GUN CABINETS

Weapon cabinets. Cabinets which may be considered to be suitable for the security of firearms, shotguns and ammunition should be expected to provide the resistance equal to:

 a) a cabinet manufactured and fitted as certified to comply with BS7558:1992; or

 b) a cabinet fabricated to the following:

I) The sheet steel body of not less than 2mm (14swg), formed by either folding, continuous welding or a combination of these methods;

When fabricating the body, the doorcase should be constructed to provide a continuous rest plate with the length of the opening edge to prevent an attack on the lockbolts by inserting a hacksaw blade;

The door frame may be formed by return bending of the body steel or the provision of a bar or angle frame, welded to the carcass with sufficient relief to the edges to provide for door locking and hanging. The frame should be designed so that the door, when closed, can resist attempts to force it inwards;

Doors should be formed from the same material with either bent, folded or post formed edges, or the provision of a bracing frame of bar or angled steel, or ribs welded to the inside of the door to prevent the flexing or bending of the door when closed;

II) Doors hung on :

Hinges internally fitted;

Hinges externally fitted, with either hinge bolts, anti-bar plates or interlocking formed door edge, along the hanging side of the door;

Swivel bars or rods with return fold anti-bar plate. The frame should be fabricated to prevent, so far as possible, the insertion of tools to cut the pins; or

For slot in type doors, not less than 2 steel pins of 12mm dia or full width welded steel footplate not less than door thickness.

III) Secured by:

Locks to BS3621 or 7 lever safe locks with not less than 38mm x 9mm cross-section steel bolts; or

Locks in the approved list under HELA Tech Doc 26/5; or

Padlocks not less than CEN 4. Close shackle padlocks should be selected on an open ring or plate staples. Locks specified above, with the exception of padlocks, should be mounted on steel brackets or pockets, providing strength equal to that of the door and welded to the door

 Hinged full-length doors for rifles/shotguns should be fitted with two locking devices fitted at points to divide the locking edge into equal parts. Alternatively, the door may have a driven bolt/multi-point locking system, either key or lever-operated, providing:

1. three bolts operating equally along the opening edge or opening edge, top and bottom;     
2. the bolts to provide resistance equal to that in BS3621;
3. a lever-driven system to be secured by a lock to BS3621 or equivalent  On slide-in, fully braced doors, the number and location of the lock(s) will be determined by the degree of absence of flexing in the door.

 Padlocks should have steel staples, hasp/staple, or pad bars fabricated to equate to the protective strength of the lock.

 Provision of at least 4 fixing holes to take not less than 10mm diameter fastening devices. The holes to be spaced to provide maximum binding of the cabinet to structure.

 When ammunition or firing mechanisms are to be kept separately from the firearms, a smaller cabinet of similar construction or a separately lockable container, either as an extension of the cabinet, or internally fabricated, can be manufactured.