8 Gun Safes for Homes With Babies and Kids

More than 40 percent of parents with children under the age of 18 have a gun in their household, according to a 2024 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests temporarily removing firearms from the home when you have young kids, but if that's not possible, storing your guns as safely as possible is essential.

Firearm injuries are one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of 18 — and about half of these deaths occur at home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In many of these cases, the child was playing with a gun that was loaded and in an unlocked area, like a nightstand or cabinet.

Of course, it’s never too early to teach your child about gun safety — namely, if you see a gun, never touch it, leave the area and go tell an adult right away — but the best way to keep your child safe is to store your firearms properly if you have to have them at home, says the AAP.

“Any home with a gun should have the gun stored, locked, unloaded and kept separate from ammunition,” says Annie Andrews, M.D., a pediatrician and senior advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Children who are as young as two are strong enough to pull the trigger of a gun."

If you do need to store your guns at home, here are some of the safest ways to do it. 

Types of gun safes

If you have a gun at home, there are a few different types of storage for your firearms, according to Be SMART, an organization that helps parents understand responsible gun ownership. 

• A full-size gun safe: These can hold long guns and/or handguns, and can prevent children from accessing them. They can only be opened with your fingerprint, a key or with an electronic code. Typical price range: $200 to $2,000+

• A lock box or locker: These are smaller and lighter firearm storage containers that can be used if you're traveling somewhere with your gun. They can only be opened with a key or an electronic code. Typical price range: $50-$350.

In general, if you have long guns, you’ll need a larger, heavier safe, which can be pricier than the smaller safes made for handguns. The upside is that these safes can make your guns more difficult to steal or for little hands to explore, especially when they’re secured to the floor or wall. If you have handguns, those safes tend to be smaller than those for long guns, which can be good if you don’t have many guns — or much room. 

Traveling with your firearms

If you have to leave your home with a firearm, you’ll want to transport it unloaded. It will also need to be in a portable, locked safe (also known as a lockbox) that’s fixed to some type of immobile structure, such as the hardware underneath a seat if you're traveling in a car, says Lickenbrock. You'll want a safe that is TSA-compliant and comes with their own security cables so you can attach the safe underneath your seat in the car. Always check the TSA website and your own airline's policy before traveling with a firearm, though. Most domestic flights allow you to check your firearm as long as it's locked, unloaded and you declare to the check-in agent you have it.

How to choose a gun safe

Once you’ve narrowed down the type of gun safe you need, there are a few features you should look for (no matter what type of safe or gun you have). While they come at all different price points, and some come with more bells and whistles than others (think: waterproof, fire-resistant, and climate-controlled containers), you don't need to shell out thousands of dollars to keep your firearms out of the hands of children — there are safe storage containers starting at around $50. Just make sure you look for the following features: 

1. A steel exterior: Steel is the strongest gun safe material, so it provides maximum security, says Greg Lickenbrock, the senior firearms analyst of the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. Just one note, though: Some of the travel cases on this list are not made of steel because steel can be quite heavy – but other options can still be a safe storage solution if you're taking your guns on the go. 

2. Pry-resistant features: Things like anti-pry tabs (also known as reinforced brackets) and locking bars make it harder for someone to break into, says Lickenbrock.

3. Hardware for anchoring the safe: For at-home safes, you'll want to anchor your safe to the floor, wall or other immobile structure, he says, so make sure it comes with bolts or a steel cable to do that. 

4. Locks: Gun safes open in a few different ways, and you always want to be sure yours has some type of secure lock, says Lickenbrock. Here are some of the different lock options: 

• Biometric: These safes require a fingerprint to open them, so they’re one of the safest options out there, says Dr. Andrews. If you buy a biometric safe, you can program it to only open with the gun owner’s fingerprint, for example, although many options on the market can allow multiple fingerprints (so you and your partner can both access it if needed). If for some reason the fingerprint lock isn't working, many safes on the market do have key or passcode override features to help you get in. 

• Electronic: These safes require a digital passcode to open.

• Combination lock: These safes open with a combination lock, much like a locker might.

• Manual key: These safes can be opened only with a physical key. Some biometric and electronic safes also have backup manual keys in case the fingerprint or digital code malfunctions.

How we chose the best gun safes

While there is no official federal authority that fully approves or authorizes gun safes, says Lickenbrock, these gun safety devices meet the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' definition of a secure gun storage or safety device option. They also meet the safety standards of the California Department of Justice, which plays a large role in regulating gun safety standards across the country, he adds.