This IMO is the biggest issue and it's not limited to people working in/on your home. Friends, relatives and even (and especially) children (yours or someone elses) are very likely to to talk about things they see.
Strangers In Our House - Occasionally
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theotherwaldo
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I keep a number of "guns" and other "weapons' visible on my walls. All are old movie props, decorator pieces and damaged but otherwise collectible toys. I point them out to folks that are working on my place and mention that they may look interesting but aren't worth much... .
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.308 Norma
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Already have one. His name is Ruger - really. He's a cocker/springer mix, and he barks at every little sound he doesn't recognize - which is good when we're home. But when we're not home, Ruger's not home. A good security system as suggested by NIGHTLORD40K sounds like a better deterrent (or at least an additional deterrent) to me.
I'm a Vietnam Vet, and I stay as active as I can on our property. I'm 71 (next week) though, so I'm not as active as I once was - probably most Vietnam Vets are at least as old as I am.
You must live in a different world than we do, Scooter22. I suspect we have more guns than some of our neighbors - less than some of our other neighbors. But if I was to call the Sheriff's Office and complain about one of our neighbors having too many guns, they'd probably send a Deputy or two out to my house to see if I was a danger to myself.
That's a good point, one I hadn't thought of. We don't have a regular "shooting range" - we usually shoot at the local county gravel pit. But someone could follow us home from there easy enough - it's only a couple of miles away, and we're often not the only people there.
One of the things I am careful about is when we are going shooting (or hunting) is carrying our guns and equipment back and forth to the truck from the house. We live out in the country, but our house is not so far off the road that people driving by can't see when we're carrying rifles or shotguns on our shoulders.
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MedWheeler
Member
Trunk Monkey writes:
Not sure what your point is as it relates to the thread. Both of my VV (one Army Airborne, one USMC) neighbors fired shots (I wasn't there to verify how many.) The Army Airborne also received three shots in return.
BTW, Pat Sajak is still alive as of this post.
Not sure what your point is as it relates to the thread. Both of my VV (one Army Airborne, one USMC) neighbors fired shots (I wasn't there to verify how many.) The Army Airborne also received three shots in return.
BTW, Pat Sajak is still alive as of this post.
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.308 Norma
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Yeah, I think about that too, Havok7416. We're not very open with casual friends about what guns we have. Heck, we're not even all that open about it with close friends, but our daughters (both grown and gone) know pretty much what we have, as do our grandsons - we don't have any granddaughters.
Our grandsons are all good kids, but they do have friends, and those friends have friends, and I'm sure word could get around. So maybe I am being just a little bit paranoid about people we don't know (contractors) being in our house. Maybe I should be a little more "tight-lipped" with our own family about what guns we have.
I used to be very open about my guns. Over time I have adopted a "no guns" policy, particularly at work. It used to be very hard not to jump into conversations, but anymore I just play dumb and ask stupid questions if my participation is expected.
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.308 Norma
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Our budget does allow for it, and we will be looking at security systems starting tomorrow morning...my overly energetic wife couldn't stand being retired, so she went back to work part time. If today wasn't one of her workdays, we would go to town and start looking at security systems this afternoon.
Ive installed some entry doorknobs, the keyed locking knobs like on your outside doors. I put them on any closets with important papers or things I didnt want to be public knowledge or to have to worry with people in working. You can buy security hinge screws so the pins cant be pulled to open the door when the pins are exposed, or use long hinge screws with the opposite side screw removed, and the head cut off with a half inch or so left sticking out on the screw shank. Made it less of a concern when doing work on the house and having various people in and out. One closet had double doors with no knob, I installed a barrel bolt in one side and a small gun cable lock through the handles. None of this would keep out a pro, but does keep out the curious or eliminate accidental discovery of whatever is there.
Scooter22
Member
"Besides stealing things in this " See something say something" world all you need is someone who doesn't like guns calling the local LEOs saying you have an arsenal."
You must live in a different world than we do, Scooter22. I suspect we have more guns than some of our neighbors - less than some of our other neighbors. But if I was to call the Sheriff's Office and complain about one of our neighbors having too many guns, they'd probably send a Deputy or two out to my house to see if I was a danger to myself.
I live in a city in New York State. That is a different world to gun owners. I honestly don't know how something like that would be handled. If someone like the cable guy called and reported seeing hundreds or thousands or rounds of ammo. Plus multiple gun safes. I just see how it's reported on the media when a guy has 6 or 8 guns and a 100 rounds of ammo.
You must live in a different world than we do, Scooter22. I suspect we have more guns than some of our neighbors - less than some of our other neighbors. But if I was to call the Sheriff's Office and complain about one of our neighbors having too many guns, they'd probably send a Deputy or two out to my house to see if I was a danger to myself.
I live in a city in New York State. That is a different world to gun owners. I honestly don't know how something like that would be handled. If someone like the cable guy called and reported seeing hundreds or thousands or rounds of ammo. Plus multiple gun safes. I just see how it's reported on the media when a guy has 6 or 8 guns and a 100 rounds of ammo.
possumbelly220
Member
I really like the box idea, but I don't think that I would of used beer boxes. That is like putting candy in front of a baby!!
CoalTrain49
Member
We had some work done inside our house last summer. A guy was in and out for about 3 weeks. A few times nobody was around for awhile but I was here about 90% of the time.
Guess what? I was looking for an RWS 36 pellet rifle/scope a few days ago and it's gone. I kept it in a closet in the basement out of sight and rarely look in there. Nobody else has been in the house while we aren't home and the doors are always locked when we're gone. All of my firearms are in a safe bolted to the floor except my carry. Been here 25 years and that was the first thing I've ever had stolen. We live at the end of a dead end road in the country.
I would say you're pretty much guaranteed that somebody will steal a firearm if they are given a chance. Lock everything up and be there when the work is being done. The guy doing that work stole that rifle. You can't trust anyone anymore. I learned my lesson.
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Where I am (a blue city in a red state with state preemption of most/all local gun laws), I wouldn't worry about LE knowing I have a bunch of guns. I do, however, worry that some of the parents of my daughter's friends might freak out and cause social drama nonsense. For that reason, as well as the generalized "don't advertise you've got easily-fenced valuable stuff" dynamic that is the main subject of this thread, I try not to have a ton of transparently-gun-related stuff just lying around the public spaces of my house.
I just have to live with the risk of a workman noticing my Dillon 650 or racks of powder when he goes to the basement, though.
I just have to live with the risk of a workman noticing my Dillon 650 or racks of powder when he goes to the basement, though.
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.308 Norma
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Dang it! I'm sorry to hear about that, CoalTrain49.
lightman
Member
We're in the middle of a major remodel and we have contractors in and out all day long. And yes, its a little bit of a concern. I have a dedicated room for my reloading and gun stuff and I have kept that door closed and locked. We have "leaked" the info that we have and use an alarm. The keypad and cameras are pretty visible. We keep our personal defense weapons out of their site along with any jewelry not being worn and any other valuables. Theres no hiding the gun books, game animals, shooting trophies, ect that are around the house. And that has been a concern. We have also "leaked" the info that the neighbors are pretty good at watching out for each other around here. We do have to depend on the deadbolts, the alarm and the safe.
I changed the door to my reloading room in the basement to a steel door. The frame around the door is not the cheap 1/2 inch stuff. I made a new frame for the new steel door that is heavier for it. The frame is then fasten to the studs and the door has a dead bolt lock on it that goes into the studs. No one goes in it unless they have good reason to.
theotherwaldo
Member
When it comes to my security,
This much is true,
I'll tell you what I have done,
But not what I do.
This much is true,
I'll tell you what I have done,
But not what I do.
Trunk Monkey
member
I think my point is pretty self explanatory and I'm not the one who introduced the concept of Vietnam Vet somehow being synonymous with "bad ass"
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
How do YOU know his neighbor is not a BA?
For all we know he spent his teens in a VC tunnel with a 1911 and a flashlight.......
If I were a potential thief, I would be incredibly stupid to discount the abilities of any vet out of hand. All things being equal they are more dangerous than the average civilian.
CoalTrain49
Member
Dang it! I'm sorry to hear about that, CoalTrain49.
Thanks. I was pretty bummed out about it but it was my own fault. I was just trusting the contractor and it was only one guy working for him. My own opinion about trades people is they aren't the most honest upstanding citizens in the community, especially day labor and hourly employees. Contractors have to maintain a certain credibility but people that work for them are sometimes pretty sketchy individuals. A lot of them are alcoholics and druggies. Contractors have a tough time finding people to work so they don't check references or records before they hire them. Be careful.
redneck2
Member
Years ago, one of our friends had seen my gun safe, so I mistakenly showed her what was inside. Few months later, she told us how she was bragging to other people at her work about the guns I had. Seemed innocent at the time, but I suddenly realized how stupid it was to share info.
I used to do the same kinds of things. I try to make sure those that know I have guns only see what I bring to the range (a handful at best) and that those who know where I live get kept in the dark as much as possible.
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FAS1
Member
My kids are grown and gone so unless we have visitors there aren't usually kids in the home anymore. What I did realize is that from time to time there are service people needed like cable guy, plumbers, maid service, etc., and I don't like having any guns just laying around and accessible to anyone in the home.
I keep all my guns in a safe and use a quick access safe for my home defense gun. It's bolted to my bed (the most likely place that I would need it) and I pocket carry a .380 always, even when at home. I still have a landline, through Google voice and this pic is from when my cable provider was installing a new jack in my bedroom. I pulled the covers back just for the pic.
Like mentioned earlier in the thread, the right circumstances might temp the best of us so I just eliminate the temptation.
I keep all my guns in a safe and use a quick access safe for my home defense gun. It's bolted to my bed (the most likely place that I would need it) and I pocket carry a .380 always, even when at home. I still have a landline, through Google voice and this pic is from when my cable provider was installing a new jack in my bedroom. I pulled the covers back just for the pic.
Like mentioned earlier in the thread, the right circumstances might temp the best of us so I just eliminate the temptation.
scaatylobo
Member
I am STRONGLY in favor of cameras and a security system.I didn’t want to distract from Good Ol’ Boy’s thread “Selling A House And Firearms,” but over the course of the past 5 or 6 years, I’ve had essentially the same concerns, and we are not even selling our house. What we have been doing is having a lot of renovations (new roof, windows, siding, and now a new front entryway) done on our 40 year old house. Each of those renovations include having relative strangers in our house…several times for each one.
Just yesterday, we had a couple of guys (salesmen) measuring our front entryway, taking pictures of it, then sitting at the kitchen table with us talking prices and showing us options. We’re going for it, so in a few days an engineer will show up and take some more “technical” (as the sales guys put it) measurements. Then along about the first of June, a small construction crew will show up, tear out our old entryway, and install a new one.
It went the same ways with our new roof, new windows, and new siding. First the salespeople were in our house, then the people who took the “technical” or “precise” measurements were in our house, and finally the construction crews were in our house.
So yeah, strangers wandering in and out of our house, seeing that we are guns and hunting enthusiasts, and maybe “casing” our house, kind of concerns me. And I don’t know what to do about it. We have a couple of gun safes that are pretty much out of sight, and the guns we have that are not in the safes, are not just strewn around for everyone to see. But like most people I think, we have pictures, posters, trophies, books and magazines around that demonstrate to anyone who is paying attention the kind of things we are into – guns and hunting.
I guess about the only “upsides” are that we have a noisy dog that gets nervous and barks when there are strangers around, and our good, “keep up with the Jones’s” neighbors, Bill and Vicky come over to see what’s going on whenever someone is working on our house – even when it’s just me.
That is how I handle that,and I warn all that they are on camera and recorded,AFTER they show me identification !.
Any who have an issue with any of that are free to leave,but they are already recorded on camera
FlSwampRat
Member
My 92 year old mother, who is about as ignorant of firearms as a newborn baby (crazy cause she was married to a cop, my father) doesn't own a gun. However, this talk of people in and out of a house reminded me that last year she fell and broke her hip and had someone she knows come over to her house while she was hospitalized in order to feed her cat. She lives almost 200 miles away, round trip, a bit much for me to do on a daily basis. Anyway, after she was out of rehab (gee, that doesn't sound too good) she found out the friend was a major snoop. Supposed to only go over once a day to feed Missy. Mom got home and first was told that her computer internet didn't work and other things that indicated this lady was doing much more than feeding the cat and going home. She told my Mom that she used to play with the cat for half an hour each time she stopped by, but I know Missy and she's not into playing. She'll accept a bit of petting and then she's over it. I realized that story was to cover her time spent snooping should any of the other neighbors mention it to my Mom.
If my mother did have guns I'm sure the lady would have the serial numbers written down and counted any ammo too.
You never can tell about folks.
If my mother did have guns I'm sure the lady would have the serial numbers written down and counted any ammo too.
You never can tell about folks.
BlueHeelerFl
Member
As others have stated the contractor might be a decent sort, but many of the day laborer types can be sketchy.
Plus you don't know who they will tell, even inadvently. Someone too talkative at a local dive bar could let the whole world know your business
Plus you don't know who they will tell, even inadvently. Someone too talkative at a local dive bar could let the whole world know your business
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