The gun you keep at home is only useful if it is where your hand goes when you are startled, and a drawer, a shelf, or a safe across the room is not that. A magnet screwed under a desktop or inside a nightstand puts the gun exactly where you reach in the dark, hidden from anyone who does not know it is there. This guide covers how to mount one, where, and the rules that make it safe.
The mount
SofHold Magnetic Gun Mount
Neodymium magnet rated at over 50 pounds of pull, wrapped in top-grain leather so it does not scratch a finish, and it mounts with screws or adhesive backing, so you can screw it down or stick it. Works with any steel-slide handgun, including Glock, Sig, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Ruger, Beretta and Taurus. Money-back guarantee. $45. The In God We Trust and Don't Tread On Me versions are the same magnet with embossed leather, which matters more on a desk than under it.
Under a desk
Mount it under the desktop on the side away from the door, far enough back that a knee does not find it and close enough that a seated hand does. Screws into the underside of a wood or particleboard top; adhesive on a metal or laminate desk. Orient the grip toward you, muzzle toward the wall.
Nightstand
Three options, in order of how well they hide the gun:
- Inside the frame, behind the drawer. Pull the drawer, screw the magnet to the inside of the cabinet wall, replace the drawer. Nobody opening the drawer sees a gun; you reach in and over.
- Under the top, at the back edge. Reachable from the bed without opening anything. Visible if someone looks under.
- Inside the drawer, on the side wall. Easiest, and keeps the gun off the drawer bottom so it does not slide around.
The rules
- Children or guests, no magnet. If anyone who should not handle a gun can reach that room unsupervised, the gun goes in a quick-access safe. A magnet is a mount, not a lock.
- Nothing touches the trigger. Mount it so the trigger guard is in open air, not against a drawer edge or a cable.
- Same place, every night. The value of a mount is that your hand knows where the gun is without your brain. Do not move it.
Frequently asked questions
Will the magnet hold a gun upside down under a desk?
Yes. 50 pounds of pull holds a 2-pound pistol in any orientation.
Will it scratch the gun?
No. The magnet is wrapped in leather.
Can I put it inside a safe instead?
Yes, and if the room is not controlled you should. Adhesive on the inside of the safe door works well.
Does it work with a revolver?
Yes. The steel frame and cylinder hold.
Screws or adhesive for furniture?
Either. Screws on wood, adhesive on laminate or metal.
The bottom line
A SofHold magnet inside the nightstand frame is the best hidden, fastest home gun mount there is, in a room you control. Anywhere else, it belongs inside the safe.
Related reading
Best gun magnets
Gun safe magnets: organizing a safe
Best car gun holsters (no drilling)
