Thread: E cat safe/safe room options

It looks like ultimately I'll be going for my E Category eventually, so I should plan on setting up storage to anticipate it. I know I've written a lot, but hoping to nail down my options, and the devil's in the details on these things.

So, in considering E category, I'm looking at my options for storage. I understand that ultimately everything comes down to the firearms officer that inspects storage, so will get input from them, but am also looking for the forum's input on what has worked for them, and to see whether anyone thinks the police will accept my plan based on their guidelines.

My first option is to just buy an E Cat rated safe. For anything the size I want I'm going to be spending the same as a used truck, which I would rather not do. The only pro to the safe is that I can take it with me if I move.




My second option is to build something. In reading the police storage recommendations ( Firearms storage | New Zealand Police ), I believe that my best option is to renovate a closet in the house to meet the standards for Room Construction (28(1) B). All my proposals are pulled directly from their recommendations.

In this case I would propose to modify a large inside wall closet to the standards by:

- Door: Steel body door, or the defined 40mm solid wood door with 16gauge+ steel cladding, rebated edges, hinge security bolts, welded hinge pins and heavy wood frame, or steel frame.

- Inside walls, ceiling and floor: stapled heavy steel mesh or screwed sheet metal (no definition of substantial is available on the website) or 16mm+ construction ply to the wall studs.

- Locks: Standard 5 lever mortise lock. For the price I could put in two or three - not a huge difference to me. Since it's the established standard I would probably just use it, as anything I designed would need a locksmith to certify.

- No windows into the storage area

- Alarms: I see that they are listed as required. Is this A) a fact written in law? B) Is it required to be installed and monitored by a commercial company? I've searched the government standards that determine the rules but you have to buy access to view government regulations? Bizarre.

I recognize I may need to find a tradesperson or engineer to sign off on my setup, but feel that if I do get an engineer's signature on my plan and final inspection and do it myself, I could either save a pile of cash, or spend the same amount and buy a stack of tools in the process. I also consider projects like this to be fun, so if it takes me a month of evenings doing it I'm happy with that.