guns

Discretion.

A flimsy cabinet is obvious, and anyone can get into in minutes with things likely found right next to it.

The big safes are obvious what's in them, but too much effort.

But if someone breaks in, they're not searching your entire house, they're grabbing what's in plain sight and running.

If you have a gun on your kitchen counter, they're taking it and checking for more. If they never see a gun, they probably won't just come across any.

If there's kids in the house, you need a real safe, and you need to keep the key location secret. Because the biggest danger with your guns will always be a curious child. It's waaaaaay more likely than needing to use it to defend against a criminal

Don't half ass it, you can get a "good enough" safe for the cost of another rifle. Look at places like harbor freight. Try to get one where the weight in the bottom is removable, and get some buddies you trust to help move it in. Don't tell anyone else