Tom Ginevra, creator of GunSafe Guru, speaks about the growing need for gun safety in the USA and his reasons creating his website. Tom’s website is a buying guide for a variety of gun safes that range from small guns to gun safe dehumidifiers. His website also includes guides for those pursuing better gun protection.
Tom answered some questions about his website.
As a gun enthusiast, what prompted you to focus on gun safety and create GunSafe Guru?
The first thing to say is that I believe in responsible gun ownership. In the USA we are lucky to be able to own and shoot guns, and we need to protect that right. The last thing you want is for your guns and ammo to get into the wrong hands. By that I mean anyone breaking into your home or wherever you keep your guns. Also, I’ve seen some pretty poor gun safes in my time.
Some of them I wouldn’t trust to guard anything! That prompted me to do some research, and I found that there are some brilliant safes on the market. Really up to date in terms of security and technology, real top stuff. So I figured I’d use my knowledge to help promote safe and secure gun ownership. It’s going pretty well!
Why do you believe is the biggest safety benefit of guns safes?
To focus on one aspect of safety benefits of a gun safe would be to tell half the story. There are many reasons why you need a good, strong and secure gun safe. Many people are still using gun cabinets that have been in the family for decades. These are not secure, and might not be up to the standard required.
You need safe that uses the most modern locking systems. I like the biometric safes that you open with a fingerprint, as they tend to be the most secure. You need one that can be hidden away. The benefits of a gun safe also include keeping your guns away from the kids, keeping them safe in a fire and making sure you know where they are and can get to them easily if you need them.
People keep guns for protection as well as sport, so this is very important. The biggest safety benefit is perhaps that if your property does get broken into, your guns remain in the safe.
In your opinion – what’s the most important feature a gun safe needs to have?
Once again, there are several, so I’ll start with how you open it. You can get safes with key locks, with combination locks, and with both. These are great and have worked well for many years. Now, you can get the ones I mentioned before, the biometric ones.
These are, for me at least, the best, as they can only be opened with your fingerprint, or others that it recognises. You also need to look at the thickness of the walls.
Safes are rated on the thickness of the steel on the door and the walls. The best are ‘B rated’. These use ½” sheet on the outer of the door, and ¼” sheet on the wall. You don’t want anything less than 7 gauge steel anywhere, so build your budget and buy the best.
You need a good fire rating – at least 30 minutes – and you need to make sure door seals and hinges are top quality. As I said just before, have a look around, see what’s recommended, and buy the best you can afford.
Why is dehumidifying a gun safe important?
Your gun safe is there to keep your guns and ammo safe. You can also use it to store other valuable items away. Your guns are metal, and they are probably very precious to you. Moisture in a gun safe is not what you want at all. But it can sometimes occur thanks to a variety of reasons. Lack of airflow to the safe is one of the main reasons.
So, if you leave your guns locked away for a long time, you need to invest in a dehumidifier for your gun safe, as guns subjected to moisture can easily be damaged beyond repair. Dehumidifiers are not expensive and are easy to fit and use.
If you open and close your safe often you might not need one. If you want to be on the safe side, check them out and buy one just to be sure – it’s better to be safe than sorry!
What new trends or innovations do you see happening in gun safes?
I can’t predict the future, but the way I’ve seen gun safes go in recent ways, the trend is likely to be towards more secure locking and safety systems. We’ve already seen the fingerprint biometric locks.
These are great for when you only want yourself or perhaps authorised persons to have access to the guns and ammo. Perhaps there will be advances in this area, maybe scanning your eyes like they do in some high security buildings? I would also hope that there are big advances in gun safes for vehicles. A
t the moment these are fairly secure, but not as much as those in the home. With research into new materials and techniques going on all the time, who knows what will come next?
What kind of gun safe would get a 5/5 rating from you? What would make the ‘perfect’ gun safe?
The perfect gun safe for me is one that does the job of protecting the guns against unauthorised users as best it can. It will also be one that the gun owner is happy with. It would have a biometric locking system but also a key or keypad with it. It will be made from the very strongest steel – that ½” and ¼” sheet we mentioned.
It would also have a 1-hour fire rating, and be equipped with the best quality hinges and protection. But, and it’s a big one, I know that not everybody can afford this. It may be the 5/5 gun safe for me, but for someone on a budget it might not be possible. So, I say what I said before, get yourself a decent budget together, and buy the very best gun safe you can afford.
Look around check reviews on our site and look at others too. Ask if you’re not sure. Get in touch, tell me your budget and what you are putting in your safe, and I’ll be happy to help you find the right model and type.
How would you recommend someone get started with your buying guide so that they make the right choice?
Start at the beginning! If you’re new to gun ownership, read everything you can on our website, and at other authority sites, about gun safes. Learn all you can. Take in all the details about the different features on various safes, and understand what you need for your guns and location. Talk to people – I’m here to help and so are many others – and get advice. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know enough about safes.
We were all at that stage once! Read our buying guides, too, as they are full of info on what you need for every type of gun safe. Most of all, take your time to make the right decision.
You want your guns to remain safe, secure and ready to use when you want or need them, and you want the least chance possible of someone who shouldn’t have them getting a hold of them.
Thanks to Tom Ginevra of GunSafeGuru.com for answering these questions.