How easy is it to find a "gun hotel" to board your firearms at?

[derby378]

One of these days, I would like to build up my own rifle (an AK-style semi-auto), but my wife and I have an agreement: no guns in the house. And then I started thinking about Norway, where the only way you can legally own a pistol is if the gun is kept under lock and key at a government-registered gun club.

So, what's the skinny? Are there any places where you can board guns in America? If so, do they charge reasonable rates for boarding your goodies?

[Irreverend IX]

1. Some gun stores will store firearms...

But those are mostly located near areas with strict gun control. For example, some people who live in Manhattan or Chicago will go to a gun store a few counties over, buy a gun and then have it kept there, picking it up for trips to the range. There's probably not much call for that service in Texas, though you could check with your local stores. You could see if your wife is okay with keeping a partially disassembled rifle at home which you would put together after arriving at a range.

[Wiley50]

4. Actually, Texas Would Be Perfect for Boom Boom's Boarding House

for folks who are going on vacation in Mexico and need to find a temp home for it.

Same with the northern tier states

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

2. What's the price of a storage facility?

Probably too much per month just to store an AK.

Or, just leave it in the trunk, or get a locker for the garage.

Or, get a .22 and take her shooting.

[benEzra]

3. Gun-owning friend with a gun safe?

I've stored guns for a friend who was attending college and couldn't take his Glock with him (that's how my wife fell in love with Glocks, BTW). And, an acquaintance with a gun safe stored my guns when my wife and I were chasing our newborn son all over the country trying to find a hospital that could save his life. (He's now 7 years old...thank God and Boston Children's...)

The storage unit is an good idea, IF it's climate-controlled and has good security, and you have enough other stuff to store to make the cost worthwhile. Unless you live in a really dry climate, I'd avoid putting guns in non-climate-controlled storage. If you do use a storage unit, get some sort of low-profile case to carry the rifle in so that anyone watching you visit your unit doesn't say, "oh, there's a cool looking rifle stored in unit #232, I'll be back later..." A beat-up hardside guitar case would work (one that's not expensive looking), or even a long, narrow cardboard box--something that looks cheap and not worth stealing.

Bank safe deposit box would also be a good idea (storing a unloaded gun in one is usually legal, but check your state's laws), BUT a SD box big enough to store a 3-foot-long rifle is going to cost nearly as much as the storage unit, and would be less convenient.

FWIW, if the rifle is an AK, you can remove the bolt assembly from the bolt carrier, reassemble the rifle, and somebody who isn't super familiar with AK's won't know the difference--but the rifle won't work and can't be made to work unless the thief can diagnose the problem and figure out where in the world to get a replacement bolt. (Especially if you put a trigger lock on the rifle as a distraction.) So if you store the rifle offsite, keep the bolt, and if somebody steals it, it will be useless. Just don't lose the bolt...