Keeping your gun away from kids and thieves while remaining easy to access will take some planning – this is why the need for hidden gun storage areas has become popular lately. Most gun owners feel safe knowing they can easily protect themselves and their families.
If you own a gun (legally, of course), a hidden storage area in your home is an important section to have. You must appropriately stash the firearm when not in use to prevent dangerous accidents or it from falling into the hands of thieves. This article highlights various ideas and plans for hiding your gun in plain sight.
Firearms storage is an essential part of owning a gun and is taken seriously in most areas, with the possibility of being charged with neglect if it falls into the wrong hands. The ideas in this piece involve firearm storage in the most unlikely places. Without further ado, let’s see some of these hidden storage areas for DIY enthusiasts.
DIY Hidden Gun Storage Areas
Check out this list of hidden gun storage ideas comprising various styles, designs, and locations in your home. The sites are usually unassuming, so your firearm can stay hidden until you need it.
1. Storage Step Drawers
Your stairs can be the perfect location to hide your firearms without raising any suspicions, with the space for multiple drawers between each staircase providing maximum storage space.
The idea here is to build at least two compartments in the bottom and next steps. With your guns sitting inside the step above the bottom step as it is less likely to be found, especially if the first step drawer is discovered.
Start by removing the top layer of the two steps you want to use to provide access to the compartment. You want to build drawers for each layer to slide out to reach your firearms. Ensure to measure the inside area of the step so you can make the correct drawer that fits.
The bottom drawer acts as a decoy, while the next drawer is the main gun chamber. To build these step storage drawers, you’ll need several pine boards, a floating floorboard, finish nails, wood nails, a cabinet latch, cable staples, and plastic boxes.
2. Dresser With Hidden Gun Cabinet
Here is an opportunity to build a dresser and add a hidden chamber for storing your weapons. The dresser provides multiple storage drawers for clothes and other household items. At the same time, the secret compartment by the side hides your firearms.
Since dressers are typical furniture, they can go unnoticed in the home and provide the perfect bidding spot for deadly weapons. Ideally, you should build the drawers for the dresser first before making the frame to ensure all the drawers fit and can easily slide out.
First, you need to cut the plywood for the drawers using a table saw before passing it through the planer and sander for a smooth surface. Wood glue and an air nailer help attach the cut parts to form the drawer.
You’ll find all the information you need to create the dresser frame and the gun cabinet by the side with a hidden door opening method. A stylish pattern by the sides adds to the aesthetics and further hides the side section with the guns.
3. Footstool With Sliding Storage Section
A simple footstool can provide the perfect storage area for your weapons as it can house a hidden layer under the stool. The plan uses 2×4 lumber, plywood for the seating area, upholstery cushion and fabric, dowels, staples, and finishing of your choosing.
Since the project is small furniture, you can use scrap lumber from previous projects to reduce costs. The plan consists of an inner box surrounded by the footstool box, making it difficult to spot. To make the inner box slide in and out when needed, attach a dowel to the top of the inner box and create a pathway for the dowels.
Make gun straps or holders inside the inner box to prevent your weapons from hitting against each other and signaling anybody that moves the stool. Ensure to sand properly and finish with oil, wax, or your desired stain so the chair does not look out of place.
4. Floating Shelf With Pistol Chamber
Having a shelf where you can place flowers or other decorative pieces to improve the mood in your space is vital. However, building a small pistol chamber under the floating shelf that looks unassuming gets even better. With this design, your gun will hide in plain sight, leaving others none the wiser.
The cover for this hidden layer is a vintage drawer front lumber, which you can craft or repurpose from an old piece. You’ll also need rare-earth magnets for locking the cover and wood to join the lumber. Choose a durable wood with an attractive grain structure for a refined look. After cutting and sanding, all the pieces are stained before assembling to make the project easier.
You can finish this simple project in two hours as you cut and assemble the shelf. The overall structure is to attach the side pieces to the top and bottom lumber before fixing the back part and the cover. The cover uses door latches on one side and a large earth magnet on the other.
5. Coffee Table Storage Section
The coffee table at the center of your apartment can hide your guns while giving you quick access whenever necessary. You can build this gun storage using your old coffee table by attaching the hidden layer underneath or making the complete table afresh and adding the hidden layer.
This plan does not include a guide to building the table from the start, as it adds the section to an existing table. This means you’ll need a separate piece if you’re building the table from scratch.
Purchase a ¼” 4’x4′ pressboard, hinges, magnetic cabinet latches, nails or screws, and wood glue for the project. It will require a few hours to complete by an inexperienced DIYer. At the same time, a more experienced builder will take a shorter time. Measure the insides of the table before cutting to avoid any costly mistakes.
Due to the thickness of the pressboard, gluing two pieces will increase its integrity. Creating a pocket and attaching a holding using scrap wood prevents the layer from opening through and scattering your weapons. The magnetic latch should be strong enough to hold the pressboard to the table.
6. Coffee Table Storage With RFID Lock And Top Access
This coffee table gun storage is similar to the previous idea; however, it sports a different access point as the table surface opens upwards, giving you better access to your weapons. The guns are also better protected with an RFID locking system that unlocks quickly by swiping the key above the chamber.
Make 2×6 cuts at 48″, four 2×4 cuts at 17½”, four 2×4 cuts at 22½”, two 2×4 cuts at 37″, two 2×2 cuts at 37″, and two 2×12 cuts at 37″ using the miter saw. With all the pieces cut out and sanded, you can start assembling by following the video guide.
Ensure to have wood glue, Kreg pocket hole screws, and regular screws or nails on hand for the project. Include cross bracing under the table to support the weight of the hidden chamber and the guns you’ll put in there.
The video starts with the process for the coffee table top before the frame, the inner chamber, and the lower shelf. You’ll find a complete list of materials and a cut list in the video description for quick access when building.
7. Behind The Mirror Gun Safe
Storing your firearm behind a mirror is unassuming and is often a perfect place to hide your weapons while keeping them accessible. Intruders will hardly look behind a mirror for valuables and weapons, which makes this location ideal. This idea shows you how to conceal your in-wall gun storage cabinet behind a mirror.
You’ll need to purchase or build the in-wall security storage cabinet before cutting out the section from your wall. Installing the gun chamber should be easy if the area cut out from the wall is the exact size. The idea with the mirror disguise is to fix a sliding mirror that you can slide out of the way to reach the gun locker.
Start by building a frame around the storage cabinet and installing sliding rails at the top and bottom of the frame. Attach the mirror frame and stain the entire project before adding the mirror. The plan provides a shallow guide through the process, which means you’ll need good DIY knowledge to make your cuts and dimensions.
8. Picture Frame Hidden Gun Storage
Hiding your firearms directly behind a picture frame is easy, quick, and effective since intruders rarely search behind a picture frame. For this project, you’ll need a large picture frame to cover your gun, a hammer, a screwdriver, two brackets, and two wall mounts.
Attach the brackets to the wall such that the picture frame can open upwards without touching the wall. You’ll find the right joining dimensions inside the guide. Attach L-hooks to the wall under the shelf to hang your gun. Due to the picture frame depth, you can only store small handguns and pistols under the frame.
Install motion-activated lights to illuminate the area immediately after you raise the frame. You can also add a motion detector that raises the alarm when the structure is disturbed. This picture frame method of concealing weapons is hardly secure, especially with kids around; however, it can hide your guns from intruders.
9. Secret Library Cabinet Storage
Here is a secret cabinet with a library storage shelf concealment. The design looks like a regular bookshelf with books; however, it is a concealed area where you can keep guns and other essential materials out of sight. You access the site by dragging the faux books apart to reveal the open cabinet space.
Building this project requires minimal experience and resources; however, you’ll need the faux book to create the cover for the shelf. Start by cutting the bottom and top layers and then making the grooves using a circular saw fitted with a dado blade.
You can stain all the pieces before attaching them with glue and nail to reach all the corners easily. This cabinet can sit on your table but is better suited on a wall, away from constant reach, since the faux books can be discovered easily.
FAQ’s
We’ve compiled and answered popular questions about the process to simplify your gun storage building project.
Ans. Safety is the primary consideration for any gun storage, as you want to ensure it is safely out of reach for kids and intruders while being easily accessible to you. A rule of thumb is to keep ammunition in a separate location for homemade gun storage setups without proper locking systems.
Ans. No, you must secure the gun to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, including kids and intruders.
Ans. Horizontally is the best way to store guns to prevent oil from filling the stock. The proper storage position is upright, with the muzzles down so lubrication stays in place.
Finally
As a DIY enthusiast, there are several ways to hide your gun in your home while ensuring it is easily accessible. Most of the ideas are straightforward and can be completed by DIYers with little experience.
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