Safes promote all-around firearm security at home

SUNDAY GAZETTE-MAIL

Burglars used a shotgun to fire at the homeowners' safe in arecent Morgan County break-in.

The safe was hit multiple times with loads of fine shot. It wasseverely damaged and will have to be repaired. However, its contents(heirlooms and more than a dozen firearms) were safe."I'm glad all my best guns were inside the safe," said thehomeowner, who wishes to remain anonymous.Safes have become a primary purchase for gun owners across theUnited States. And for a number of good reasons.Homeowners can rest easier each time they leave home, knowingtheir guns are locked away - out of the hands of children.Gun safes also reduce the price of insurance coverage forfirearms, which can be very expensive. Most homeowners policiesprovide limited amounts of firearms coverage. Because guns are aprimary target of home invaders, insuring a $10,000 gun collectioncan cost $1,000 a year, or more.A safe that you might pay $900 to $1,500 for this year will payfor itself in insurance premiums the first year or two you own it.And it'll protect the old shotgun your great-grandfather owned -thatcouldn't be replaced at any cost if it were stolen.Safes protect a homeowner's valuables. And they protect childrenfrom the dangers of unguarded firearms in the home - probably theNo.1 reason for owning a safe if you're a gun-owning family today.A safe can also provide fire protection for your valuables. Andgun safes are generally heavy enough, and large enough, that mostcriminals aren't going to cart them off, particularly if your safeisbolted into the floor or wall.Remember the safecrackers from black-and-white movies produced inthe 1930s and 1940s? Law enforcement officials report thatsafecrackers of old are rare today.It's almost unheard of for a criminal to have enough skill to"crack" a safe."They peel safes today, if they can," reports Sgt. John Pottorffwith the Charleston Police Department."I haven't seen a safe peeled for ages, though. Safecracking iskind of a dying art among criminals. We don't see near the safe jobslike we did in the 1970s. Most of those people who had those skillsare old, or dead and gone. Thank God!"A safe protects the home from common criminal invaders, such asthe teen-ager trying to steal your television or videocassetterecorder."The average criminal today is out for something easy," saidPottorff.Few known cases exist of modern safes being cracked in WestVirginia, although there are stories - like the fellow who left townon vacation, only to return to find crooks had sawed around thefloorof his second-story safe, dropping it into his living room below.That safe was not recovered.Law enforcement officials still agree that every home with guns isa safer home if it has a safe.Where can gun safes be purchased?Local gun dealers such as Dunlap's Gun & Pawn in Hurricane sellthem, along with Angler's Roost at Mink Shoals. Most catalog mail-order companies have a setup for selling safes, too.However, because they are extremely heavy (from 500 pounds up to1,500 pounds on the average), consumers should make sure the companythey buy a safe from also provides home delivery - into the house,not just dropped on your doorstep.Having a half-dozen friends who are also football players doesn'thurt, either, when delivery time rolls around.Safes can be extremely dangerous to move, and experts recommendhaving plenty of help on hand when it comes time to move one.Pottorff said there is one additional benefit to having a qualitybrand-name safe."Most companies will repair or replace your safe if it's damagedin an attempted break-in or a house fire," he said.With small children in the home, gun safes should always be keptclosed and locked.Large safes can be every bit as dangerous as old refrigerators orautomobile trunks - in which small children can become trapped andsuffocate.

Safes promote all-around firearm security at home

SUNDAY GAZETTE-MAIL

Burglars used a shotgun to fire at the homeowners' safe in arecent Morgan County break-in.

The safe was hit multiple times with loads of fine shot. It wasseverely damaged and will have to be repaired. However, its contents(heirlooms and more than a dozen firearms) were safe."I'm glad all my best guns were inside the safe," said thehomeowner, who wishes to remain anonymous.Safes have become a primary purchase for gun owners across theUnited States. And for a number of good reasons.Homeowners can rest easier each time they leave home, knowingtheir guns are locked away - out of the hands of children.Gun safes also reduce the price of insurance coverage forfirearms, which can be very expensive. Most homeowners policiesprovide limited amounts of firearms coverage. Because guns are aprimary target of home invaders, insuring a $10,000 gun collectioncan cost $1,000 a year, or more.A safe that you might pay $900 to $1,500 for this year will payfor itself in insurance premiums the first year or two you own it.And it'll protect the old shotgun your great-grandfather owned -thatcouldn't be replaced at any cost if it were stolen.Safes protect a homeowner's valuables. And they protect childrenfrom the dangers of unguarded firearms in the home - probably theNo.1 reason for owning a safe if you're a gun-owning family today.A safe can also provide fire protection for your valuables. Andgun safes are generally heavy enough, and large enough, that mostcriminals aren't going to cart them off, particularly if your safeisbolted into the floor or wall.Remember the safecrackers from black-and-white movies produced inthe 1930s and 1940s? Law enforcement officials report thatsafecrackers of old are rare today.It's almost unheard of for a criminal to have enough skill to"crack" a safe."They peel safes today, if they can," reports Sgt. John Pottorffwith the Charleston Police Department."I haven't seen a safe peeled for ages, though. Safecracking iskind of a dying art among criminals. We don't see near the safe jobslike we did in the 1970s. Most of those people who had those skillsare old, or dead and gone. Thank God!"A safe protects the home from common criminal invaders, such asthe teen-ager trying to steal your television or videocassetterecorder."The average criminal today is out for something easy," saidPottorff.Few known cases exist of modern safes being cracked in WestVirginia, although there are stories - like the fellow who left townon vacation, only to return to find crooks had sawed around thefloorof his second-story safe, dropping it into his living room below.That safe was not recovered.Law enforcement officials still agree that every home with guns isa safer home if it has a safe.Where can gun safes be purchased?Local gun dealers such as Dunlap's Gun & Pawn in Hurricane sellthem, along with Angler's Roost at Mink Shoals. Most catalog mail-order companies have a setup for selling safes, too.However, because they are extremely heavy (from 500 pounds up to1,500 pounds on the average), consumers should make sure the companythey buy a safe from also provides home delivery - into the house,not just dropped on your doorstep.Having a half-dozen friends who are also football players doesn'thurt, either, when delivery time rolls around.Safes can be extremely dangerous to move, and experts recommendhaving plenty of help on hand when it comes time to move one.Pottorff said there is one additional benefit to having a qualitybrand-name safe."Most companies will repair or replace your safe if it's damagedin an attempted break-in or a house fire," he said.With small children in the home, gun safes should always be keptclosed and locked.Large safes can be every bit as dangerous as old refrigerators orautomobile trunks - in which small children can become trapped andsuffocate.