News of children gaining access to handguns is a theme that we’ve heard about way too often. The recent saga of a 6-year-old boy who shot his first grade teacher is chilling. (The child’s mother received 21 months in prison).
It goes without saying that keeping firearms secure is key to preventing unwanted incidents and accidents.
What does a gun owner do?
The conventional wisdom is to get a gun safe. This is not news to responsible gun owners who keep their firearms locked away.
Understandably folks often prefer to have their handgun close by if the need presents itself. That’s often the bedroom. Keeping your Glock on or in your nightstand drawer is not necessarily a good idea, unless of course it’s secure.
Enter electronic firearm storage.
Type in “Gun Locks” on Amazon and you’ll see an array of safes—some are simple lockboxes with keypads whereas others have biometric readers and even Bluetooth safe management. Some are designed to resemble alarm clocks and have built in wireless phone chargers—perfect for the bedside . (I’m surprised they don’t have radios).
Naturally the idea is instant access.
Enter the RAPiD® Safe Night Guard
First up in our review is the RAPiD® Safe Night Guard® from Hornady. For those of you who load your own ammo, Hornady is a household name. The 75-year old company is synonymous with high quality ammunition, reloading gear and more recently, security equipment.
They have expanded their reportoire over the last few years with a line of electronic lockboxes. One of their signature products in this space is the Night Guard. I found it appealing for several reasons.
The first thing that caught my attention was the spring-assist drawer box that slides open like an old-fashioned cash register. Wave the magic wand (in this case an RFID tag) and voila, there’s your Glock or for that matter, your dad’s Rolex watch. There’s room in the drawer for standard sized handgun, a few magazines and a 20-round box of anno. I also placed a passport and some cash in there.
What else was appealing?
The Night Guard has a digital readout and can easily sit on your nightstand, looking innocuously like an alarm clock. There’s even two USB charging ports that add to the masquerade. (Who knows maybe you’ll even be able to use the USB ports). The unit, which weighs about 20 lbs., plugs into the wall socket. There’s also a AAA battery backup if the power disappears—not an unknown occurrence in Hawaii.
What else is cool?
It’s a robust item made from 14-gauge steel and comes with a heavy duty 1500 lb. steel lock-down security cable. Ergo you can attach it to any stationary object. (It also comes with 2 internal, hardened locking lugs).
So how do you open it?
Quite easily, which of course is the idea.
There are three ways to accomplish this.
The quickest method is with an RFID tag. Hornady provides two on decals, a fob for a key chain and a watchband tag. Just program these items, place them in front of the reader (the digital readout which pretends to be your alarm clock) and bingo, the drawer opens as if you have a magic wand.
The second method is to set up a 4- or 6-digit key code for the key pad. It’s easy to program. The owner’s manual is short, sweet and well written. I’m not going to get into the weeds with this. Suffice to say it took me all of ten minutes to figure out. You do have to get used to the keypad. Like anything else there’s a technique, which is primarily being adroit where you place your fingers. If you are a bit sloppy, it won’t work. Again, the complexity not the equivalent of a Simone Biles routine on the beam but you’ll want to get used to the drill.
The third method of getting in is an old-fashioned, circular barrel key. Chances are you’re not going to use that method in an emergency but it’s there.
So what’s the most practical way to open it?
The RFID option is the quick and dirty way. I put a decal on the back of my cell phone. Nowadays (for better or worse) just about everyone is glued to their phones so chances are, unless you’re in the shower, you’re going to have your phone with you.
No phone around?
Well there’s the keypad. (Or maybe you could hang the key fob somewhere close by on the wall and use that).
The wristband is an option if you have a wristband that will fit.
Perhaps the coolest thing about this product is the “hidden in plain sight” quality. You’d have to have a very akamai thief to recognize that this is a lockbox. Even if the bad guy figures this out, if you’ve got it cabled down to the bed (as mine is) it’s not going to be easy for anyone to remove from your home.
In short, there’s really nothing I didn’t like about this product.
Rob Kay is a technology columnist for the Honolulu Star Advertiser and the creator of FijiGuide.com. He covers firearms topics for Hawaii Reporter.