Guns: On "safe" storage

In my opinion, the most secure method of storing a gun in your home is by carrying it around on your person, but sometimes this isn't possible (especially with long guns). So, one of the realities of owning a firearm is that eventually, you're going to have to leave it unattended. There's been a lot of debate recently on how far someone should go in securing their guns, some of which has gotten more heated than it should be.

For my part, I experimented with various security measures, including a gun cabinet and trigger locks. I realized that everything that makes a gun harder for an unauthorized person to use also adds another layer between you and your firearm - time that could be the difference between life and death if you ever need it. Granted, this might be a reasonable tradeoff for a family with toddlers roaming about; for my personal situation, though, it's low on my list of priorities.

A final note regarding laws requiring gun owners to lock up their guns or face punishment -it's important to remember that most people don't have a safe for their car keys, or their power tools, or their household chemicals. Most parents don't put safety screens on their toilets or their bathtubs, and most don't bother to lock up every single knife, blade, and pointy stick they own. The upshot of it is that many things can be used and misused, and I don't believe in forcing people to lock up all their possessions, including guns, just because something might pose a threat to somebody somewhere.