Little Fingers

I’m blessed with four grandkids under the age of four. The youngest is just over a year, one will be two in the fall, and the other two will hit the four mark when the leaves fall in a few months.

The 1½-year-old toddles around the house saying, “Upahhh!” While that may sound like “up,” meaning I want you to pick me up for a half a picosecond until some new shiny object catches my eye, it really means, “I can get into most anything in the house now that I am walking and climbing and have no fear of bodily harm from falling off furniture. And while you might not think I can mess with a firearm enough to do something dangerous, do you really want to test me on that? Bring it noob!”

As for the older ones? They probably could pass the Navy SEAL BUDS program obstacle course, and they’ve earned extra work-study credits learning how to disassemble any mechanical or electronic object. Do they know how to operate a gun? No. Are they able to manipulate things in ways never envisioned by designers and engineers? Absolutely yes. Ipso facto e. pluribus unum, I can’t allow them to ever get their hands anywhere near a gun.

While I’ve been locking up all guns whenever they come over, they’re getting older, and the visits are more frequent as both my kids and their broods live in our town. And we often have random company, so it just makes sense to shift to an “always locked up” approach for my daily carry and home defense guns.

Home Security Scenario

I work out of the house, so my carry gun lives in my office — the room right off the front door. I don’t often carry in my own home, but I’d still like a gun to be easily accessible in case the coyotes making more frequent appearances in my neighborhood start getting cranky. Or something worse of the human variety. People are crazy.

Then there’s the bedroom. Before toddlers, I didn’t worry too much about a handgun in the nightstand. Now? I’d rather not rely on remembering to put everything in the big gun safe all the time. So, I decided to explore secure nightstand solutions while I was at it.

Bedroom Solution

This hefty mini-safe has some serious weight for the size, which helps not only with security but also prevents it from moving around on the nightstand.

Logistically, it’s perfect for nightstand use as it has a digital clock, and it even sports two USB-A ports for powering and charging your gear. As the drawer opens to the front, you don’t really lose any space since stuff like books, phones, or whatever can sit permanently on the top. It’s about a foot wide, 11″ deep and just under 4″ tall and includes a security cable to discourage easy theft.

RFID

I was intrigued by the operation of the Hornady RAPiD Safe Night Guard. Its primary means of access is via one of three types of RFID “tags.” The idea is to hold one of these near the front-facing digital clock on the device, and magic radio waves tell the safe, “Hey, this is a legit key. It’s OK to open up now!

I particularly like this scenario for home defense gun use because it doesn’t require you to remember codes or finger patterns in a moment of panic, or operate such things in pitch-dark conditions when waking from a dead sleep. Just wave the tag across the front, and the drawer slides out, presenting your handgun or whatever else you might want to store in there.

That sounds great until you start thinking about where to store and how to manage that little RFID “key.” Are you expected to sleep with it stuck to your forehead? Or find it buried in your nightstand drawer?

Great question. The short answer is no. With the accessories provided, you can configure your own access process. Here are some options to consider. Included with the Night Guard are three types of “keys.” There’s a silicone or rubber watch band slider, two “decal” disks, each about the thickness of three or four playing cards and the size of a quarter, more or less and a plastic key ring “card” much like the ones grocery stores give out for their loyalty programs.

When going about your day, pick what’s most convenient based on what’s handily accessible. Stick the slider on your watch. Use the keyring card. Or stick the decal on the back of your cell phone. You can even include it inside your phone case if there’s room in your setup. Of course, you can also store one or more of these devices in whatever secure location is appropriate.

Backup Plans

The RFID access method is (to me) the most convenient and idiot-proof. But there are two other ways for authorized users to gain access. The unit has a four-number keypad on the front panel that’s illuminated. Choose your own four- or six-digit code and you’re in with no RFID gadgets required. Of course, given the built-in lighting, this works day or night.

For the last-ditch backup, or in the event of damage or loss to the RFID devices, AND you forget the combination, there are two barrel keys which you can stash away in a safe location.

I should mention here the unit plugs into the wall with an included AC adapter, but there is a battery backup system using four AAA batteries. The lights won’t be on until you touch something, but they’ll operate the system in the event of a power outage.

Office Solution

For office use, I wanted something I could ideally configure in a desk drawer, but could be equally appropriate sitting on the surface. Being in a public area of the house, a little extra discretion is not a bad thing.

This model offers all the same access methods of the Night Guard (RFID keys, touchpad and keys) but doesn’t have the clock and USB ports. It also uses a top-opening clamshell design rather than the drawer approach.

This one, without the space limitations of a sliding drawer approach, has more space inside. You can fit two 1911-sized pistols in there or one plus some extra magazines. As a comparison, the Night Guard drawer comfortably fit my large Staccato 2011 pistol equipped with an optical sight on top and a light/laser combo unit on the rail with room to spare for another double-stack magazine.

Flexibility

Both lockbox safes include security cables to help prevent someone from stealing the whole safe if that’s your desired usage. In my case, I’m more concerned with little ones or home guests getting inside the box itself. The size keeps these handy for use anywhere in the house, and the 4800KP unit can even be taken on the road if you need a travel solution.