> TEOTWAWKI Blog: Reader Question: Securing Gear

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1/31/12

Reader Question: Securing Gear

I'm glad to answer your survival/prep related questions, or at least give it a shot. This question came in from a reader over the weekend:

"My predicament: I just moved homes, and I am looking for a way to store my large collection of knives and some firearms. They used to be on stand alone shelves, but in a locked den like room. My new place has no similar room for me to use, so I have to store them in a long garage. I have asked around, and it seems like getting a couple of rifle lockers would be my best bet. 
The garage is essentially my mini bunker at this point: my BOBs, food stash, weapons, etc., but it also houses the spare car. I do not feel it is very secure. Do you have any pointers for added security?


As you see in the picture, there are 2 ways an intruder would be able to come into the house from the outside. While gun lockers would work for what I need for the weapons, the other bulk items would be free for the taking should the entry points be compromised.

Do you have any recommendations for how to secure my shelved items? Perhaps gates/ warehouse type fencing, or large locker types?"
Thoughts
My thought is to forget about securing the individual bits of gear and secure your entrances first. That will get you the most bang-for-your buck - and if bad guys have busted into your home and are looting 'n plundering, you've probably already lost.
You've got three points of entry - back door, door from the house and the garage door. I won't go into reinforcing the door to/from the house, as the bad guys would have to go through your home & you to get into the secured garage.

Securing Doors
Here are some of my thoughts on securing normal doors. There's a bunch of products out there for not a ton of money. And there's lots of stuff that you can improvise or DIY - a sturdy crossbar or a brace isn't too hard to fabricate. The back door would need to be able to stand up to some concentrated effort. I'd also look at setting up an alarm for any breaking & entering attempts - unmonitored alarm systems can be had for pretty cheaply - here's one from G.E. for under $25.

Garage doors are one of THE most common points of entry for burglars and robbers. People leave their doors open casually. Older generation garage door openers can be hacked or opened with a "code snatcher" device. The emergency door release can also be tripped fairly easily with a coat hanger. ITS Tactical has a good post on securing a garage door. If you don't need to open the door frequently, a c-clamp fastened to either track will keep it from opening. You can also put alarms on garage doors, if that's of interest.

Camouflage
Aside from securing the entrances, I would actually look at camouflage over fortifying your gear, if it's possible. Only the most desperate thief is going to spend time searching through boxes marked "textbooks" and "baby clothes" wedged in the back of the garage. Throw in a couple real boxes-o-junk for good measure. If they've ransacked everything and have turned to searching through random bins buried in the garage, things are really bad. 


If you want something lockable, check out surplus file cabinets from office places. They're usually pretty sturdy construction--about as good as the cheap stack-on cabinets--and they look like they're full of old files, tax records, etc. A couple labels and some added trapping--papers hanging out the top--and you're good. A job box for tools is another option, but a little more interesting to thieves.

Comments
Those are my thoughts - I'm sure you guys have got some more ideas/suggestions. Let us know!