My gun safe is key operated. I got it from my father who no longer needed it, which is fine, because I'd have probably got with a keyed entry anyway. It's not that I think it's a great way to access a gun safe, it's just one of the least bad methods out there. All of them are a compromise option, and the only thing I'd probably get that I think is better is an old-fashioned combination lock. It doesn't need power, much like the key, so that works in its favor.
Plus I can feel like a safecracker whenever I open it, which is not to be dismissed lightly.
Yes, my wife will tell you I'm just a big child. I've come to accept this.
If you ignore the power concerns (which might be nothing because I haven't really looked into it, to be fair), I like the idea of biometric locks, but consider I live in the hottest part of the country, sweat is a constant companion, and that screws with one's ability to access whatever is on the other side of such a lock.
But Hornady has a new technology for some of its safes that might solve that particular issue.
Hornady’s® new VEXIS™ Mobilis® Safe line removes that trade-off entirely, pairing patent-pending vein-scanning biometric technology with the modular, move-anywhere design that’s made the Mobilis line a favorite for homes and offices that can’t fit a traditional welded safe through the door.
VEXIS™ technology reads the unique vein pattern beneath a user’s skin using harmless near-infrared light, capturing more than 2.5 million data points per scan to verify identity in under half a second. Unlike a fingerprint or a face, a vein pattern can’t be lifted, photographed, or copied — and it stays stable throughout adulthood, so the system doesn’t need to be retrained as a user ages. All scan data stays stored locally inside the safe itself, never uploaded or shared elsewhere. Each unit supports up to 10 authorized users, with keypad and mechanical key backup built in for multi-factor authentication or emergency access.
“Security should be both uncompromising and effortless,” said Jason Hornady, Hornady Vice President. That philosophy runs through the entire Mobilis line: 9-gauge, 2-ply steel exterior walls, a pry-resistant 3/16″ solid steel door, and sixteen 1-inch live locking bolts deliver genuine vault-level resistance, while a one-hour, 2300°F Fire Shield™ rating with heat-activated door seals protects contents against exactly the kind of disaster a safe is built for. And because the safe arrives in sections and assembles on site, none of that security requires knocking down a wall or hiring movers to get it in the room.
In other words, I now have zero concerns. There are three ways to get into the safe, including a key, and the scanning technology is both extremely cool and kind of terrifying. I mean, it's scanning my veins? Seriously? That feels almost invasive, except that since it's your safe and your veins and there's no uploading taking place. It kind of can't be.
I'm genuinely impressed with where we've gone technologically.
I'm also waiting for someone to use this exact type of technology to do something really creepy with it.
At least I'll have my guns safe and secured, but easily accessed if needed.
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