In Australia every gun owner must have a compliant gun or rifle safe to safely store any firearms they own. The underlying reasons for having a gun safe are clear. A pistol or rifle safe protects your firearms from being accessed by anyone other than the registered owner, particularly from your curious children or intruders with malicious intent. As Australians we all know of the dire consequences that can result when firearms end up in the wrong hands. Indeed following the notorious 1996 Port Arthur massacre, where a gunman opened fire in a cafe in Tasmania and ultimately hunted down and murdered 35 innocent people, Australia strengthened its gun laws.
Depending on which type of guns you own, be they hand guns, or Category A, B or C rifles, you will be required by your local State laws to store your firearms and ammunition in lockable safes that comply with the storage requirements of your State.
However, beyond the strict storage laws that must be complied with, there are other factors you should consider before purchasing a hand gun or rifle safe:
Size of your gun safe: Before making a purchase of a gun safe one of the most important things to consider is the size of the gun safe. While you might be tempted to buy a small or cheap hand gun or rifle safe you should keep in mind that you may purchase more firearms or ammunition at a later time as such you should consider if it is more prudent to purchase a larger safe than you immediately require. This will save you money in the long run. Do also keep in mind the surface area your gun safe will require to ensure you have enough space to secure and open the safe.
Fire Protected Gun safe: We know that house fires or even bushfires can cause extensive damage to property, as such we always recommend purchasing a gun safe with fire protection as it will keep your guns and bullets safe in any such circumstances.
Lock Mechanism: Having a gun safe that can easily be accessed by your kids, intruders, or any unauthorised persons simply doesn’t make any sense and defeats the purpose of firearm storage in the first place. One of the more secure locking options for gun safes is a hi-tech locking mechanism, such a voice command, digital or biometric systems as these will offer greater protection as only you as the owner will be able to access the safe. It also obviates the need to hide and store keys!
Learn more about Gun safe brands: There are a lot of gun safe brands available online or local store, such as Diplomat, CMI, Chubbsafes, Secuguard, and many more. You should be aware that every safe brand is different in terms of facilities, features, materials and security they offer. For instance some brands may manufacture gun safes with heavy steel, while others may use a better-fireproofing material. It is always useful to learn more about what all the safe brands offer, and what customer reviews they get, before making a purchase.
Price of your gun safe: Most of us assume that the higher the price of a product the better the quality, and alternately the cheaper the product the lower the quality. However this is not always accurate as each and every product provides different features, some of which may or may not be important to you. So before making a purchase we would recommend you check the features that your gun safe brand is offering, rather than putting too much emphasis on the price of the gun safe.
Dimension of your gun safe: The internal dimension of your gun safe is one of the most important feature that you should check before making a purchase, and often overlooked. Often the internal dimensions of your gun safe are significantly smaller that the external dimensions, with the consequence that if the internal dimensions are too small you safe will not have enough space to store all your guns and/or ammunition.
Warranty for the gun safe: Before making a purchase of a gun safe you should always check and consider the warranty length and terms that attaches to the safe you are considering. Some safe brands also offer the option of extending the warranty period or offer a lifetime warranty so it is worth checking if this option is available as you may want to safeguard your safe for lifetime.
