Places You Should Never Hide a Gun in Your House

Source: https://www.askaprepper.com/

When living in a dangerous place, owning and knowing how to operate firearms are paramount. Anyone who has ever stared down the barrel of a gun while being unarmed will know this very well.

This brings me to the next point: when circumstances call for an armed reaction, you must be able to access your firearms quickly. Imagine running into your house to get a gun, only to be caught by intruders while fumbling with the keys to your safe. In this case, you will be facing the genuine possibility of being robbed or shot with one of your firearms.

 

Hiding firearms in your house makes sense from the point of view that you can have fast access. But imagine the letdown if you ran for a gun only to realize that someone beat you to it. Or, getting home from a visit, realizing that you are not alone in your home, and when reaching under a pillow for your gun, you realize that whoever is in your house is now hunting you with your own firearm.

In this article, we will look at various rooms in a house and places in those rooms where you should never hide a gun. This is broadly based on police reports that indicate where in houses criminals look when ransacking a place.

These are “known secret hiding places.”Places that you and I may think are safe, but every criminal knows to look when searching for valuables.

Master Bedroom

Under the Mattress: Not only have I “hidden” my laptop under the mattress, but I have also hidden cash there. As we speak, I know I have a spare iPhone hidden there.

While researching this article, I realized its stupidity. For almost every database you query, the “under the mattress in the master bedroom” turns up first.

Related: 6 Signs Your Neighbor Will Become a Looter as Soon as SHTF

Inside Nightstand Drawers: Though not really a hiding place, we often place firearms within reach when we are asleep and then want to store them safely during the day. So we tend to want to put them in our nightstands.

But, what about way at the back of the drawer? This is still a bad idea, even at the back, underneath the torch, and behind whatever else you have in your nightstand.

I sleep with an old-school metal Baretta under my pillow at night and have a daytime hiding spot for that gun that involves magnets taped to a flat surface. I tried it with my Glock, but as you know, Glocks are poorly attracted to magnets.

Living Room or Common Areas

Behind Picture Frames: I used to tape spare keys to my safe behind my picture frames. This seemed like a good idea, again, until I did the research for this article.

Every idea I had that I thought was pretty original was thought of a million times before. Maybe just tape a note behind your picture frame warning criminals that they will soon regret breaking into your house.

Inside Couch Cushions: I have never hidden anything inside a sofa. Partly because I hardly ever sit on a sofa, so for me, it’s just a place where children sit and the pets sleep. However, the oversized cushions of sofas can easily seem ideal hiding places for valuables and guns.

However, police reports indicate that these are some of the primary places criminals look, even cutting the back or base open and taking cushions from their covers to inspect.

Kitchen

In Kitchen Cabinets or Drawers:

Why would burglars want to steal kitchen knives and teaspoons? I bet they wouldn’t, right?

They are coming for valuable items like laptops and expensive watches, or so the reasoning goes.

But when intruders look through kitchen drawers, they are not interested in stealing forks. They are looking for the valuables you hid in there. Don’t do it.

Inside Food Containers or Pantry Items: One would think that hiding your gun inside a big bag of breakfast cereal or rice would be a good idea. Apparently not.

Related: 10 Things That Will Be Extremely Valuable After an EMP

Criminals know that food containers and pantry items may contain hidden valuables, so this is also one of their go-to places.

Home Office or Study

Inside Desk Drawers: Drawers are one of the primary places burglars look, particularly in a home study or office. Since family and friends rarely enter our home office or study, we may think that it’s a pretty safe and secluded place. Not only should you never hide guns in drawers, but particularly not in the drawer of your study.

Behind Books or Bookshelves: I have occasionally hollowed out books to hide keys or gate remotes. I have never tried to hide a gun inside a book, but I can see the appeal. The last thing a criminal would want to steal is a copy of Stephen King’s novel. I mean, do criminals even read?

When tossing books on the floor, they are not searching for titles they have yet to read but are looking for valuables, also searching behind books. Bookcases are not ideal hiding places for anything. Except maybe knowledge, given how few people still read nowadays.

Basements, Attics, and Garages

Inside Unlocked Cabinets or Toolboxes:

Hiding things from the family inside toolboxes makes a lot of sense.

I mean, it’s not like your teenage son will stumble across your Glock when he, out of his own accord, fetches the toolbox to fix the garden irrigation.

Even if you ask or beg, chances are the toolbox will remain unopened.

But burglars know otherwise. There is also the chance that the burglar may need some tools to fix his own garden irrigation.

Behind or Inside Stored Items: You know those Christmas decorations that lie on that dusty shelf in the attic and are only used once a year. I bet that would be a great place to hide a gun. Right?

Also, attics are good places to hide from home invaders, as the odds are that you will get there first. They, when entering, have only one way of getting in, which makes a headshot highly likely. The issue is when you are not home, attics and basements make ideal hiding places, and criminals know this.

Firearm owners face the dilemma of safeguarding their guns from criminals or even family members who might be considering self-harm. There is even the issue that Granny may be getting fed up with the neighbor’s dog barking all day and, after a few late afternoon cocktails, may decide to settle the matter once and for all.

But all jokes aside, when you need a gun for self-defense, the odds are that you have a minimal amount of time to get to that gun.

A friend of mine’s father used to keep a rifle or two behind opened doors. He was old and slow and reckoned that he would either get to the gun first or not. But if the gun was in the safe, he would most assuredly not get to the firearms first. You must consider the odds, the pros and cons, and decide what your conscience can live with.

When it comes to safeguarding your firearms and other valuables, knowing where not to hide them is crucial. With criminals often targeting the most obvious spots, it’s essential to be more strategic in your approach. But while securing your home is vital, it’s also important to be prepared for more extensive emergencies.

If you’re looking to transform your home into a self-sufficient fortress, this guide offers comprehensive strategies for doing just that. Not only will it show you how to stockpile food and secure your home, but it will also guide you on what to do immediately once a crisis begins to drastically cut down the chances your house will ever become a target for looters, rioters, or unwelcome government officials.

This guide is designed to help you prepare effectively for long-term emergencies without ever having to leave your home. For more details and to see how this guide can enhance your preparedness, consider exploring what it has to offer.