police/military gun storage

[mr_dove]

I was just looking at gun storage options and became curious about what they use for gun storage and ammunition storage in police and military armories and in evidence lockers.

Pictures would be cool.

I understand that armories and evidence rooms are very secure and typically hardened rooms but I'm still curious, and not because they are super-secure.

 

[Jeff White]

The army has purpose built racks for most of their weapons. They even have a cabinet type made out of heavy steel mesh for odd sized and shaped weapons like M2 .50 caliber machine guns and MK19 automatic grenade launchers. The racks are locked shut with hardened padlocks. There are regulations that specify what type of steel is used in the racks and other containers.

At the dept. I work for we have a large closet with racks and a cabinet built into it.

HTH
Jeff

 

[RRTX]

I saw some of the weapons racks we used in the army for sale on some government auction site not long ago, they were pretty cheap if I remember right. I will try and find the site again. I wouldn't mind having a couple of the padlocks we used to lock the arms rooms but at these prices I'll pass http://www.uscav.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=6639&tabID=

 

[Jeff White]

Coleman Surplus in Pa. used to have the M16 racks. They were getting about $40.00 plus shipping IIRC. Pretty handy if you have 8 or more ARs. They hold 10 but I don't think they would adapt to any other rifle.

Jeff

 

[Hugo]

Now that's a padlock! But $1047 is nearly enough for a safe! Plus it's not that hard to pick a padlock apparently. Of course that one might be the toughest ever made. Looks pretty cool.

 

[Preacherman]

At the Federal penitentiary (max-security) where I work, the armory is a secure room, with a double-door entrance, each with security locks and interlock (both can't be open at the same time). Inside, arms are stored on double racks (floor and half-way up the walls), vertically. Pyrotechnics, gas and explosive munitions are stored inside secure cupboards, vented to allow gases to escape in the event of explosion or fire.

 

[Sunray]

The CF uses an alarmed walk in vault. Everything goes in it and the weapons are further locked onto the racks. It takes a secret security clearance and two guys to get in.

 

[Langenator]

Also note that with Army weapon racks, the weapons are locked in the rack, and the rack is chained to the wall/floor, wherever they sunk the eyebolt into concrete. The arms room has an alarm, with both door-open and motion sensors. And the arms room has double doors, the inner one actually being a door, and the outer one steel bars with a monster padlock (type specified by regulation.)

 

[DMF]

Most offices for my agency have a safe inside a locked room. The room has a heavy steel door with either a key or combo lock, usually both. The smallest usable safe is 500 pounds empty, and bolted either to the wall or the floor. That room is an interior room of the office, so there are at least two other locked steel doors that you need to get through to get in there. Very secure.

 

[ID_shooting]

Langenator has it correct.

I will add that my arms room (Army) had a voice activated/deactivated alarm that would alert the MPs, me, and BN HQ if it went off. It was LOUD too, (I had a cold and it wouldnt recognize me one day and went off), steel plated walls and celing and a 24hr guard.

My m16s were kept in racks as defined further down only mine would hold m16s with 203s mounted as well, my m2s and m60s had special racks built for them. I am not sure where they came from as they were there allready when I signed for the arms room but they looked hand built. My side arms, POWs, NVGs, and PRCs were kept in reinforced steel lockers that were welded to the walls. Spare mags went into foot lockers under my work bench.

I kept no ammo in the arms room. we had an ASP for that.

 

[Gabby Hayes]

Ah yes, the old Sgt & Greenleaf padlock! Nearly indestructible. Back in the early 1970s at Fort Bliss in El Paso, my unit had a number of arms rooms that the post engineers had custom-built out of armor plate. The steel plate doors had three shackles, each with one of those four-pound Greenleaf locks. Before we could use them, CID or someone had to inspect them. An old sergeant came along with the inspection team. He took one look at the locks, reached into a canvas bag he'd brought along, pulled out a medium sized sledge hammer, and with one lazy swing, neatly removed the lock -- shackle and all -- from the door. The lock was still tightly latched, mind you, but it was now lying harmlessly on the floor. Cost the Army quite a bit to re-do those doors ...

 

[Battlespace]

A couple of notes: All arms rooms in the Army are protected by JSIDS or have to have a 24 hr guard posted. JSIDS is an acronym for Joint Services Imagery Digitizing System a formof super ADT. The system is movement based, has a "panic button" in most installations and goes straight to the local MP station. The doors are locked with a minimum of two high security locks. Each weapons rack is also locked with at least one high security lock. The locks might not stop a thief, but will slow them down enough for the MPs or local LEO (in the case of National Guard/Reserve armories) to show up. There are many local directives based on local policy, the ones listed here are just the basics.

Now for a little story: A ammunition storage depot in Germany in the early 1980's. The basic load storage bunker for the MP security company is locked with two of the Green Leaf locks. It is found unlocked by a roving patrol. The hasp for the door is made of two pieces of steel, one welded to the door and the other to the frame. The hasp has two pieces of tungsten running through it. How did the thief break in? Sawed to the tungsten, hit the hasp with a BFH and the tungsten shatters and the rest of the hasp is sawed through. They only saw though the side fastened to the door so the lock stays in place as the door is swung open. The door appears locked when closed, but if someone tries to open it, surprise it swings right open. What was taken? One M72 LAW and a case of CS (tear gas) gernades. The personnel at the depot were locked down for three days, that is how long it took for the MP's who did it to come forward and confess. The ring leader said they wanted to make a point. The Army made a point by sending them to Ft Leavenworth for a LONG time.

 

[tcsd1236]

TCSD stores its weapons basically in a room with a steel door; nothing too fancy. Long guns along two walls and cubbyholes along the third for handguns. Ammunition gets stored on the Corrections side of the house behind locked doors...basically because thats the only area for storage that was available. They REALLY underbuilt the building for agency needs back in the 1980s, and the public doesn't want to cover the cost of adding on.
My part time agency stores all of its spare weapons in a very low end run-of-the-mill safe that probably is of lower quality than what most of you have in your homes...but its a dollar- poor village agency. The only redeeming grace security-wise is that the safe is located in the old prisoner holding cell area, so it can be locked behind bars if the need arises.
My Guard unit stores its weapons as described. No ammo storage on site, as per policy.