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I'm a fanatic about keeping our firearms secured, either in the big safe or in little GunVault safes as the situation requires, plus behind locked doors inside the house/car/camper/whatever, plus an alarm system. I have become a believer in these "layers" of security, the idea being that several layers (each with weaknesses by themselves) provide a cumulative overall higher (even if not completely foolproof) level of security.

However, all the "layers" and locks and alarms and whatever become moot if you forget to engage them.

Two weeks ago, packing our travel trailer for our second trip of the summer, I went ahead and put a couple of our handguns in the camper (locked in the GunVault and cable-secured) overnight because we were leaving town before dawn the next morning. When I awoke early and went out to the camper on my driveway, I found ... to my great chagrin ... the camper door wide open and the GunVault laid out on the floor where someone had obviously entered, found it, and tried to open it and/or take it with them. Obviously, I had forgotten to lock the entry door to the camper. Fortunately, the GunVault and cable were sufficient "layers" for this incident and prevented a robbery, but a dead-bolted door should have been in place to prevent the intruder from even getting to that point.

This was a vivid wake-up call for me ... forgetting to lock the door was a very stupid and risky error of negligence which I shall not repeat.

CedarElm7 wrote:I'm a fanatic about keeping our firearms secured, either in the big safe or in little GunVault safes as the situation requires, plus behind locked doors inside the house/car/camper/whatever, plus an alarm system. I have become a believer in these "layers" of security, the idea being that several layers (each with weaknesses by themselves) provide a cumulative overall higher (even if not completely foolproof) level of security.

However, all the "layers" and locks and alarms and whatever become moot if you forget to engage them.

Two weeks ago, packing our travel trailer for our second trip of the summer, I went ahead and put a couple of our handguns in the camper (locked in the GunVault and cable-secured) overnight because we were leaving town before dawn the next morning. When I awoke early and went out to the camper on my driveway, I found ... to my great chagrin ... the camper door wide open and the GunVault laid out on the floor where someone had obviously entered, found it, and tried to open it and/or take it with them. Obviously, I had forgotten to lock the entry door to the camper. Fortunately, the GunVault and cable were sufficient "layers" for this incident and prevented a robbery, but a dead-bolted door should have been in place to prevent the intruder from even getting to that point.

This was a vivid wake-up call for me ... forgetting to lock the door was a very stupid and risky error of negligence which I shall not repeat.

Thanks for posting this. You have perfectly illustrated the importance of layered security and how using it can keep a momentary oversight into turning into a disaster.

It's an important lesson well worth reinforcing from time to time.

Thanks for posting. Glad they weren't able to get what they really wanted...

I'm terrible about this. ...I don't have any kids, but I've gotten into a habit of taking off my holster and putting it in the sock drawer. Locked doors, but that never really stops the not lazy thieves.

Thank you for posting. We have the four "layers" of gun safety. If any one fails the others should be there to protect us. I think that your layered security is the same. Your cable lock and portable safe took up some slack.

A good reminder for us all.

A few weeks ago, a thief broke into my son's car in his driveway and stole his radar detector. Thankfully, the thief didn't check his trunk, were a custom built very nice AR15 was stored. He brings it in at night now and parks his car inside his garage......where he should have been parking it all along.

The Annoyed Man wrote:A few weeks ago, a thief broke into my son's car in his driveway and stole his radar detector. Thankfully, the thief didn't check his trunk, were a custom built very nice AR15 was stored. He brings it in at night now and parks his car inside his garage......where he should have been parking it all along.

This brings up another point about "layered security". Don't EVER leave your garage door remote outside in your car at night. Even worse would be to leave it in the car while there's no one home.

Even leaving it in your car elsewhere is a risk. If a thief breaks into your vehicle, he probably has easy access to your garage door remote and your Texas insurance card. Now he has your address too.

Pawpaw wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:A few weeks ago, a thief broke into my son's car in his driveway and stole his radar detector. Thankfully, the thief didn't check his trunk, were a custom built very nice AR15 was stored. He brings it in at night now and parks his car inside his garage......where he should have been parking it all along.

This brings up another point about "layered security". Don't EVER leave your garage door remote outside in your car at night. Even worse would be to leave it in the car while there's no one home.

Even leaving it in your car elsewhere is a risk. If a thief breaks into your vehicle, he probably has easy access to your garage door remote and your Texas insurance card. Now he has your address too.

I leave mine in the car, but have a locking system on the garage door that locks out the remotes when activated and I turn it on at night.

However, if you have a GPS in the vehicle and you have the 'Home' location set, they can get your garage remote and will have a map straight to your house by using YOUR GPS.

Pawpaw wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:A few weeks ago, a thief broke into my son's car in his driveway and stole his radar detector. Thankfully, the thief didn't check his trunk, were a custom built very nice AR15 was stored. He brings it in at night now and parks his car inside his garage......where he should have been parking it all along.

This brings up another point about "layered security". Don't EVER leave your garage door remote outside in your car at night. Even worse would be to leave it in the car while there's no one home.

Even leaving it in your car elsewhere is a risk. If a thief breaks into your vehicle, he probably has easy access to your garage door remote and your Texas insurance card. Now he has your address too.

My son's garage is old-school. That's why he was parking outside. Pure laziness, which he himself admits. He just didn't want to have to raise the door by hand. Not anymore. Raising the door by hand now seems a lot easier than paying to fix his window, and saving up the money again for another radar detector. His was stolen during the night, and he discovered it when he went out to his car to go to work in the morning, only to be told when he got there that he had been laid off. Sucky day, hard lesson. Thankfully, he's got a decent job now, and he is locking his car up in the garage at night.

Keith B wrote: However, if you have a GPS in the vehicle and you have the 'Home' location set, they can get your garage remote and will have a map straight to your house by using YOUR GPS.

They can also get that information from databases on the internet that allow license plate lookup... (for a small fee)

cb1000rider wrote:

Keith B wrote: However, if you have a GPS in the vehicle and you have the 'Home' location set, they can get your garage remote and will have a map straight to your house by using YOUR GPS.

They can also get that information from databases on the internet that allow license plate lookup... (for a small fee)

The people that break into cars are 99.9% not going to be the type that would look up your license number in a database. They will be looking to hit quick, leave and go to the target while the owner is still away.

Keith B wrote:However, if you have a GPS in the vehicle and you have the 'Home' location set, they can get your garage remote and will have a map straight to your house by using YOUR GPS.

That is the exact reason I set the "Home" location on my wife's GPS to the Kroger store about a half mile from the house.

That way, it gets her close enough to home that she can't possibly be lost, without bringing them directly into our subdivision, much less our home.

Jumping Frog wrote:

Keith B wrote:However, if you have a GPS in the vehicle and you have the 'Home' location set, they can get your garage remote and will have a map straight to your house by using YOUR GPS.

That is the exact reason I set the "Home" location on my wife's GPS to the Kroger store about a half mile from the house.

That way, it gets her close enough to home that she can't possibly be lost, without bringing them directly into our subdivision, much less our home.

I don't really worry about the GPS or the license plate. I would think your insurance card would be the first thing someone would grab.

When I lived outside DC there was a rash of break ins at the airport. They would take your insurance card and garage door remote (if you had one) and pay a visit to your house.

This is the main reason why my insurance card shows a PO Box. The other reason is I don't want anyone I am involved with an accident with to have my home address.

I've experienced the ugly pain of being burglarized.

Both home and vehicle on separate occasions.

You have my sympathy.

Count yourself somewhat lucky they didn't vandalize too...

Keith B wrote:However, if you have a GPS in the vehicle and you have the 'Home' location set, they can get your garage remote and will have a map straight to your house by using YOUR GPS.

The smart thing to do is map to a location NEAR the house, major intersection, some place you still know how to get home, but that will still give the GPS best route path. My "home" is about a mile away from the house.