Do you display your collection or keep it hidden?

[debnal]

I would like to know if you put your collection "out there" or keep it hidden from potential thieves. I used to keep my guns in a safe but now they are on the wall.
Al

[Shreckmeister]

We’re not chatting around the fire with buddies here. There could very well be criminals on this forum.

[rich pierce]

Easy enough to answer with a PM.

[Dennis Glazener]

We’re not chatting around the fire with buddies here. There could very well be criminals on this forum.

And remember ther are many non members viewing our posts so don't get careless with what you say.
Dennis

[JPK]

I display all the ones I want to give away, that’s how I lost ten in one day. Now when I  want to look at them a safe must be opened.

[WadePatton]

I would like to know if you put your collection "out there" or keep it hidden from potential thieves. I used to keep my guns in a safe but now they are on the wall.
Al

I know a fellow who displays his. But also he has good security systems on his home, and a locked gate at the roadway, and another home between himself and the road-which is a good long distance away and out of site. Also has some dogs on patrol.  If my home were similarly "secure" and off-the-road, I might do as he does but it's not and I don't.  (not that I have much besides supplies and junk that could be made into something with a little work!)

You've got to deal with your own circumstances and sensibilities with regard to how much you may miss irreplaceable items once they're gone. This is going to vary a lot.

 

 

[Majorjoel]

When I want to spend a day enjoying some of life's pleasures, I will set up a display for myself.

Then with the day over, they all get put away.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

All firearms which in Canada includes muzzleloading guns, have to be in a locked and secure storage area.  We are not permitted to display any guns here.

[Dave B]

I had an uncle that had been a gunsmith at one time. All ways had the guns on racks in the shope. He also had a sporting good on wheels to sell fishing tackle to the stealhead fishermen on the rivers. If he was out he had trouble with folks breaking into the gun shop and helping them selves. he came up with the solution that all the guns he had he disassembled. No body took any more from the shope. He had given up the gunsmithing part of the buisness when he started the tackle shop on wheels. When he died he had 26 guns in pieces. Most of my collection if you can call it that. Isnt worth the trouble to take. the majority have been broken missing parts ect. I have a plan to start resorting repairing them when I retire. I met a gent from down Atlanta way and he was only ever in posession of two to three of his guns at any one time. The rest is kept at his buddys bank vault. I am so grateful for the collectors that are willing to have his portion of collection availble for discussion. I hope to some day have a set up that will allow for it. It is rare as hens teeth to see nice kentucky rifles out here in the PNW. We have had some builders turn collector and pick up some excellent works that they have shared durring the Gunmakers fairs we have twice a year. Ron Scotts in Oregon in the spring and the Historical Gunmakers guild in 3 rd weekend of August in Washington state. I have regressed in my decore since my wifes passing. When we met my gun rack was attached to the end of the bunk beds I had built for my self and guests. When  I  was married the guns went under the bed and the airplanes off the cealing boxed up in storage. But now I like to take some time in the evening and grab one of the basket cases and plan how to get it back in shape. Nothing beats having an original in your hands to see how they did things back then.

[Nazgul]

About 15 years ago I had a customer near my home so I didn't have to leave for work until later than usual. 2 days in a row had a hang up phone call about the time we would have all left. Made me think I was being cased for a robbery. We are in a very small town, low crime rate, so a quick call to the town marshal got me a drive by several days in a row.

I immediately bought some good cable and locks. Everything in the Man Cave is cabled together inside the cabinets/gun safes. Even have a heavy cable/lock on the work bench for anything I am working on.

Daughter drove a friend home near us from Band practice at HS one day. They live within sight of our house. Some one had broken in, put a chain around the gun safe and driven off. Pulled it through then back wall of the house into the woods.

Don

[flinchrocket]

A thief doesn’t care what he tears up getting in or out. They tore up the door casings here to get in when all they had to do was turn the door knob, I had forgot to lock the front door.

[Hlbly]

I keep mine in a safe and a Colt .45 handy.

[Ezra]

All my stuff is locked up.

Ez

[Pukka Bundook]

All firearms which in Canada includes muzzleloading guns, have to be in a locked and secure storage area.  We are not permitted to display any guns here.

.

Taylor,
I know you have told us this before, but it didn't sound quite right to me so I looked it up.
Its on the Canada Justice website,
You have to scroll down near the bottom of the page,
there you will see it says;

"Antique Firearms,
An individual may store,  Display, or transport an antique firearm, Only if it is unloaded.

It then goes on  to list rules for transportation, but in the above section, 14(1) it is quite clear, an Antique firearm can be Displayed, (as long as unloaded)

Having said that, displayed  does not sound a good idea.   :-)

best,
Richard.

web site;
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Regulations/SOR-98-209/page-2.html#h-1020029

[Jakob]

All firearms which in Canada includes muzzleloading guns, have to be in a locked and secure storage area.  We are not permitted to display any guns here.

Non-restricted just need to be locked (trigger locked, or in a locked rack), but can otherwise be displayed.

https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/firearms/storing-transporting-and-displaying-firearms

[ScottNE]

All firearms which in Canada includes muzzleloading guns, have to be in a locked and secure storage area.  We are not permitted to display any guns here.

My state down here has strict storage laws —  they don’t apply per se to muzzleloaders to my understanding, but regardless I lock those up as well as the unmentionable boomsticks.

[Archer68]

In Germany it is not allowed put weapons - especially fire-weapons - on display totally without safety measures against unauthorized access like the own kids or housebreaker. Even old flintlook muskets have to be secured in a safe or in a special locked room. But.... that doesn't have to be a disadvantage. Even in Germany we have a big problem with people who do not know the difference between yours and mine and unfortunately there are more and more of them.

[Richard]

Pukka is correct.
14 (1) An individual may store, display or transport an antique firearm only if it is unloaded.

And another regarding transporting unloaded...
10 (1)(b) in the case of a muzzle-loading firearm that is being transported between hunting sites, its firing cap or flint is removed.

I generally keep mine all locked up. But once in a while it's nice to put one out on display when circumstances allow.

[JHeath]

All firearms which in Canada includes muzzleloading guns, have to be in a locked and secure storage area.  We are not permitted to display any guns here.

Taylor, whatever the regulations, I'm finding Canadian gun culture is in line with what you are saying. I recall another thread asking if people leave their muzzleloaders loaded at home, and Daryl answered in an emphatic tone that he would never do that.

Americans leave loaded guns lying all over the house. An old guy I knew had been casually hoovering up neat old guns since the 1930s. Not collectible at the time he bought them, just "neat". You couldn't open a drawer in the guy's house without seeing some extremely desireable pistol casually tossed in, sliding around with pencils and tape dispensers etc. All loaded. Old school, granted, but I'm only 59 and it wouldn't raise my eyebrow to see a loaded muzzleloader propped in a corner with a stall on it.

[Bob McBride]

Yea, I keep some guns displayed and some in safes and loaded guns all over the house as well. My State knows it’s place.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Pukka:  thank you for the clarification on Antique firearms.

[Daryl]

The firearms act also says that flintlock firearms, no matter when manufactured, are considered to be antiques.
As well, I also see no reason to display them. If someone with whom I wish to show guns to, visits and wants
to see them, I can easily unlock the storage facility and produce what is desired.