In the wake of Saturday's tragic grocery store shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that has U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition and six people confirmed dead, the handgun debate has surfaced again. When and where is it appropriate for people to be armed? What should the law allow or prohibit in regards to gun rights? These questions always seem to arise when gun violence erupts on a large and public scale.

For self-storage, an industry that often isolates its managers in facility offices and creates large, concentrated collections of valuable property, the gun conversation is germane. It's only natural that people who spend most of their working lives in and around a self-storage facility want to be as safe as possible. Even though a facility probably wouldn't host a political event, which was the case at the Tucson Safeway where the shooting occurred, it will host auctions and possibly other group events where people will come together on the property. Not to mention that it's not rare for tenants to come into the office incensed because they've been auctioned, have late fees, can't access their unit, etc.

Over on Self-Storage Talk, the official online forum for Inside Self-Storage, member aWESome started a thread inspired by the Tucson tragedy and posed the question about firearms for self-defense in self-storage offices. The forum has been lit up with responses. Some say they absolutely have a firearm on the premises, accessible if they need it, and they don't apologize for it. Others say absolutely not. The thread is aptly posted in the Legal and Insurance Issues  section, as guns on the premises certainly have insurance and liability implications, not to mention necessary compliance with state and local laws on gun possession.

This isn't the first time the guns-at-the-facility discussion has surfaced. Check past threads here and here.

Whats the status at your facility or facilities? Is there a weapon available for the manager or someone on the onsite staff for self-defense? If so, is he or she trained how to use it? Visit the thread to share the policy at your facility or your opinion. If you'd like, you can post anonymously by keeping your account name anonymous.

To post on SST, you must register with the community, which you can do here for free if you haven't already. The process is easy and takes only a few minutes. In the meantime, let's keep the victims of the tragedy and all of their families in our thoughts.