RAPiD Safe, photo from Hornady.

Gun owners face a serious situation with Rule 5. Most of us in the gun world – at least shooters involved in range shooting, defensive weapon-craft, military and law enforcement – recommend the use of Cooper's Four Rules. These safety rules govern the armed lifestyle in any location – and are not simply range rules. Rule 5 was first articulated nationally and publicized by Stephen Wenger on his Defensive Use of Firearms page and in his email news digest. Arizona attorneys Michael Anthony and Robert Brown, working on the concealed weapon permit program in Arizona, had researched civil litigation involving firearms and found that most successful lawsuits against gun owners involved incidents where someone other than the owner has gotten the gun without permission and misused it. The solution: keep the gun under your control at all times – when you wear it and carry it as well as when storing it. If you store a gun that you are not carrying, do what you must to limit access to it by others. The addition to Cooper's Four Rules, Rule 5, is Maintain control of your defensive gear, particularly firearms. The research was based on lawsuits, concentrating on those where the gun owner lost. The civil litigation is secondary to possible criminal action – in some locations, it's illegal to store guns where the simple-minded and underage can get them – and that falls behind the issue of tragedy: the death of someone due to improper storage. The numbers of victims to accidents or criminal acts involving guns that weren't kept under lock and key is more than the person injured or killed. Consider the grief of the family and friends of the victim as well as the guilt of the careless owner. All of this came to mind recently when I received a RAPiD Safe from Hornady. Having my security solutions in place, I still found a good use for it. A young couple of my acquaintance – and of whom I am very fond – had only been gun owners for a short time. I bequeathed the RAPiD Safe to them. They needed a security solution. His choice of 'ready firearm' for the place was the Ruger SR9 pistol. He called me a few days ago to report that he'd secured the new safe in their bedroom and programmed a pair of RFID tags – one for him and one for her. The gun is secured and with it is a loaded magazine. He has a light mounted on the gun – and we had a discussion about a gun-mounted light not being a flashlight but being a firearm. That's another Rule: never let the muzzle cover anything you don't want to destroy. That includes a young daughter coming in late and unannounced.

Hornady acquired SnapSafe last year. Their trunk safe is a good idea for motor vehicle or home. Photo from SnapSafe.

While we're are discussing Hornady security products, the company announced its acquisition of SnapSafe, a modular safe company, last December. Makers of a safe that arrives to your home in components and snaps together – a smart idea – they also make an under-bed safe and a "trunk" safe. The safe under the bed can be a good idea and having a lock box in your vehicle is extremely handy. While such items can still be removed by destructive means – or theft of the whole vehicle, allowing time to get the lock box open – it's still better than relying on auto glass or a trunk lock. If you have doubts of the ability of the criminal to steal guns from cars, simply check your favorite search engine with something like "gun stolen from car police." You'll get responses like "Guns stolen from unmarked Burlington police car," "NOPD officer's car, gun stolen," and "Hartford police: Firearms stolen from several vehicle break-ins." The trunk safe weighs in at 89 pounds – tough to carry off when loaded with gear that adds to the weight. Made of 14 gauge steel with a 7 gauge door, the hinges are internal. It can be placed in an SUV, automobile trunk, motor home or your residence. In addition to a three-foot anchoring cable, the safe is drilled on the bottom for permanent installation. The digital lock is backed up with a key backup. Hornady, the bullet company, long ago moved into reloading tools and loaded ammunition and have now moved into security. It's a good move for them and for consumers. Regardless if you use Hornady Security or another brand, you need to secure your gear. It saves lives, lowers your risks of property loss and litigation – and it plays a role in securing our rights. Every time a gun isn't picked up by an untrained child or stolen by a thief, it's one less story the other side can use against us in the political battle. -- Rich Grassi