In celebration of the recent Heller decision, I performed one of my many duties as a law abiding gun owner and procured another method for safely storing my rifle and pistol. This is not to say I did not have one already - I do - but I am also about to move, and the current storage solution I am enjoying would not provide the protection I think is necessary for what amount to be very expensive pieces of hardware. This thought is further backed up by the destruction of the case my pistol was residing in during my last move - the pistol came out perfectly intact and function, but the case was effectively destroyed. That particular case was at the lower end of the price/quality scale, so, this time, I took a slightly different tack on the situation.

The problem with my current storage is that it is a soft-side case - namely, this one. It works great going to and from the range, what with its side handle, backpack straps, thick padding, lockable zippers, and velcro straps to hold everything in place, but it also provides no rigidity, no external shell, and no real proection save from droppage, gentle knocks, and possibly weather. However, like I said, it was easily lockable, and thus met the standard definitions for a law abiding gun owner's storage solution - after all, there is no such thing as a case that can stop someone determined to get into it, short of a full-blown, anchored-to-the-floor safe, and this thing would certainly deter a child, unskilled thief, or other unauthorized person interested in procuring my firearms. And it gave those firearms a good storage location - after all, just leaving them in their boxes on a high shelf hardly meets any requirements. All checks in the boxes filled... except when it comes to moves and airline flights.

In the interests of both ensuring that my $1800 rifle and $500 pistol survive the move, as well as giving me the capability to possibly attend such interesting events as the Gun Blogger Rendezvous (and maybe a Boomershoot if I can ever get the time, money, and scope-age), I had to purchase something that meets the Airline Transport Association requirements (which, by the way, are not very clearly delineated anywhere on their webpage), and hopefully Specification 300.

Well, after hours of poking around, comparing prices, contrasting capabilities, looking at pictures, taking measurements, checking specifications, poring through warranties, and all the rest of the joys that one can experience while tracking down items on the internet, I finally decided on a Pelican 1200 for my Baby Eagle and a 1720 for my M1A SOCOM II, procured here and here, respectively. The prices are a bit steep, I will say that much... However, Pelican has a really simple warranty - if it breaks, they replace it. Period. For the life of the item. I guess that means that if you were somehow able to slag the entire case, they might not replace it, but for my purposes, that will do just fine. And not only will these cases protect the firearms in question during their move (at least, I hope so, and, if not, the cases are easily replaceable, and will hopefully manage to protect the firearms, even in death), but, just like any other law abiding gun owner, I am concerned about the possible theft of my firearms, and while these particular cases still will not stop a person with the right tools and determination, they will certainly serve as further deterrence, and they will certainly keep children or other at-risk groups away from them. And, hey, if I ever have to go through another Katrina, at least the cases, and the guns inside, will float... and just about hold Better Half up, to boot.

Sadly, I will not be able to provide a review of the cases until I actually receive them, but by way of a review for B&H, shortly after purchasing the cases, I happened to stumble across a cheaper price for the 1200. A short phone call later, and B&H refunded the difference to my credit card - granted, it was only six dollars and change, but it was still nifty of them to do that.

(And, yeah, I know I am a little behind on the whole "law abiding gun owner" thing, but despite not receiving the email, I am still trying to do my (admittedly little) part.)

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, The Random Yak, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, , Phastidio.net, The Amboy Times, Cao's Blog, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, third world county, Allie is Wired, Faultline USA, McCain Blogs, DragonLady's World, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, , Stageleft, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.