Selecting The Best Warehouse For Your Gun Store Inventory

No matter what kind of gun you sell, it is important to spend time selecting the best warehouse for your gun store inventory. The federal government regulates the storage, sale, shipment and registration of actual weapons through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Owners of these establishments have to conform to a long list of requirements, giving them less flexibility in the matter. However, there are many businesses that sell replicas, air guns, pellet guns and BB guns, and safe storage of this valuable inventory is also very important. We will deal with these kinds of businesses in this article, although the principles are quite similar to those for actual weapons.

There are several matters of primary importance for every business with off-site storage. The first is probably location. The warehouse should not be too far away. On the other hand, there are certain standards the storage area must meet, so there is a bit of a trade-off. Whether five or 25 miles away is appropriate will depend on each store's mode of operation, where the owner and employees live, whether or not the company has a delivery vehicle, etc. Besides location, of course, there are other important factors for selecting the best warehouse for your gun store inventory.

Valuable in various ways

Air guns and replica weapons have an interesting role in American society. Not only are they used for recreation, entertainment and certain rural chores (from paintball tournaments to varmint hunting, in other words), they are also an unfortunate second choice for criminals that cannot obtain, or do not want to risk using, real guns. Although the orange plastic caps and markers are required on air guns and other non-lethal rifles and pistols, it is easy enough to remove or paint them. It is impossible to estimate the number of crimes committed with fake weapons, but it happens regularly. Therefore, these items are a target for thieves.

Additionally, there are some models of air guns and sporting pellet guns that cost up to a thousand dollars. There are some very exacting replicas, too, that fire blanks and look (and are, essentially) completely real, too. Tournament air guns and CO2 rifles can also be quite expensive. This means that there are several motivating factors for thieves to target your inventory. Even if you have a very secure store location, using an offsite warehouse can help protect you against a single break-in that gets 100% of your stock. There are other reasons, however, for considering an offsite warehouse.

Security and 24/7 surveillance

A good storage unit in one of the modern storage warehouse complexes is a wise move for store owners who want to secure their gun inventory. Most of these sites have video surveillance covering all entrances, aisles and individual storage units. More importantly, perhaps, a large number of them have onsite management that is performing 24/7 surveillance, with both cameras and foot patrols. With locking gates that are password- or cardkey-protected, burglars and break-in artists are likely to pass them by and head for easier pickings. Criminals prefer the route of least resistance, of course, so the more hindrances one throws in their way, the more secure your sites (store or warehouse) will be.

With the state of technology today, it is even possible for warehouse firms to set customers up to view their storage units with Web-based camera operations. The same video feed that arrives to the warehouse security office can be made available to customers with a few clicks and a password setting. This capability goes a long way to ensuring the peace of mind that secure storage is intended to provide.

Other considerations

Depending on location, it may be wise to ensure that the storage area you choose is safe from the elements and weather threats, whether rain, snow, hurricanes or tornadoes. If you get a unit with a roll-up door, this may not provide sufficient defense against rainwater and cold temperatures. Larger warehouse spaces are sometimes heated, with inside entrances rather than outside access, which adds yet another level of security.

The bottom line is, you have to spend adequate time selecting the best warehouse for your gun store inventory, because there are a number of different considerations. Proximity, safety, security and stable environmental conditions for your valuable inventory will be the major deciding points, as pricing should be well within your budget. If you take enough time to consider things carefully, you will end up with a warehouse for your gun inventory that is not only cost-effective, but also safe, secure, dry and easily accessible. - 39468