By Tom Ginerva
You’ve no doubt hear of biometric technology or have seen it featured on movies such as The Fifth Element and Gattaca. If you have an iPhone, you’re probably using it every day. It’s possible that you even noticed it being featured as far back as the original Star Trek TV series in the 1960s. Yet, if you have never before seen this type of technology in action, you may be wondering what benefits it offers for gun owners who want to keep their firearms safe and sound.
The truth is that biometric access is a great choice for keeping your guns out of harm’s way while still providing easy access.
What Is Biometric Technology?
Biometric technology uses a part of the authorized person’s body — a fingerprint, retina, etc. — to allow them access to whatever is being protected. The technology recognizes what’s unique to each individual in order to minimize the chance of anyone else being granted access.
In the movies this is typically done using a retina scan or complete facial scan, but in terms of gun safes it’s typically your fingerprint that’s needed. Since we all have unique fingerprints that’s a simple way of restricting access to just you and anyone else that you want to give access to.
The Advantages of a Biometric Gun Safe
There are plenty of reasons why biometrics are the best choice for for securing an item like a firearm. For a start, the simple scanning of a finger over the safe’s scanner makes for a fast and efficient way of getting hold of your guns.
If you wake up in the middle of the night to a strange noise, being able to quickly and easily get to your firearm is a big advantage. No more fiddling with keys or trying to remember combinations or codes.
The other big advantage of this kind of gun safe is that it keeps your firearms away from people anyone who shouldn’t have access to it. Whether it’s an intruder or an inquisitive child, a biometric safe will ensure that only you have access to your gun.
The good news: with most models you can also program the scanner to give access to other people as well. In this way, a group of authorized users can get to the firearm without the need to copy keys or give others a code.
Are There Any Disadvantages?
As with any storage divide, there are some possible disadvantages to take into account, but you can mitigate them with some forward thinking. For instance, the scanner may not recognize your print when you try to open it the first time.
You can get around this by buying a model that allows you to scan all of your fingers from different angles. In this way, you can be certain that the scanner is will recognize you even when you slide your finger across it quickly in the dark.
The other issue to consider is what to do if the your unit’s battery runs down. Better battery-operated gun safes will typically make a beeping noise as the power fades or show a warning light to let you know the battery needs to be changed. And, of course, be sure to get a unit that opens with a back-up key in case the battery loses power completely.
Conclusion
There’s good reason why biometric gun safes have gained so much in popularity. As the technology and access times have improved significantly, more gun owners are choosing them as the most secure and effective way of limiting access to their firearms while ensuring they’re also easily available.
Tom Ginerva is the founder of gunsafeguru.com.