This article was originally published by Tess Pennington at Ready Nutrition.

Home defense is a concern for many. And who wouldn’t be? 2,000,000 home burglaries are reported each year in the United States. More interesting, is that the average burglary takes 10 minutes and the stolen property amounts to over $2,000 in stolen property.

According to one home security website, “most people don’t hide their valuable items carefully, and burglars know it. Once they break in, burglars head straight for the master bedroom, where they scavenge through dresser drawers and nightstands, look under mattresses, and search closets. Cash, jewelry, and weapons are some of the things a burglar wants most from your home.”

Safety concealment systems are an easy way to remedy this. Not only can you hide firearms in easy-to-access locations in the home, but you can also hide valuables and make it more difficult for burglars to steal your property.

What is a concealment system or a tactical hideaway? Essentially, it is a floating shelf with a secret compartment to conceal hidden items. These are especially helpful from a home security standpoint because valuables and/or self-protection items are hidden in the open and would not attract attention. Some other items that you could hide away are:

• spare keys
• valuables
• jewelry
• cash
• passports/documentation

While pre-assembled concealment shelves like this one run anywhere from $100-$400, you can easily make one for a fraction of the cost and add a more decorative look.

What You Will Need For This Project:

• 4 ft. length of 1″x2″ common board
• 1/4″ x 1″ hardwood emboss rope
• 4″ ft. length of 4-1/2″ hardwood emboss crown molding
• 12″ chop saw

Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint book.

Across the ages, in every survival story, a disaster of some sort plays a prominent role. Sometimes the part is played by the government, sometimes it is played by Mother Nature, and other times, the role is taken on by a random mishap. If we have learned one thing studying the history of disasters, it is this: those who are prepared have a better chance at survival than those who are not. –The Prepper’s Blueprint, description