Gun Safes vs. Gun Cabinets
Both gun safes and gun cabinets can be used to lock up firearms and ammo.
Gun Safes
Safes can be extremely durable and essentially burglar-proof. Many also include fire resistance, so they can protect guns, bullion, and documents in the event of a house fire. Safes can be opened with combinations locks, biometrics (fingerprints), or electronic locks. There are a lot of features you can look into, and you can get the complete package when it comes to protecting your firearms from burglars and protecting your children from firearms.
Gun Cabinets
Gun cabinets tend to be quite a bit less sophisticated. Think of the lockers you had in high school, and you’ll get a good idea of what a gun cabinet is like. Some also have glass fronts, so guns may be displayed. This was popular in the past, but today more people are learning toward safes for true security. However, gun cabinets tend to be quite a bit cheaper than gun safes.
So, which is right for you?
Whether you need a gun cabinet or a gun safe depends on your primary reason for buying storage. If all you’re looking to do is protect your children and make sure they can’t get access to your firearms, then a gun cabinet may be all you need.
If your firearms are valuable—or you hate the idea of a burglar getting their hands on them—then a gun safe is a better choice.
There may be other limitations though. Gun safes are usually quite heavy (part of the protection is that burglars probably won’t be able to get them out of the house unnoticed!) and ideally they are bolted to the floor. If you are renting a house or apartment, you may not be able to get permission to bolt a safe to the floor, and in multi-level units, it may be too difficult to port a heavy gun safe up several levels of confined stairs in order to get it to your unit.
At the end of the day, a gun safe is a better security option, but a cabinet may be better suited for you at this time.