Best Gun Storage Ideas For Your Handgun

• • Safe gun storage is essential to prevent accidental injuries and theft, especially around children, guests, or even potential intruders.
• • Use multiple layers of security at home, such as gun safes, hidden storage, and storing ammo separately.
• • Instead of using a car's glove box, use lockboxes or cable locks.

Your handgun keeps you safe when your life is on the line. But while you need it to be readily accessible at all times, that doesn't mean you should leave it out in full view on your bedside table or lying in your unlocked glove compartment. Negligent storage of a firearm can be more dangerous than not owning a firearm at all, especially if you have children living in your home or riding in your car.

So, what do you do with your handgun when you aren't carrying? Well, that depends on your living situation, lifestyle, and more. Let's dive into the top gun storage ideas from the experts at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore so that you'll know how to store a gun safely, no matter where you are.

Why Safe Gun Storage is Important

There are two reasons secure gun storage is important: preventing accidents and bad guys from getting your guns.

1. Preventing accidents

Just because you're a responsible gun owner doesn't mean everyone who comes into your home is. If someone picks up a gun and doesn't know how to handle it safely, you can expect someone to get hurt. Whether it's a drunk friend or a curious child, these gun storage ideas prevent them from getting their hands on your weapon.

2. Preventing people from stealing your gun

Firearm accidents are tragic, but can be avoided with training. But if someone breaks into your home, they definitely have malicious intentions. Keeping a gun loaded and readily accessible only works if you get to it first. If a burglar gets it first, congratulations: your negligent storage of a firearm just armed a home invader.

Storing Your Gun at Home

There is no single "best" way to store a gun at home. You should incorporate multiple gun storage ideas for a multi-layered, diverse storage strategy that is best for you and your lifestyle. Here are some of our top recommendations for gun owners looking to secure their guns at home.

1. Get a gun cabinet or safe

A dedicated gun safe or cabinet keeps your firearm locked behind a combination or key lock. It can either be a dedicated one you buy or a DIY one using a padlock, hasp, and staple. This ensures you have complete control over who can access your gun.

However, just keep in mind that your safe is just one barrier. Unless you shell out a lot of money, someone with a crowbar can probably access the weapon inside. Don't rely on your safe alone to secure your gun.

If you live with kids and decide to make a DIY gun cabinet, install the hasp and staple it high up on the doorframe out of reach of children. By the time they're old enough to reach it, you can teach them how to safely handle firearms, reducing the risk of unsupervised use.

2. Keep guns and ammo separate

In every guide to how to store a gun safely, the most common gun storage idea is to store your ammo and firearms separately. This way, if someone does get your gun, they won't have any handgun ammo for it. Keep your ammunition in a separate locked container.

3. Hide your handgun and ammo

It should be obvious, but hiding your gun and ammunition is one of the easiest gun storage ideas to stop people from finding your gun. In fact, people with large handgun collections sometimes stash pistols around the house. They stay secure while also being accessible at all times, no matter where you are in your home.

4. Don't advertise that you have a gun

It's tempting to put up signs on your property that state a gun owner lives in this house, or to share photos online, especially if you're a collector and just added something rare or unique. After all, wouldn't burglars avoid the house of a gun owner?

Unfortunately, all this gun storage idea does is tell burglars you have weapons inside the house that they can steal when you're not home. Or, even worse, it tells burglars they should come armed, turning a normal burglary into a dangerous home invasion. Always keep your handgun a secret that only you, your family, and trusted friends know about.

Storing Your Gun in Your Car

We've covered how to safely store a gun in your home, but that's not the only place you have your gun. Many shooters keep a gun in their car, even if they carry a CCW. Here are some gun storage ideas for your car:

1. Locked glove compartment or central console

These are the most convenient places to store your firearm. However, they're also the highest risk. Even when locked, thieves can (and will) break into them with a prybar, and young kids can borrow your keys to unlock them. Because it's convenient and a common gun storage idea, we'll include it here, but we recommend more secure methods.

2. Cable lock

Want something that's both secure and convenient? Use a cable lock. By wrapping the cable around one of your seat posts and through the trigger guard, your gun is incredibly secure without being stored in a container. Plus, by sliding your gun under your seat, it's also concealed!

3. Gun safe or lockbox

Like your home, a locked metal box is a straightforward and secure gun storage idea. These boxes are installed directly into the floor or trunk of your car and typically use a key or combination lock. When you need access to your gun, all you need to do is unlock the safe.

Just a note that depending on where you live, this may be legally required to store your gun in your car at all. Always check your local and state regulations.

Explore Handguns and Beyond at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore

Now that you know how to store a gun safely, you can get one of your own. Since 2007, Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore has been the online gun store of choice for thousands of shooters. Check out our collection of semi-auto pistols and revolvers for sale for your next home or car defense weapon. Or, if you're looking for something else, explore the rest of our guns for sale to find the right one for your lifestyle. We can also help you restock on ammunition with our ammo for sale. Learn gun storage ideas and shop firearms with Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore.