In essence, what all of us involved in preparedness activities do is to anticipate a danger so that when the time comes we come out of it unharmed. In times of need you’ll want a place to hide your valuables and one of the most reliable spots is a good old SAFE.
This article introduces several types of safes that are useful in an apartment setting and their function in protecting two important elements of every preparedness plan:
1) Protecting Cash and Documents.
2) Protecting Firearms.
When it’s about protecting gold within your own home high security safes are recommended but here we will focus on budget oriented solutions.
Closet Gun Safe
If I had to choose only one safe to have in apartment setting I would probably go with a closet gun safe. Why? It covers everything. If I want to protect my long guns and hand guns, there is room for both. If I want to lock my cash away, there is room for them too. If I want to protect important, they would also fit inside. The question is what your budget allows. There are options in the market that range from the $200.00 up to the $1500 range. The downside of a Closet Gun Safe is speed of accessibility in case a hand gun is needed quickly. That’s why if possible it needs to be used in conjunction with a smaller vault somewhere else in the house for versatility.
Handgun Safes
There are many hand gun safe brands out there nowadays to choose from. When it’s about quick accessibility and release there are two options that I consider the best out there in the market right now, one is the GunVault SVB-500 (or the SV-500) which is great for concealment too, the other one, fairly new, is a Gun-Stand from Sooner Gun Safety which is practical to the extreme. There are handgun safes that have enough space to store additional items like cash or documents; it’s not what I would recommend as a long term solution, but better than nothing if restricted in budget. The prices here range from $35.00 to $300.00.
Under the Bed Gun Safes
The under bed has always been considered a good place to hide stuff, right? Well, there are actually options out there to make that happen with a real degree of safety, and not overly expensive. The most popular under bed gun safe right now is the DV-652 from AMSEC ($650-$750). The focus is on long gun storage but once the rifle is inside there is room for more. It has a back-light electronic lock and it’s made of 14 gauge steel. It’s an effective measure for home invasion readiness but I would use it in conjunction with other vaults to cover every aspect. To be fair there is an option out there called a Bed Bunker consisting of a complete metal compartment under the bed but it’s an expensive proposition.
Wall Safes
A wall safe is an excellent choice if you are willing to go through the installation process which implies opening the necessary hole in the wall to place the safe. It’s great for concealment and there are wall safes with a very decent burglary rating and varied sizes, it’ll all depend on the availability in your apartment. Where are you placing it? How are you concealing it? They are not expensive but what can be pricey is the installation, if you are up for the task there are several how-to videos in YouTube that can guide you effectively and you can always ask for local locksmith advice.
Floor Safes
The Floor Safe, the sibling of the wall safe, it’s out of the question for most apartments but, apart from high security safes, they are perhaps the safest place to keep cash, gold, jewelry and documents if you don’t mind the installation hassle and the impractical access. I would definitely consider it for cash or gold storage.
The Ideal Setting
The route I would personally choose in an apartment setting is to combine a Closet Gun Safe to place my rifles, along with cash and everything else, in conjunction with one or two hand guns placed in quick release vaults (concealed in strategic places). Regardless of your own choice, the most important part of all of this is for you to take action and do it; small budget or big budget, there is something out there for everyone.
Moises Szarf is the Online Marketing Manager for ASAP Lock & Safe a South Florida based company serving the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas, and Liberty Safes USA one of the most important Liberty Gun Safe dealers in the country.
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