When SHTF, secure your firearms in these 20 clever hiding places

Responsible gun owners secure their firearms to avoid accidents and prevent unauthorized access. Before SHTF, hide your firearms in a gun safe or in unusual areas around your home. (h/t to TheSurvivalistBlog.net)

Considerations before hiding guns in your home

When deciding on a hiding spot for your firearm, you need to make sure that children won’t find them and looters can’t easily steal them. Choose a secure location that only you or a trusted family member can access when SHTF.

There are some caveats to keeping your gun in a well-hidden and hard-to-reach location. For one, if you’re in a hurry, it may take too long before you can use your weapon.

Find a balance between access and security. Make sure that the location isn’t damp or wet to avoid damaging your firearm.

Once you decide on several locations for hiding a firearms cache, take note of these areas. When SHTF, the last thing you need is forgetting where you hid your stash and running around your home trying to find it.

If your family has small children, make sure they can’t access your firearms, gun safe, or hiding places. If the kids are old enough, train them in basic gun safety and highlight the importance of responsible gun use.

If you can’t afford a gun safe, try these 20 hiding places:

1. Decoy gun – Leave a decoy gun in common hiding spots. You can use old guns, but make sure to deactivate or sabotage the decoy gun.
2. Custom compartment – Design a custom compartment concealed in a wall or the floor. It is best to create a seamless secret compartment to hide the gun from everyone else. If you have an old photocopy machine in your home office, remove the innards and store your weapon and ammo inside, then replace the glass.
3. Behind curtains or drapes – Secure a holster or hanger that can support the weight of your gun to the wall behind thick drapes. Leave the curtains or drapes undisturbed to keep the weapon out of sight.
4. Picture frame – Get a thick picture frame then secure a small handgun on the other side of the photo mounting board. Place the picture frame right on your nightstand.
5. Small boxes – You can use an old shoe box to hide your gun in.
6. Inside furniture – Don’t leave your weapon right under the sofa cushion. Create a small cubbyhole underneath the sofa or store your gun in a false bottom beneath a footstool. (Related: Prepping on a budget: Tips and tricks for preppers with limited storage space.)
7. Under a sink – Make a hook using a coat hanger and “hang a handgun” under the bathroom sink. Your weapon will be hidden, unless someone sticks their head under the washstand.
8. Book safe – Make a DIY book safe or buy one big enough to hide your handgun in.
9. Inside a vase or trophy – If your gun is small enough, you can hide it inside or under a large vase or trophy.
10. In your fridge, freezer, or pantry – Hide a gun in an empty or partially full box or food container. If the gun is hidden in your fridge or freezer, make sure to check it regularly.
11. In a stack of clean towels – You can easily hide a gun in a pile of linens or towels.
12. In a closet – Hide your gun in the pocket of a sturdy coat or pair of pants suspended from a hanger or piece of wire. Don’t just carelessly drop the gun in a random pocket or the garment will hang lopsidedly, hinting at something hidden inside.
13. Laundry basket – Looters may not think of searching for a weapon inside a basket of dirty clothes.
14. In the attic – Hide a gun in your attic by leaving it inside a box of other items.
15. Inside a light fixture – Hide a gun behind a real or false panel or receptacle, but be careful when securing a cache near live electrical components.
16. Inside a vent – Hang a gun on a piece of cord inside a vertical shaft. Another option is to push a firearm further inside a horizontal shaft, but stick a piece of string to the “ceiling” of the horizontal shaft for easier retrieval.
17. Inside a clean paint can – Keep a gun hidden in a clean paint can in your garage. Just don’t forget which can has actual paint and which one is hiding your weapon.
18. Near trash – Conceal a firearm in a bag of “trash” that contains crumpled newspaper.
19. Behind upholstery – This hiding spot requires a bit of creativity. Use some glue, thread, or Velcro to make a secret flap where fabrics join on a piece of furniture or seat in your car. Attach a holster inside to hold your gun.
20. Behind a false wall – A false wall in a closet or end of a hallway that can be removed or swings away is a great place to hide a weapon.

Be creative when selecting a hiding spot for your firearms to deter thieves. When SHTF, head straight for your cache so you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

Sources include:

TheSurvivalistBlog.net

SkilledSurvival.com