Storing your guns: a guide for new certificate holders
What secure storage usually means in practice, and how to choose a safe that fits your guns and your home.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Your firearms licensing department decides what it expects for your home, so ask them before you buy.
What your certificate asks of you
Every firearm and shotgun certificate carries a condition that you store your guns securely, so that nobody without a certificate can get to them. Police forces use the Home Office's Firearms Security Handbook 2020 when they assess storage. The handbook is guidance, not law, and it leaves room for the officer's judgement about your home.
The British Standard for gun cabinets
The handbook names BS 7558 as the standard for new gun cabinets. It also sets out an alternative specification for cabinets that aren't certified to BS 7558, including steel at least 2 mm thick, suitable locks and fixing holes. Older cabinets in good condition don't have to be replaced.
Check the specification of any safe, including ours, against what your licensing department expects. Every product page on this site lists steel thickness, locking bolts and fixing holes so you can compare.
Where to put it
- Inside your home, out of sight of visitors and windows.
- Against a solid wall or on a solid floor, so you can bolt it down with the fixing kit.
- Somewhere you can open the door fully. Most of our safes are 1500 mm high, so check for shelves and sloping ceilings.
Keys and codes
Keep keys under your control, never in the same room as the safe, and don't share a keypad code with anyone who doesn't hold a certificate.
Ammunition
The handbook says ammunition and easily removed parts, such as bolts, can go in a separate locked container or a compartment built into or onto the cabinet. Section 1 ammunition should ideally have its own lockable compartment. Shotgun cartridges don't need secure storage by law, but locking them away is recommended. Keep ammunition away from heat and escape routes.
Choosing the right size
- Count the guns you own now and add one or two for the future.
- Allow extra room for rifles with scopes fitted. A full load is usually fewer guns than the maximum.
- Measure the space, including the door swing.
- Plan the move. Our safes weigh 38 to 108 kg, so have 2 people ready on delivery day.