Recently I came across an article at ITS Tactical titled '40 Unique Places to Stash Firearms'. It was also noticed by fellow blogger The Miller, who contributed his own list of stash locations.
Unfortunately, many of these suggestions are likely to be of little real value against thieves. Consider:
- If a location has been mentioned in public, others know about it. If it's been mentioned in a lot of places, lots of people know about it.
- Criminals talk among themselves - particularly behind bars. They also read the same magazines and online resources we use. I've heard prison described as 'tertiary education for crooks'. They tell each other where people conceal valuables, and how to detect hidden hiding places. I'd be very surprised if most of the locations mentioned in the articles linked above were unknown to the criminal fraternity.
- The more you use a hiding-place, the more clues you leave as to its whereabouts. I've found many hiding-places during prison searches just by looking for accumulated fingermarks on the walls, or a pattern of footprints on a dusty floor, or bedding that's been repeatedly shifted away from one spot, then patted down again. Most of us won't notice such signs - but a trained searcher will. (In case you were wondering, many career criminals are trained searchers!)
- If you're thinking of hiding your weapon(s) from the authorities, that's hard to do successfully. Firearms, ammunition and components have a very distinctive smell, and dogs have been trained to look for it. Electronic 'sniffers' can detect explosive residue (on firearms or ammunition), ultrasound and X-ray detectors can 'see through' walls, boards and floors, etc. It takes a very special stash to remain intact in the face of such threats.
If you want to secure your firearms against theft, that's all very well, but 'out of sight' doesn't always mean 'secure'. I suggest it's better to put a quality gun safe in a location where thieves will find it hard to break it open, even if it's in plain sight. (There are other considerations about gun safes, of course - we've examined them before.)
Peter
6 comments:
My Ft. Knox gun safe was quite secure - until the contractors saw it in my house.
Two weeks later, it went missing, all 800 lbs. of it! The combo dial and handle left on the floor.
I suspect because the dial was pried off, it was never breached.
None of the documents, credit cards, or firearms ever surfaced.
Thank God for Ft. Knox quality!
I suspect the unopened box remains in some garage or in the desert, somewhere, still closed.
Word to the wise - even if your safe is heavy, bolt it to the wall and foundation. I did not.
Lesson learned.
gfa
The difference between your "where not to hide" and their suggestions are captured in the phrase "from whom?" and in how much access is wanted.
Reading your links, and also links to them such as http://www.saysuncle.com/2010/07/14/hidey-holes/, there seems to be a whole spectrum from "where one item is immediately accessible if needed but where it won't be noticed by the dinner guests" to "I'm in the WWII French resistance and expect a very thorough and professional search using dogs and metal detectors" One of the SaysUncle commenters is aware of a burglary where just about every one of those possible hiding places was ransacked -- presumably by a burglar who had reason to believe that there were handguns present he had not yet found?
It seems to me that the BedBunker in the photo illustrating the Miller's page might have prevented the crime gfa experienced above. No less secure than any other big-safe not bolted down, and possibly more secure if two were bolted together to make a king-size very heavy unmanageable object. "Security by obscurity" supplementing the security of thick steel, bolts, and good locks.
As a non-gun-owner some of these were very interesting to me because I'd like to have cash & documents secure and easy to hand yet protected from fire and burglars -- so concealment for my "obviously a firesafe document box" that might make 50% of casual burglars overlook it and 98% of home visitors not even notice it sounds like an improvement to me.
Also, I have been fighting a perpetual insurgency to keep certain things that are of regular utility in places where I can conveniently access them. I am not the person who has the greatest time and brainpower invested in the appearance and utility of my home, so some concessions need to be made on my part to the aesthetic desires of my wife and what she wants to keep in each cabinet and drawer. Some of these concealed-near-the-entrance-door locations are ideal for a large flashlight, multi-screwdriver, cordless-drill, AC extension cord, etc., and are very likely to be implemented by me soon.
Also, while part of the utility of secret hiding places is lost when they are published, being able to see them can spark creativity for the unique opportunities of your own home.
Everyone, please be very careful where you hide important things. A friend of ours demolishes houses and recycles the materials whenever possible. He has to stop demolitions almost every time, because they almost always find something hidden behind walls, behind bookcases etc. etc. When this happens, they must cease the demolition and allow the owners to remove the articles. These are sometimes jewellry, coins, cash, guns, and shall I say, other things. Usually, these belonged to prior owners, not the present one. If you do stash something, make sure someone somewhere, besides you, knows where it is. None of us escape this life alive, and then, it would be nice to have our families profit from the things we have set aside.
Jane's point is a good one! And yes, if it's out there, the crooks know about it...
If I had any firearms, I would have so good pointers on hiding them.
I've gone with the personal touch, myself. I have a regular job and so am often gone, but... my uncle lives with me and is almost always here. In addition, I have two college-age offspring living with me, and their schedules are irregular.
Criminals attempting to steal the firearms here are likely to experience one or more being used on them.
Post a Comment