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OK so here is the deal.......
My wife and I have decided to start the adoption process. We are looking at having a home study done in the next couple of months. My issue is I have no gun safe or cabinet b.c but have been planning on getting one soon. So now it has just been elevated in priority. Money is an issue so I will not be getting top of the line just yet. In fact I was leaning towards a nice cabinet. One reason I do not wish to get large heavy fire proof safe yet is due to the fact we will probably be moving in the next two years and I also do not want to lug that thing around till we are in a more permanent environment.

So any one have any suggestions? Also I would like to ask if anyone has done a home study and how did it go? Any issues with owning firearms? This is what I was looking at......
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200395767" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The only issue is ammo and Guns must be stored separately. So i was thinking guns and accessories in the cabinet. Ammo in a spare hall closet after installing a lock on the door. If anyone has any better suggestions I am all ears. Thanks everyone.

I am an adoptive parent.

When we had our home study done, albeit in 1985, no one asked about firearms or weapons. They were concerned with criminal history, finances, employment, mental health, absence of drug and alcohol abuse, and general household stability, cleanliness, and safety.

IIRC they were more interested in whether we had a crib and car seat. Oh, and fire extinguishers.

That said, a Stack-On locker is better than nothing. It will keep children and nosy visitors out. However, crooks can simply carry it away unless you weigh it down.

Good luck with your adoption.

- Jim

I used to use a Stack-On cabinet before I got my safe.
I always mounted it in a corner of a closet.
With lag screws going into 2 walls and the floor, I figured the burglars would have to tear the house down to carry off the cabinet.

I think this is a good solution until you can afford the safe.

I know you don't want to lug it around but Costco has a great deal on a real safe. 24 gun safe with 30 min fire protection at 1400 degrees for $550.00.It also has 3 way active bolts (one side, up, and down with stationary bolts on the hinge side). Most safes under $750 are only one way active (no upper or lower bolts). We looked long and hard at safes and this was by far the best deal around.

StackOns are inexpensive, relatively light and with keep the guns safe from little hands. You can get a rifle unit and then a hand gun unit that you can stack on top. Keep your guns in one and your ammo in the other.

Thanks for the replies so far. Gander mountain actually has them on sale for a reasonable price (yes I said gander mountain and reasonable price in the same sentence). Looks like I might go this way as I need a Quick solution.

...don't know what age your child will be, but I kept my defense handguns hanging from a nail inside and over the closet doors when mine were small...taught them to handle them and had them shooting by 8...you may not need to invest in a heavy safe till later??? During the home study, I would put everything dangerous in a closet and replace the knob with a deadbolt lock until they're done checking...takes only a screwdriver and 10 minutes...that's more than reasonable security against curious children...$500 buys a lotta groceries....

Whose requirement is it that guns and ammo be stored separately?

academy had their safes on sale last week. i bought a cannon safe and we couldnt get it up the stairs. i ended up having to settle with a stack on safe since it was lighter. my problem was i live in an apartment and im not paying someone 200 dollars to move it every time i do.if i lived in a house id get one of those huge ones.

Texas Human Resources Code Section 42.042.

This applies to foster homes. All adoptive parents must meet the requirements of a foster home to cover the time from when they take the child into their home until the adoption is formalized in court.

- Jim

Thank goodness, we are out of the kid business. From what I've seen and learned, there are safes and then there are sheetmetal boxes with doors on them. A real safe is gonna' cost in the thousand$. How many thousand$ is largely a function of size. A real safe will be quite heavy and will offer real fire protection. The sheetmetal boxes with doors, not so much, if any.

In our situation, it is more economical to have an insurance rider to our homeowner's policy that covers replacement cost of our guns rather than spend $2-3,000 for a real safe. Kids pose other problems...lots of 'em.

That's my 2¢ worth, YMMV.

seamusTX wrote:Texas Human Resources Code Section 42.042.

This applies to foster homes. All adoptive parents must meet the requirements of a foster home to cover the time from when they take the child into their home until the adoption is formalized in court.

- Jim

Thanks.

42.042 wrote:...requiring firearms and ammunition to be stored separately in locked locations

That's kind of the belt and suspenders approach, I guess. I wonder if they consider two safes next to each other to be "stored separately." Otherwise, that could severely hinder one's ability to provide for the child's protection.

Just curious if a trigger lock would suffice for safety as opposed to a safe?
It is definitely more reasonably priced, and if its good enough for all gun shops, it should be good enough for their view on safety.... maybe...

Edited to add:
Of course this does not protect against theft, but then I do not think theft is what they are looking at by requiring it..

Important question, How many long guns? That is a big part of picking a storage solution.

We've gone through two home studies with the most recent about a year and a half ago as part of the foster/adopt licensing process and currently have one foster placement. For a safe, I got one like this for the handguns:

http://www.frys.com/product/6233890?sit ... IN_RSLT_PG" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I stored the long guns at a relatives house until we were finished with the licensing process. A trigger lock is not good enough. During the home study I put the ammo in a heavy canvas bag is capable of being locked with a small padlock. I don't honestly remember the person even asking about the ammo. They were mostly concerned that the guns were locked up. The firearms questions were more of checklist type items. It was really a non-issue as long as we met the storage requirements.

We've found that the home study is very subjective depends very much on the social worker you get. Some will put more emphasis on different areas than others.

If you have any specific questions about the process, feel free to PM me.

Brian