Many of us at Bearing Arms share similar views on things. While I can’t speak for Cam, Tom, Ranjit, et.al. directly on everything, I have heard from Cam on more than one occasion state an axiom that I too subscribe to; “There’s no one size fits all solution to gun storage.” Whether we’re storing firearms to keep them out of the hands of children and other unauthorized persons, trying to protect them from damage, or keeping them unsecured in a nightstand drawer, it’s an individual’s business how they handle their particular needs. But what about needing to store firearms at a location separate from your home or domicile? Whatever the reason might be; security, or because one wants to separate themselves from their firearms for the time being, there aren’t too many options out there for offsite storage, and depending on the state, there might be severe legal issues to deal with. This is why I like an organization called Hold My Guns®. They’ve got new partners and are intensely excited to share that news with the community.

Hold My Guns® (HMGs) I’ve covered a few times in the past, most recently when they announced a very large matching funds drive that wrapped up earlier this year. A quick synopsis of who and what HMGs is:

Hold My Guns® connects gun owners with partnering Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to provide voluntary storage during times of crisis or personal need. The service is a non-legislative solution to help prevent suicide, theft, instances of stolen firearms used in crimes, and negligent injuries due to unauthorized access. Hold My Guns’® mission is to save lives, protect property, and preserve rights.

In the month of May, Sarah Joy Albrecht, the Founder and Executive Director of HMGs, said that they’ve brought on two more facilities to partner with them. In seperate press releases, HMGs welcomed Randall Family Firearms, LLC in Washington, and American TrailheadTM, LLC in Georgia. These two companies have signed up to help HMGs achieve their goal of bringing solutions to firearm owners.

Randall Family Firearms, LLC (RFF) joins a growing number of HMG storage partners, which include St. Bernard Indoor Shooting Center in Louisiana, KC Small Arms in Massachusetts, Branson Cerakote and Laser in Missouri, and a soon-to-be announced FFL partner in Georgia [American TrailheadTM, LLC].

“While many support entities share well-intentioned safety advice to securely store firearms offsite during the sale of a home or military deployment, or while going through difficult personal situations such as postpartum depression or a divorce, not everyone has friends or family members who are qualified to help with storage,” said Sarah Joy Albrecht, Hold My Guns®’ Founder and Executive Director. “Randall Family Firearms, LLC, combines the family-like care their namesake represents, plus the professional firearms services their customers already trust. We are grateful for their leadership to use their resources to provide this life-saving service to gun owners in Washington state.”

With a long-standing family history of public service, the Randalls see running a firearms business as an extension of their values of helping to save lives and prevent people from becoming victims. Jeremy’s father, Bob Randall, was a Department of Human and Social Services Educator (DSHS) for 36 years. After he passed away, a training room was named in his honor to commemorate his passion for education. Lisa’s late father, Dick Gagnon, served as a Homicide/Cold Case Detective in Seattle, for over 44 years, and his work was featured in the TV show Forensic Files.

“When a cry for help was noticed our fathers were always there to extend a hand, something we greatly value,” said Lisa Randall. “At Randall Family Firearms,, we believe everyone is deserving of support, tools for success, and respect for their rights. From meeting basic needs to offering solutions and everything in between, we hope to carry on our fathers’ legacies and extend that helping hand. We are humbled at the opportunity to partner with Hold My Guns®, to create this space in the PNW to continue their mission.”

Seeing HMGs take root in different areas across the nation is a promising sign. This shows a mentality shift in the firearm consumer industry from the old days of being a good old boys club, to an industry that understands the value in caring about and serving gun owners and customers. Outside of the box thinking like the concept of HMGs can potentially save lives, and since the program is 100% voluntary, it brings a viable solution people won’t be afraid of to the table.

Effective immediately American TrailheadTM, LLC, located in Cumming, GA, is offering voluntary firearms storage in partnership with 501(c)(3) nonprofit Hold My Guns®. Customers desiring to store firearms at, American TrailheadTM, LLC, are asked to arrange an appointment via the contact form via https://americantrailhead.com.

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“People from all walks of life are navigating complicated situations, many times not of their choosing,” said American Trailhead™, LLC, Co-founders Gerry Summey, CEO, and Michael Dutch Summey, President, in a joint statement. “American Trailhead™, LLC is proud to partner with Hold My Guns to bring a new private-sector solution to help people in crisis. As HMG’s first FFL Storage Partner in Georgia, together we can help keep people and property safe by offering voluntary firearms storage to the public and front-line professionals. We are strongly committed to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, including Americans’ private property and 2A rights. Deescalating a temporary personal situation and preventing even just one death or suicide is a tremendous success. God has certainly blessed our family and business, and we are honored to utilize our resources in a way that will save lives. We take great satisfaction from working in an industry with like-minded people that go beyond normal business activities to have a positive impact on individuals, families, and communities.”

Guns and mental health, firearm storage, suicide awareness, accident prevention, are all very complex issues to tackle. Politicians tend to work at legislating away stupidity and or cavalier disregard of commonsense, which is impossible. All storage mandates and mandates in general do is inflict a penalty to a situation. When it comes to firearms, there’s no cure through jail time or fines and fees, to say an accidental death, homicide, or death by suicide by firearm. These laws when broken can’t put the pieces back together. Knowing that industry members are keenly aware of the need for several different and voluntary solutions to mitigate adverse events from occurring is comforting.

The people over at HMGs need to be saluted for their continued dedication to bringing safe alternatives to those in need. The companies and dealers that partner with HMGs are answering the call for help, and they too deserve recognition. Welcome Randall Family Firearms and American TrailheadTM, LLC to a growing number of companies that see the value in self-governance. This mentality of self-governance embraces the spirit of rugged American individualism and is a phase shift back to better ways of doing things. I certainly can’t wait to see what HMGs brings to the table next, they are quite intense!