Gun Concealment Furniture Goes Main Stream.

Remember this guy?

Michigan inventor Frank Marshall built a headboard that enables anyone lying on the bed to go from dream to draw in one quick motion - provided the built-in safety latch is unlocked.

Dubbed The Gun Bed, Marshall's creation hides a 12-gauge shotgun behind a spring-loaded panel that, when pressed, drops the gun in the owner's hands.

“It has no place to go but your hands,” Marshall said.

People liked that so much entire businesses have sprung up building customized furniture to hide weapons in plain sight.

Furniture firepower: Gun sales drive specialty 'concealment' craze

Rising gun sales have triggered a new trend in furniture fashion -- coffee tables, cabinets, headboards and hutches with secret compartments for firearms.

'Gun concealment furniture' sales, once the province of solitary craftsmen making custom goods have gone mainstream, allowing firearms owners to maintain easy in-home access to hidden handguns and rifles.

“There are a lot of people who don’t want a big iron safe,” said Dan Ingram, owner of NJ Concealment Furniture, based in Hampton, N.J. “There are a lot of people who don’t even have room for one, but they still need someplace to safely store their guns.”

Ingram, a longtime cabinet maker, started building the special furniture four years ago after getting inspiration from the online gun community.

“At the time, I was on a lot of online gun forums and there was a constant complaint,” he said. “People wanted something with quick access when they needed their weapons to keep their homes safe which is why they bought the guns in the first place.


Furniture maker Dan Ingram says more people are looking for alternatives for storing firearms in the home. (NJconceal.com)

Ingram’s first design was a simple nightstand with a side compartment to hold a pistol. From there, he began designing and fabricating other items, such as wall shelves, coat racks, desks and hutches. Soon the specialty line became the company mission.

“I eventually closed my main cabinetry business,” he said, adding that he has seen more and more interest in his products as gun sales have gone up.

Major outdoor outfitters including Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops sell ottomans, benches and other furniture with built-in, locking gun compartments. Smaller furniture companies including Stealth Furniture, Secret Compartment Furniture and Heracles Research also specialize in gun concealment furniture.