First off, what's the difference between "Gun Safes" and "Gun Cabinets?"

Many people are looking for the one or the other, or begin with buying safes for their hand guns and later need a cabinet to store their hunting rifle and other long guns. So, to be clear, a gun safe is a term that can either be used as an umbrella term to include the larger gun cabinet, or may mean a safe that is smaller but used for hand guns. The difference between a gun safe and a normal safe is that a gun safe is usually customized, or can be, to store a gun. There may be features such as a gun rack, etc., to store your guns properly.

For the remainder of this article, the term "gun safe" will be used to describe both the umbrella category of a safe used to store firearms, regardless of size, and the term "gun cabinet" will be the more specific variety of safe used for long gun storage.

Why gun safes? How do you pick the right one?

It seems a bit counter-intuitive to think of owning a gun on the one hand, and keeping them locked up in a safe on the other. Why is it a smart idea to have gun safes in the first place, or is it?

In certain municipalities and states, gun owners must keep their firearms locked inside a gun safe. It makes sense from a certain perspective, since you would also want to protect your investment in firearms from theft or damage. Maintaining the value of the valuables inside gun cabinets is a great step to protect the value of your investments. And, of all the varieties of safe on the market, a biometric gun safe may be just what you need.

On top of that - and of course it depends on where you live and the laws you live under - you will need to consider the protection of your family and visitors. The fact is, unfortunately, that kids of all ages have been known to be curious around guns to their own detriment. Overall, accidental deaths caused by the discharge of firearms isn't very high percentage-wise, traditionally of all the causes of death, the discharge of firearms accidentally ranks less than 1%.

That being said, owning guns means owning gun safes, especially for parents. Statistics notwithstanding, the easiest way a parent can keep his or her guns from the hands of their precious, curious children is to simply lock them up in gun cabinets. Though the odds are small that your child in particular will fall prey to accidental discharge of a firearm, the truth of the matter is that nobody wants to be the parent who wishes they had taken the time to invest in a safe before they realize it's just too late.

Since safety from intruders is an issue, and quick access is desired, having your guns kept in a biometric gun safe is the best choice. Most of these types of gun safe open rapidly upon biometric feedback, such as fingerprint data, and knowing the combination during a possible break-in may not be the first thing on your mind. Think of that as you make one of the most crucial investments you'll make.

Consider another fact - if you don't own any gun cabinets for you long rifles and shot guns, where else will you store them? What about when guests come by? Having a place to store the firearms as well as protecting yourself from accidental discharge are great reasons why owning a proper safe is a great idea.

Consider further, another scenario: you're on vacation, for days or weeks, it doesn't matter. A professional thief decides your home is the place to hit next, and notices your absence. In rummaging through your possessions, he or she comes across all sorts of valuables - including your guns.

By simply keeping your firearms in gun safes, stored for future use, this scenario ends at least with you having your guns left behind. Most gun cabinets and gun safes will prove too heavy for the thief/thieves to steal from the premises. With a biometric gun safe, the lock is impossible, in theory, to break. Again, this type of safe may be your best bet.

How Do you buy a gun safe?

Now that you know that you need to store your weapons in a safe, what you need to do is go out and buy the next safe you find on clearance, right? Maybe your neighbor is getting rid of his or her gun safes and gun cabinets, and you can snag one for a deal...or maybe you should simply consider the following list of "DOs" when you decide to purchase your gun cabinets or gun safes.
DO be sure to buy larger than you may currently require.
That may seem self-serving on this site, but the truth of the matter is that your gun collection will keep increasing. When you buy gun safes - whether a biometric gun safe or gun cabinets - you'll wind up using it for a lot more than your guns. That is, unless you want to buy other wall safes and such, but most in the gun safe market tend to use the big gun cabinet for more than firearms. You'll want to be sure that whatever type of safe you buy, you don't hold back on the features, such as fire protection, biometric locking mechanism, and the like.
Think of that for a second. Whatever you put in your safe is dear to you, whether it's high in value or not, it's got value to you, right? Why wouldn't you spend the extra money to make sure it stays protected? This isn't the time to be trying to shave off a buck or two, though if you really do want to save some money, then a used safe is actually a good idea. Safes endure the test of time, unlike most other products. See, if you spend thousands on your hunting gear, on your sites and scopes, you'd expect to pay as much for a good safe. Keep your investment protected from theft and damage, and make sure you buy bigger and better than you think you may need.
DO shop around for different brands, comparing apples-to-apples.
You want to be sure you do shop a bit for different brands, as there are plenty of differences in manufacturer. You can be sure that Ft. Knox isn't Zanotti, nor is Winchester the same company as Browning. In order to remain competitive, like most other manufacturers of commodities, these companies are locked in a game of out-doing one another.
Case in point: Browning offers their own rifle rack that is part of the door, like you'd see in gun lockers on the movies. Zanotti designs their gun cabinets with drawers installed, and thinks about the homeowner who decides to upgrade their home and move out - they've designed their safes to be modular. Ft. Knox employs a unique method to attach the fire-proof materials to the safe. Brown is a bit more boutique, in that they offer classy wood shelving, as well as industry-strength theft protection. Another company is Amsec, they offer what they call their "DryLight" insulation, which is a cast product, much like concrete, that out-performs (they claim) the safe manufacturers that use only drywall paneling.

DO pay more money for added fire-resistance.

You have to know what you're buying when it comes to gun safes and their so-called fire-proof walls. You may be getting charged for a layer of gypsum or drywall as it's called, which is technically fire-resistant up to an hour or two. If that's the case, then just be sure that the material has been installed the right way. If you also have paper documents or electronic jump drives or other electronic media you're protecting, then you may think about a safe-within-a-safe: get a safe for these files and documents, and keep them in your gun cabinets. This way you know your important documents and files will be protected twice through.

DO find out about the anti-burglar features.

You've seen the movies where the team of highly trained thieves break in and drill through bank vaults, etc. - these aren't so far-fetched ideas. If you buy a low quality safe, then you can crack into the contents with a cordless drill. You want a safe that comes loaded with armor and other tamper-resistant features, such as drill-resistance. When looking at buying gun cabinets and the like, you want to be sure they come with what are called "re-lockers." These are pins that are engaged when the thief tries to move the safe or otherwise break in, and can't be removed without several hours of work. The re-lockers come in various number, from 2 pins on up, depending on the level of need and size.

DON'T store powder in your safe. A tightly-sealed metal box with a large quantity of powder inside is a bomb. Store powder in a separate, lightly-constructed cabinet or wood box. The main thing for powder is to keep it dry and away from moisture and light.
DON'T store large quantities of primers in your safe. If one primer goes off it can detonate others, causing a chain reaction. If you have many thousands of primers, don't store them all in one corner of your reloading area.
DON'T leave the wooden pallet on your safe and rely on the safe's mass alone to deter thieves. A 10-year-old kid with a rented pallet jack can move a 1000-pound safe with ease if the pallet is attached and the safe is not bolted down.
DON'T locate your safe in plain view, such as the front of your garage, or corner of your living room. This is just an invitation to theft. And be discrete when you load and unload firearms--so you don't advertise to the whole neighborhood that you have a large gun collection.
DON'T leave power tools or cutting torches near your safe.