If you have guns in your home for hunting, protection or recreational shooting, you need to have somewhere to keep them. Many people love to display their guns in a beautiful gun cabinet, with a wood finish and glass doors so everyone can see them. Others choose to keep their guns in a gun safe- a locked, metal cabinet that securely stores the guns, but doesn’t display them for view. Which one is the best choice for you?

More and more people are choosing gun safes over display cabinets. A gun safe will prevent your guns from being taken out without your knowledge- which could thwart a burglar or more importantly, save a life. If you have children in your home, it’s a no-brainer- you need a gun safe to keep these weapons from being discharged accidentally or by the wrong people.

Some high quality gun safes have the security of a locked metal cabinet, with the look of wood and glass for display. These safes use a thick, tempered glass and a wood veneer, so they serve as furniture while keeping your firearms secure. You can find gun safes that resemble cedar chests or others that look just like a armoire, so you can keep your guns hidden while having a lovely piece of furniture to display.

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If you are looking into purchasing a security safe for your home you might be surprised at the options available. There are a variety of security safes ranging from ones that can be built into your home to freestanding. Before beginning your safe shopping excursion you should first consider what you plan to put in your safe. Are you looking to store documents, jewelry, cash, electronics or other items? Knowing what you will be storing in your safe will make your purchasing decision an easier one.

Safes are used for primarily two reasons. The first, to protect your items from theft and the second to protect your items from fire. You can get safes that offer protection from one or the other or both. You will need to decide, before shopping which type will suit your needs.

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With the economic downturn we are seeing the rise in home burglary.  According to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, an American home is broken into about every 15 seconds and a homeowner loses an average of nearly $2,000 in possessions and damages

It is said that every home is a potential target.  With that in mind ADT has listed several tips to prevent your home from becoming burglarized:

• Make sure all hedges and shrubs are trimmed and not covering windows. Overgrown bushes and trees close to your house can be good hiding places and also are an indication that you may be away from home. However, thorny bushes beneath windows can be a deterrent.
• Keep areas in and around the home well lit. A dark property is more attractive to burglars - most will choose not to enter a house that is well lit. Consider installing motion sensor lights outdoors and putting indoor lights on a timer. Also, install lights on other outdoor buildings, such as sheds or garages.
• Always lock all windows and doors when you leave home. According to the Burglary Prevention Council, most home burglaries occur during the day, when people are away at work or school. Practice and remind your family to always close and lock all doors and windows when leaving the house unattended.
• Never hide keys around the exterior of your home. Thieves look in mailboxes, under doormats and above doorways for keys. Do not make it easy for them to get into your home. If you will be out of town on vacation, leave emergency house keys with a trusted neighbor or consider a lock box if you must leave keys outside.
• Never put your name on your mailbox or record your name on your answering machine. Thieves look for any information they can find to gain easier access. Only put the house number on your mailbox and door and say you are “unavailable to answer the phone” on the answering machine without stating your name. By turning down your phone ringer, thieves will not hear calls go unanswered - a sign no one is home.
• Consider a monitored burglar alarm system. A recent Rutgers University study found that alarm systems are an effective deterrent, making a home less attractive to intruders. Make sure your burglar alarm system includes a loud inside alarm, detectors at all exterior doors and motion sensors in bedrooms and main living areas. Most insurance companies also offer a discount of up to 20 percent on homeowner’s policies when you install a monitored alarm.

“Right now we have the summer burglary season colliding with more desperate economic times. That makes it even more important than ever for homeowners to take steps to protect their most precious possessions - family and home.”

“As children spend more time at home during summer break, parents should ask themselves if they are doing everything they can to keep kids safe at home,” said Anne-Marie Rouse, with ADT Security Services. “It’s easy to get into vacation mode and forget about home dangers that put kids at risk.”

Source: The Expositor

Despite climbing unemployment and a struggling economy, there is one industry doing quite well during these troubled times.

“It’s a proven fact that burglaries go on the rise when the economy starts to go down,” said Darren McCallum, a security consultant with Security One Alarm.

While that may be true, it’s not a trend that London police are seeing locally.

“We have not seen a dramatic spike in break and enter statistics recently,” said Const. Amy Phillipo. “We have seen a slight increase so far this year, compared to last year.”

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(source: Denver Post)

Sales of home security safes have multiplied as homeowners worry about an increase in crime tied to the economic downturn and as confidence in banks and financial institutions wavers.

Several Denver security companies are reporting that sales of home security safes have doubled since the recession deepened last fall.

“With the economy not doing as well, people are scared of theft and are concerned about their house getting broken into,” said Jennifer Wickhorst, an administrator with Englewood Lock and Safe. “Women want to lock up their jewelry, and people are using security safes for passports, checks and anything with personal information on it.”

Paul Rossman with the Arapahoe County Security Center said security businesses

“Anytime there’s an economy problem, crime rates go up and our business goes up. When things are bad, things are good with us,” Rossman said. “We’re really selling a lot of safes, and we have a hard time getting them in here. There’s a lot of demand and very little supply.”

The increase is mostly due to safes being purchased for homes, said Lenny Guida, who owns Master Security Center in Denver, which has doubled its safe sales in recent months.

“Usually, residential households mainly purchase gun safes, but now it’s home security safes,” Guida said. “The security safes they’re buying are typically lower end. People aren’t spending a ton, maybe $200 to $250 and up to about $400.”

Although customers are typically tight-lipped about why they need a safe, Rossman said, sales are frequently driven by low confidence in banks and safe deposit boxes.

That was the case for a Castle Rock woman, who declined to be named, who with her husband bought a $350 safe in November from Amazon.com.

Though the couple realize a major bank failure is unlikely, they’ve decided to secure a week’s worth of cash in the event of a disaster, she said.

“We initially thought about purchasing a safe to keep our birth certificates and passports somewhere safe and fireproof, but then we started to get more serious about it as we watched the economy,” she said. “Some of these big banks started to fail, and it became a reality for the first time in my life that I might not be able to get cash out of the ATM.

“It keeps you prepared for the unforeseeable, which has become a lot more foreseeable.”

(Source: Yuma Sun)

On occasion when emergency responders receive a 911 call and arrive at the residence, the person who made that call may be physically unable to answer the door, which may be locked. 

  In that case, responders must break a door or window to gain access, causing property damage that will only amount to an added expense for the person who made the call. But thanks to a new federal grant, a pilot program installing Knox boxes on certain homes may be changing all that in the near future in the Yuma area.

  “This program will allow us quick access to homes that have ‘at risk’ clients in them,” said Jill Harrison, director of the Western Arizona Council of Governments. “Because we provide various in-home services such as in-home meals to the elderly that are living alone, we have already identified those people who may be most in need of this service.”

  The Knox Box is make by the Knox Co. in Phoenix.

  Harrison stressed that none of the Knox boxes has been installed, but they soon will be ordered and then installed by local fire departments, free of charge to the client.

   “A Knox Box is a small simple lockbox that either attaches to the home or to the door,” she said, “much the same as real estate companies use. A key to the home can be left inside and only the local fire department has a key that will fit the lockboxes in their area. It is very safe and secure.”

  Currently, the Area Agency on Aging, a division of WACOG, is cooperating with six local fire districts in coordinating the ordering and installation process. Those six fire districts are the Kingman Fire Department, Bullhead City Fire Department, Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire Department, Quartzsite Fire Department, Yuma Fire Department and Yuma Rural/Metro Fire Department.

  Each department will receive 50 of the Knox Boxes to be loaned to senior citizens to increase their security.

  “One of the things we like best about this program is that we can use the same lockboxes over and over in different locations,” said Harrison. “So if someone moves, we can use that lockbox at another location.”

  According to Harrison, funding came from the Older Americans Act and the National Caregiver Support Program.

  “We’re referring to this as a pilot program, but we also recognize that we might only get funded for this program one time, so we’re trying to use the money as efficiently as possible. The Knox lockboxes cost between $150 to $160 each, depending upon whether it is the type that must be mounted on the house or simply attached to the door.”

  Harrison said there are other benefits to the program as well as the increased security for senior citizens living alone.

  “We’re building a really effective series of partnerships through this program and that can carry over into other areas in the future that we can’t even see today.”

House alarm systems are available for a reason. If you have one, you are far less likely to be broken into and have all your valuables stolen.

The best house alarm systems work in a number of ways to protect your home. Some will be monitored by a company that can call the emergency services for you if necessary. Others will use heat detectors and other ways of identifying unwanted intruders when the alarm is set.

In short, house alarm systems can greatly reduce your chances of falling victim to a robbery of any kind. So make sure you are doing all you can to keep your home safe.

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