would have just had to go ten feet to pick up the shotgun.
Dad and Mom are POs, and although they don't leave guns laying around, those boys have been seeing guns all their lives and every day. They know not to touch, and I'm waiting until they are old enough to shoot. I was 8. My son shot a 12 ga at 8.
Steve
Do you read a newspaper? Do you have a television?
Look at them, and you'll know that home invasions happen all the time.
Steve
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