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Answer by John Burnett:
This is a judgment call. If you want to accommodate this customer, you might require him to remove the firing pins and certify that he has done so. Ask him to allow a bank employee knowledgeable of firearms examine them to ensure that all rounds have been removed. Demand that no ammunition be stored in the box. That pretty much removes the guns from the definition of 'inherently dangerous.'
Obviously, this guy has stepped up to the plate and asked permission, when he could easily have ignored your rules and put a loaded and operable handgun in the vault without your knowing.

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Answer by Andy Zavoina:
If this is an unloaded weapon it poses no harm, per your contract. This is especially so if it is an antique and not able to fire. In this case I'd say it is able to be stored there.
If you want to hold fast to your policy, you may do so but exceptions are made regularly to policies in banks. The storage of a weapon is likely not the reason the sign is there. If the customer wants it stored so that it is not available to children then I would be more apt to allowing this. For safety you may want to require that it have a trigger lock and that neither the key nor ammunition be stored in the bank.

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Answer by Ken Golliher:
My suggestion is that you tell the customer you meant what you said on the sign on the front door. My unloaded guns are definitely not inherently dangerous. However, I am the only one who is ever certain they are not loaded and I have seen more than one dedicated gun owner accidentally discharge an 'unloaded' weapon. Having employees inspect them violates the 'prime directive' in terms of the bank's goal of not knowing what is in the box.
One training client had a renter walk in the front door carrying an ancient Buntline revolver in plain sight. Some employees had unpleasant reactions. He just laughed and said he was only going to put it in his safe deposit box. The branch manager was so angry she refused him access to the box and threatened to call the police if he ever did it again. Some people, particularly bank employees, are simply afraid of guns and their fears should be respected.
If a customer is discrete, he can do it without your knowledge and contract terms prohibiting the storage of firearms may protect the bank if a problem arises. However, if the customer asks, I would say, 'No.'
First published on BankersOnline.com 9/2/03