I’ve got some issues with safe storage laws, but they’re mostly about the inadequacy of the containers that they allow for.

The quick and dirty version is that, at best, safe storage laws require a residential security container (RSC), which is not very secure. It will stop curious kids, but will not stop an older kid that has time on their hands, or is determined and willing to use a destructive attack (e.g., a prybar). If you have a hammer and a long screwdriver, you can probably open most containers that are approved under safe storage laws. An actual gun safe is expensive as fuck, starting at about $5000 and going waaaaaaaaay up; a gun safe will stop pretty much everyone except a professional thief that is personally targeting you.

But the part that really chaps my ass is that RSCs are not only expensive for how little protection they offer, but it’s frustratingly hard to even figure out how to compare them against each other if they aren’t UL listed. Sometimes the lock on the RSC will be listed, but not the container. Sometimes they’ll have a fire rating, but won’t have anything for the lock or the resistance to destructive attacks. Unless you find an expert–and there aren’t many working at big box sporting goods stores–you won’t have any idea what kind of protection you’re paying a few thousand dollars for.

EDIT - even after all of that, a safe storage law needs to have some kind of financial incentive built in, like a $1000 tax credit for the the purchase of a container that meets state criteria. Otherwise they’re going to seem unreasonably expensive to many people.