Mass legal method for displaying guns in my house

[MACGYVR]

Ok I would like to display my fine pieces of firearm engineering in my house.
What is the mass legal method for this? Can I simply get a glass case and put trigger locks on everything?

I understand that if someone breaks in they could steal them, but then again an $89 stack-on safe is no more secure. If a thief wants in, they will get in.

This is purely a question on being in compliance with the laws.

 

[Cross-X]

Properly affixed mechanical lock that will deny access to an unlicensed person, or a safe, lockbox, or another locked container.

 

[MACGYVR]

Thanks. Now I will be looking for a nice lockable glass case.

+1 cross-x for the straightforward answer.

 

[KMaurer]

I wouldn't rely on a glass-fronted cabinet to satisfy the law, since the glass can fairly easily be broken (or at least a prosecutor would argue if it ever were broken). Put them in the case, run a cable through all the actions and lock it.

Ken

 

[hicksonj]

http://www.securityproducts1.com/Safes/Clearview Gun Safe.htm

 

[fbirdquik6]

I have a nice glass gun cabinet that displays several of the antique shotguns that have been passed down as well as a couple very nice old muzzle loaders and collectible knives/swords etc. All pistols EBR's etc are stored in the BIG safe. Its fully legal without trigger locks, and a nice way to display the guns that SHOULD be displayed

 

[M1911]

I wouldn't rely on a glass-fronted cabinet to satisfy the law, since the glass can fairly easily be broken (or at least a prosecutor would argue if it ever were broken). Put them in the case, run a cable through all the actions and lock it.

Ken

If you are going to put them in a glass-front case, I agree with Ken that you should use a cable or other means to secure the guns.

While a metal stack-on safe may not be very secure, a thief can't see inside it and thus might not spend much time trying to break in if their first efforts fail.

A glass-front case, on the other hand, allows them to see exactly what is in there -- something valuable on the black market. And breaking in is even easier, just smash the glass.

They are your guns, so do as you wish. But I recommend against the glass-front case.

 

[Teej]

If you go with glass front then this might be of interest to you. It appears to be a film you put on the glass that makes the glass impact resistant.
It looks similar to window tint in regards to the installation process.

http://www.armorglassintl.com/

I have no experience with the product, just found it on a Google search and it looked interesting.

 

[mac1911]

jusr remember when the thief does brake in and cuts himself breaking the glass you will be fully prosecuted by the AG. If he happens to bleed to death you get a wrongful death charge,

 

[M1911]

jusr remember when the thief does brake in and cuts himself breaking the glass you will be fully prosecuted by the AG. If he happens to bleed to death you get a wrongful death charge,

Complete and utter bullshit. It is the District Attorney who prosecutes criminals, and there is no civil or criminal liability in the situation that you propose.

Legal advice from someone who does not understand the difference between the AG and the DA

I had sworn off giving negative rep points, but I'm falling off the wagon for this one. -1 to you.

 

[bostonasphalt2]

Complete and utter bullshit. It is the District Attorney who prosecutes criminals, and there is no civil or criminal liability in the situation that you propose.

Legal advice from someone who does not understand the difference between the AG and the DA

I had sworn off giving negative rep points, but I'm falling off the wagon for this one. -1 to you.

wrong, there are plenty of cases of burglars breaking in to homes, inuring themselves then suing the homeowners. I wont give you -1, but I suggest you dont give out -1 without doing a little reading in the future

 

[jdubois]

wrong, there are plenty of cases of burglars breaking in to homes, inuring themselves then suing the homeowners. I wont give you -1, but I suggest you dont give out -1 without doing a little reading in the future

Show me a case were a burglar was able to recover civil damages for cutting themselves on a glass door that they purposely broke. In order to recover damages, the burglar would have to show negligence on the part of the homeowner. So if the homeowner left broken glass lying around on the floor, sure. But I find it hard to swallow that there would be any civil liability in this situation.

(And I won't give anybody a neg rep )

 

[M1911]

wrong, there are plenty of cases of burglars breaking in to homes, inuring themselves then suing the homeowners. I wont give you -1, but I suggest you dont give out -1 without doing a little reading in the future

Sorry, but you won't find a case where a burglar deliberately broke some glass, cut themselves on the glass, and then successfully sued the homeowner. If you have such a case, the please show a citation.

Second, the poster did not say anything about the burglar suing the homeowner. Here's the post in question:

jusr remember when the thief does brake in and cuts himself breaking the glass you will be fully prosecuted by the AG. If he happens to bleed to death you get a wrongful death charge,

1) You won't be "fully prosecuted by the AG." There is nothing that the AG could prosecute you for, and, furthermore, if you were prosecuted, it would be by the DA, not the AG. 2) There is no way you would get charged with "wrongful death" in such circumstances.

There was a recent case in MA where a person stored firearms in a wooden cabinet that was easily broken into (the screws to the hasp were exposed). I don't remember all of the details, but I believe that another resident in the home broke into the cabinet by removing some of the screws, and that the perp was also emotionally disturbed. There was a ruling concerning whether that storage was acceptable or not. I don't recall the details of the ruling. I could see a MA judge consider that a glass front case is not secure storage, that is a far different legal issue than that proposed by the original post.

But no, there is no way that if a burglar broke a window in your home, cut himself on the broken glass, bled to death, and you then found him, deceased, when you returned home, that you would be charged with manslaughter or murder. Nor would the same be possible if the perp broke a glass fronted cabinet.

 

[vellnueve]

They can sue all the want, and that's certainly happened. I just doubt there are many, if any, successful suits.

 

[mark056]

wrong, there are plenty of cases of burglars breaking in to homes, inuring themselves then suing the homeowners. I wont give you -1, but I suggest you dont give out -1 without doing a little reading in the future

It is true that in your other homeland, the United Kingdom, home owners have been criminally prosecuted for defending their homes against intruders intent upon theft, however, I can think of no case, anecdotally, in the United States where criminals have been successful in suing a homeowner for injuries sustained while committing a burglary. I do believe, however, that there have been successful criminal prosecutions of homeowners who have set up booby traps to thwart burglars with the end result being either the death of the burgler or a serious injury but I am not 100 percent sure of that and regretfully haven't the time to research it.

Mark L.

 

[JimB]

nix on the glass case

I would strongly recommend you forget about the glass case. Your
display maya invite more problems than you like.

The bad guy now knows you own guns, mmmm what else you got,
ammo, pistols,.... maybe he should have a better look...

its up to you///

JimB

 

[isr2kba]

Not quite on topic, but:

An [alleged] thief [allegedly] trying to break into a building I own fell off the fire escape and injured himself rather severely when the fire escape broke free from the building. He lost a bunch of teeth, but not before managing to bite off a healthy portion of his tongue. He broke his clavicle, wrist and arm.

Surprisingly, his civil suit was unsuccessful.

Not surprisingly the cops laughed and quipped how his injuries will slow him down for the time being. I doubt the DA was ever even told about it. The local Inspectional Services Dept sure got wind of it though.

 

[MACGYVR]

These issues you have all brought up have nothing to do with my original question about a mass legal method for displaying my guns.

The issues you bring up are fears that could apply to anything in the home.

Should I lock up my $4000 TV because someone might bust in and steal it? How about my collection of antque radios? What about the kitchen knives? How about other collectibles?

We cannot go about living in fear of the unknown. Otherwise we will all live in our 1 foot thick steel panic rooms surrounded by our belongings.

I will display my guns in a nice case where they can be admired and not live in fear of the unknown. If I leave for a trip I will obviously lock them up.

 

[M1911]

We cannot go about living in fear of the unknown. Otherwise we will all live in our 1 foot thick steel panic rooms surrounded by our belongings.

Any idea where I can get a good deal on a 1" thick steel?

 

[maee]

How about a secure "gun cabinet" that is bolted to the floor, has metal or sturdy hardwood construction and has lexan windows? They can't break it like glass or carry it away.

 

[mac1911]

M1911, this was a punch at a state that seems to give more protection to the criminals. I did not base my statement on fact. Should have used some smilely faces or something.
I have always wondered is there a law on Massachusetts record that keeps a thief that is injured in your home during a break from going after your home owners insurance? How about when your car is stolen and then gets into an accident during pursuit, what stops them from collecting on personal injury?

 

[Cross-X]

I wouldn't rely on a glass-fronted cabinet to satisfy the law, since the glass can fairly easily be broken (or at least a prosecutor would argue if it ever were broken). Put them in the case, run a cable through all the actions and lock it.

Ken

Ken, you are out of touch with the state of MA law.

Glass front cases, so long as they are locked, are legal storage in Massachusetts. Even a skeleton key lock meets the requisite legal standard.

 

[Cross-X]

jusr remember when the thief does brake in and cuts himself breaking the glass you will be fully prosecuted by the AG. If he happens to bleed to death you get a wrongful death charge,

Dreamland.

 

[the_doctor]

Dreamland.

Didn't a DA prosecute a lady regarding inadequate storage?

bill

 

[M1911]

I have always wondered is there a law on Massachusetts record that keeps a thief that is injured in your home during a break from going after your home owners insurance? How about when your car is stolen and then gets into an accident during pursuit, what stops them from collecting on personal injury?

Anyone can sue for anything. Whether they can win, however, is a different matter entirely.

Many (most?) personal injury cases are taken on contingency. That is, if the suit is successful, the claimant's attorney is paid a portion of the settlement. If the suit is unsuccessful, the attorney gets nothing. In the situations that you described above, I suspect you would be very hard pressed to find an attorney willing to take the case on contingency.

If they can't find an attorney to take it on contingency, they'd have to pay the attorney by the hour. Most thieves do not have the resources to pay for a personal injury attorney out of pocket.

I suppose it is possible that you could be hit by lightning three times, while being lifted through the air by a tornado, in the middle of a hurricane, in the middle of an earthquake. That is probably as likely an event to occur as the situations you described.

 

[terraformer]

How about a secure "gun cabinet" that is bolted to the floor, has metal or sturdy hardwood construction and has lexan windows? They can't break it like glass or carry it away.

The problem with Lexan is heat. All they need is a newspaper and a lighter and they are in with not much more effort than breaking glass. The best, excuse me, a better solution is glass covered lexan.

 

[Half Cocked]

I think we are confusing two seperate questions.

What is actually secure? and What is legally secure?

Two seperate things.

 

[theGringo]

Ken, you are out of touch with the state of MA law.

Glass front cases, so long as they are locked, are legal storage in Massachusetts. Even a skeleton key lock meets the requisite legal standard.

This may be a redundant question .... but is the intent of the law to prevent theft, or merely to prevent unauthorized access by persons in the home?

 

[terraformer]

What is actually secure?

and What is legally secure?

Any questions...

 

[Half Cocked]

This may be a redundant question .... but is the intent of the law to prevent theft, or merely to prevent unauthorized access by persons in the home?

If I am not mistaken it is the latter...most particularly children. I believe the intent of the law was to prevent young children from gaining access/firing.