Biometrics Meets RFID With Gunbox Gun Storage

By Jacki Billings

While the big names strut their stuff on the SHOT Show floors the little guys also get their time to shine, titillating attendees with new ideas and products. While wandering around the new booths, we stumbled across Gunbox. Nestled into the back row and humbly awaiting potential customers, a Gunbox employee stood poised, ready to demonstrate what the company had to offer.

We jumped on the chance to be the lone occupants at the Gunbox show. Gunbox started where a lot of newer gun gear companies begin, as an Indiegogo campaign. Since then it’s grown to add more and more products. In essence, the Gunbox is a gun storage unit that utilizes both RFID and biometrics to grant gun owners a safe, yet accessible place to stow their firearms.

The Gunbox booth had several models on display for us to test out. The first was the standard Gunbox 2.0. This one is big enough to fit a full-size gun and a magazine, possibly two. Square in the middle of the black box is an illuminated blue area which, when an RFID equipped device that matches the code, is passed over it, the box pops open. Alternatively, if RFID isn’t your thing, there’s a space to program your fingerprint and the result is the same. The 2.0 offers a retail price of $259.

Gunbox offers a variety of RFID tools that are both nondescript and discreet to keep the Gunbox on the down-low. The Gunbox rep showed us a keychain, a sticker that can be put on the back of a phone or watch, and even a silver looking ring — all of which opened the Gunbox.

Next in the lineup was a smaller, more compact model we think would suit travel needs. The Echo is lighter than the original but sacrifices the pop-up option. On the go though, it seems like a better alternative than the heavier, premium version. It comes with the lowest price point at $149.

Lastly, Gunbox had their rifle case standing beside the booth. The box works similarly, with either RFID access or fingerprint, but opens horizontally instead of vertically like the pistol box. Gunbox also equipped the rifle case with bluetooth speakers to make it seem less gun-like if you want to set it up in a living room or office. The rifle model is the most expensive, coming in at just under $700, but for ease and access might be worth it for some gun owners.

The boxes come in a few colors so you can match it to decor and the company provides accessories and options to allow some customization.