The first one involved a Salt Lake City off-duty police officer. He was getting ready for work when his weapon discharged as he tried to put it in its holster, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The 14-year veteran suffered minor injuries when the bullet entered his hip.
The next one is borderline ridiculous: A Wyoming woman is outside shoveling snow with a revolver in a shoulder holster. The gun slips out of the holster. The woman is then shot in the ankle. But why pack heat while shoveling a driveway?
The woman told police she armed herself because she “was concerned about crime in her neighborhood.” Sounds like a good enough reason to us. Perhaps she just needs a more secure shoulder holster?
Whatever the case might be, both are great reminders to be careful out there!
As gun safes become more affordable, they become as equally penetrable. And if you’re in the business to truly protect your firearms and valued goods, you’ll want to keep out both thieves and elements like fire that can destroy everything in seconds.
In the video below, Dye the Safe Guy explains that buying cheaper “just doesn’t make sense.” While lighter metals and less costly materials might prove affordable and turn a profit for big box stores, consumers are given a “false security or security on sale.”
Here are five essential features that you’ll want to look for prior to investing your money in a gun safe.
Combination Lock
Some safes cost as little as $200 while the highest in quality safes can set you back more than $5,000. The priciest can be specialized to host a number of locks, digital and manual combinations, key-locking handles or even biometric locks. The only downside to this is that while it might take longer for intruders to crack, it will also slow you down if you’re in a hurry.
The most powerful of safes boast an interlocking dead lock system that will put bolts in place during an extreme attack. Others contain steel hard plates that will shatter drill bits during a drill invasion.
Metal Thickness
Typically, the thicker the metal, the more it will cost you. While an 18-16 gauge metal is very thin and can be penetrated very easily, it is also much more affordable. The basic B-rated safe means that the safe has a half-inch steel door and a quarter-inch steel body.
However, if you’re seeking quality, spot the UL label, which will either be on the top or side of the door inside the safe. That label means that it’s been tested by the Underwriter’s Laboratories, an independent product safety certification organization. The UL tests safes against a burglar attacks as well as fire endurance, fire and impact and explosion hazards.
Do note that the thickness of metal equals more weight, which means you’ll need a sturdy floor to support a heavy safe.
Good Burglar/Fire Ratings
We’ve already learned that B-rated and UL rated safes are thicker, but that also means they are more difficult to crack. The next step up in ratings is high-security burglar/fire safes that boast doors 5 1/2 inches thick and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. These safes start out with a TL-15 rating, which means the safe resisted a burglary attack for 15 minutes using common hand tools as well as more sophisticated electronic tools and drills. Higher ratings than a TL-15 include TL-30, TL-30X6 and TR-TL, which are the type of safes housed in jewelry stores and banks.
Most B- and C-rated safes will have at least an hour fire rating, meaning that’s how long they will hold up in intense heat. High-security safes tout a two- to three-hour fire-resistance range. “It can be really important to look at, especially if you are spending $1,000 or more on a gun safe,” says Dye. “Why spend that kind of money and not have the kind of protection for your documents and paper?”
If you’re looking to store more than paper documents and guns in your safe, that might call for even more protection. According to GunSafes.com, a safe holding media such as computer discs and dvds will begin to melt at 140 degrees. To ensure safety in a fire, look for a safe with a UL 125 rating, which will keep the temperature inside the safe at no more than 125 degrees.
Sturdy Anchors
The main way people bust open safes is to first tip them over. Most safes come with pre-cut anchor holes typically in the interior so you can bolt it down to the floor. That way, no one will be able to knock it on its side and find an easier way in. You can easily anchor the safe to a concrete or a wooden floor.
Specialized Interior
Some might view this as a fancy-schmancy bonus, but if you’re storing a lot of firearms, you’ll want to get built-in racks that will fit the guns you already own. In addition to racks, interior lighting can also be useful, especially if you’re in a rush. A few safes on the market also allow you to put mirrors in the rear wall, which helps brighten up the place a bit.
After writing about Lee Paige and his ultimate gun holster FAIL, we were surprised to see such a spike in holster-related accidents in the news this week.
The first one comes from Geneva, N.Y., where a man accidentally shot himself in the leg when he was adjusting his shoulder holster. According to the 13-WHAM TV in Rochester, the 66-year-old man was at home when the shooting happened, drove himself to a fire department, pulled the fire alarm there and waited for help.
Talk about showing bravery and clarity at a critical time! Needless to say, the man survived the accident.
The next story comes out of Sydney and follows Lee Paige’s footsteps even more so. ABC News reports that a police officer accidentally shot himself while trying to holster his gun. He was in the process of arresting a man suspected for a store break-in. Despite the injury, the 31-year-old officer is in good condition, according to reports.
And even though this story has nothing to do with gun holsters, it’s still worth mentioning for its jaw-dropping ridiculousness. Apparently a man in Appleton, Wis., was attempting a drive-by shooting but failed miserably when he forgot to roll down his window. That’s right: He shot into his car window, shattering it.
Maybe next time he’ll put a post-it on the window as a reminder. Or maybe he’s learned his lesson and won’t go around driving and shooting at things?
At Gun Holsters Blog, we explore just that -- the wonderful world of gun holsters. But that's not all: We love firearms, too. Expect to see something gun related every time you stop in and say "hi."
Every time we mention the words “gun” “holsters” and “fail,” the name Lee Paige instantaneously comes to mind.
