When it comes to storing guns, you might want to consider getting a biometric gun safe. In this guide, we’ll break down everything about biometric gun safes you need to know.
Could a Biometric Gun Safe Be the Best Choice?
Gun safes are extremely useful no matter the type.
They keep your weapons safe and secured against burglars while you’re away.
They also stop curious kids from getting into your firearms when they don’t have the proper training or respect for the weapons.
But biometric gun safes represent a leap in technology that allows owners to guarantee that no one will be able to open their safes except themselves.
What Is a Biometric Gun Safe?
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Put simply, a biometric gun safe is any gun safe that uses “biometrics” to allow or deny access.
These safes use biological signals or imprints that can be recorded and recognized by an onboard computer.
Rather than relying on passwords or physical keys, a biometric gun safe can only be opened by those with the right biological characteristics.
In the vast majority of cases, a biometric gun safe relies on thumbprints to identify its owner or any other approved users.
If someone without the right thumbprint tries to open the safe, it locks itself and more advanced models may even send out an alert to the safe owner.
However, other gun safes might have additional security measures.
High-tech government or gun shop safes might have eye scanners or similar biometric tools.
These aren’t readily available for the civilian market, but they’re cool to think about.
Maybe someday in the near future, such biometric scanners will become available for household use!
Why Use a Biometric Gun Safe Over Other Types?
The advantage of a biometric gun safe is that it’s practically uncrackable.
The other two major types of safes are those that use passwords and those that use keys of one kind or another.
These are more vulnerable simply because of the nature of their opening mechanisms.
For instance, a gun safe that relies on passwords or key codes is vulnerable to being cracked by anyone who knows the relevant password.
You might think that your guns are secure, but your kid might know the password you use for the safe.
Or you might write it down and a burglar might find the paper while snooping for valuables while you’re away.
Similarly, gun safes that open with keys are vulnerable because the keys themselves can be stolen or misplaced.
If your kid gets ahold of the gun safe key by accident, they can open the safe without anything stopping them.
It can be a hassle to make more keys, too.
Biometric gun safes don’t have these downsides.
They only open if you present the right thumbprint. This makes it impossible for a burglar to open or for a curious kid to get inside.
The Downsides of Biometric Gun Safes
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But biometric gun safes aren’t perfect for every situation. In many cases, biometric gun safes open a little more slowly than their key or password counterparts.
This is because the onboard computer may need to take a few extra seconds to scan your thumb and verify its pattern with its internal records.
In the event of a home intrusion and you need to get to your guns fast, every second counts.
A key or password safe may be much quicker to open.
Furthermore, biometric gun safes are difficult to get into in the event that the safe holder is unavailable.
Say that you inherited a biometric gun safe from your grandfather, but he passed away and was buried.
It may be quite a difficult task to contact the manufacturer to open the safe manually or by hacking through their own software.
Your Choice Depends on Your Needs
Overall, biometric gun safes may very well be worth your time and money if you’re interested in the most secure safes available.
But consider what you use the gun safe for and whether or not you’re worried about accessing your weapons quickly in the event of an emergency.
It may, for instance, be wise to use a traditional gun safe for your handgun or self-defense weapons and a biometric safe for all your other hunting firearms.
Are you already using a biometric gun safe? If yes, how's your experience with it? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section!
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I have a biometric gun safe, it’s nice but it takes sometimes about 6/7 try’s before it opens. That I do not like. Definitely not quick.so I’m still questioning should I have bought something different..