How to Build a Gun Vault in Your Basement

Aaron Spuler is a firearms enthusiast and recreational shooter. Follow more or his work at The Weapon Blog

Keeping your gun here and there inside the house is not safe. You might have children in your home, and they might get access to your gun. You have seen how the number of cases of school shootings has increased in the past few years. Most of it is due to the negligence of not keeping guns in a safe place. If you have a gun or rifle, you should keep it in a gun vault. In this article, you will learn how to build a gun vault in your basement.

How to build a gun vault in your basement

Your basement is the best place to store your guns. It is a place that is not used much, so your vault will be out of sight from any intruders. Also, a basement corner already has two walls. Sometimes, they have three walls, and you just need to build another wall and a door. Here are the steps you should follow in making a gun vault.

Planning

You should first estimate the space needed for storing your guns. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to store 12 vertical rifles on each row. If you want a horizontal display, then you should be able to store four rifles in each square yard. The vertical space in the vault is dependent on the vertical length of the rifles. You need to make a list of the tools and materials you need to build the vault. You can read gun related equipment reviews to get an idea about how to store your gun properly.

Make a wall

You should use interlocking cinder blocks to build the walls of the vault. You need to construct three walls. Use cement to reinforce the walls. Make sure that the walls are well-leveled.

Ventilation

You should make the roof out of concrete and allow some time for the concrete to dry. Then you should drill a hole through the vault’s roof for ventilation.

Door

You should purchase a premade gun vault door. These kinds of doors have very high standards. The locks are of high standard, and your door will be well protected. The vault doors are usually made of steel and are fire-protected. You can include a biometric scanner on the door so that other people can’t get access to the vault.

Build an enclosure

Inside the vault, you should build an enclosure for keeping your guns. You can construct it on one corner of the vault. You can use this enclosure to store sensitive weapons for extra protection.

Gun safety techniques

Building a gun vault is not enough for keeping guns safe. You should know the firearm safety rules to avoid an accident. Here are some tips you should remember.

• Keep the muzzle pointed in a direction so that if you accidentally press the trigger, no one will get injured.

• You should unload the guns before storing them.

• Store the ammunitions separately.

• Make sure your vault is locked all the time, and you should only have access to the vault.

• You should educate your children about the harmful effects of holding a firearm.

A well-constructed gun vault will prevent your guns from getting into the wrong hands. According to a study, more than 1,000 children in the U.S. need medical treatment due to accidents concerning guns. Also, about 600,000 firearms are stolen each year. So, keeping your guns in a safe place can reduce the risk of accidents and robbery. You can get ready-made gun vaults; but they are expensive. So, a DIY project will be much economical.

Before building your gun vault, you should look at some modern gun vault models available in the market. This will give you an idea to design your own gun vault. Use strong construction material like steel and concrete for better protection. You can also talk to a professional before constructing your vault. You will be able to store your guns properly and keep them in good condition by constructing a gun vault. You will not need to worry about any accidents within the house as your guns will be in a safe place.