Gun safes are great to keep your guns out of the hands of those who need not touch them and they keep your guns safe as well. Gun rights advocates (like myself) have long argued that “guns don’t kill – people kill”. This is very true. Unfortunately, accidents have happened whereby the wrong hands have gotten hold of guns. It is my opinion that these highly unfortunate accidents are the fault of those who left the guns unlocked. If you leave your guns unlocked – where the wrong hands can touch them – you might as well be committing a crime yourself – maybe even murder.

Obviously, the primary reason for keeping your guns locked up is to keep them out of the hands of those who have no business touching them. However, there is another very important reason to lock up your guns. The strong political movement to chip away at our gun rights is as strong as ever. Preventing accidents with unlocked guns will help take away “ammunition” from political opportunist liberals who would like to see our precious gun rights completely abolished.

As with many other gun enthusiasts – I understand the need to quickly gain access to your guns in a life threatening emergency. I’ve thought about this many times under many different scenarios. I have two young children of my own and I would never keep a loaded gun in my house – not even in a locked safe (this is my choice) because of the potential dangers. However, I’ve also wondered how I would feel if my family were to be threatened by vicious criminals (happens every day) with me not being able to access my guns quick enough to protect them. It’s a horrible thought either way.

Nevertheless, I’ve come up with the best solution I can possibly find. Although I keep all my guns locked up in a gun safe – I have chosen to keep one single handgun in one of the new biometric gun safes. These gun safes are designed so you can program them to open only when you - or another responsible gun owner – place your finger over the fingerprint reader. That’s correct, all you need to do is place your finger in one spot on the gun safe – the safe door opens – allowing you quick access to your handgun. In this way, you can quickly have your handgun and ammunition available to protect you and your family from harm.

E Lawrence Welch