Securing your weapon in your vehicle

[Jeff White]

In St. Louis, a lot more guns are being stolen from cars http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_a4c24120-cbfd-51f2-8c0f-e7c911797c28.html

Thefts from vehicles are a problem locally. I'm sure that a lot of the increase noted in the article can be directly pointed at the restrictions in CCW laws, but another aspect is that in my experience, many people, even if they have a permit are more comfortable carrying a gun in their vehicle then on their person.

I prefer a bolt in safe under the drivers seat for securing valuables. I know from threads I've seen here that many people like to carry a long gun in their vehicle. How do you secure it?

A reminder, we don't advocate breaking the law here, so don't just flippantly post things like concealed means concealed. I'd like a rational discussion of the problem of securing your weapon in an unattended vehicle.

 

[Liberty1776]

It is a valid question. I am lucky to work in a fairly good area but still... I use a camo bag on the back of the passenger seat, but am not fully comfortable with doing that, as if someone breaks in, it's gone. Moving forward, I am picking up one of these this weekend - Cannon Gun MicroVault with Biometric Lock - as the best solution for me...

 

[lemaymiami]

Unless you're installing some kind of locking vault that's bolted down securely... Don't leave firearm in the passenger area of any vehicle. Gun thefts from cars are just too easy...

The only place to keep a firearm is in the trunk of your car (and a locking vault there is a good idea).

I once had shotgun taken in broad daylight from my marked patrol car parked in front of the Dade county courthouse (Miami).... It was secured in an electro-lock bolted into the dashboard. At the time it was raining heavily...

 

[Lord Teapot]

tbh i never gave it much thought, i just keep my pistol in the unlocked glove compartment.

 

[Sav .250]

To me leaving a weapon in a vehicle is rolling the dice.............. It`s not if but when . J s/n.

 

[X-Rap]

I have two trucks that have large industrial toolboxes mounted in the beds, one is hidden/integrated into the carpeted deck under the topper and the lock must be accessed through the lockable tailgate as well as a second steel framed carpeted tailgate inside the bed or a screw out deck plate common on boats.
The other has a bottom interior compartment separated by steel reinforced plywood with combination padlocks.
While neither is secure as a vault it will take considerable effort to get into with a lot of noise and time. My biggest concern is having the vehicle stolen.
As far as easy access inside the cab or the trunk of a car? I have welded a few pieces of aluminum together that allow a section with a hole in the end to be inserted through the magwell on a pistol or AR, use a padlock with cable or chain through the hole.
Pictures would be worth a thousand words but you'll have to use your imagination.

 

[Hangingrock]

I refrain from keeping a long arm in a vehicle because I have no means of properly securing other than locking the vehicle. As for handguns, those are carried on my person unless I must enter a prohibited area. I have a vehicle security case. I hesitate to call it a vault but it meets the legal requirements for storage in a prohibited area.

 

[Snejdarek]

This is the way local cops have long guns stored in car, and should I ever decide to have one in car too, I'd probably go the same way. There is no way anyone would get to the gun unless they'd take the car home and worked a good few minutes with heavy tools on the safe.

Otherwise I'd never leave pistol behind. Either have it on me or leave it at home. I understand though that this may be a bit complicated in a country like US where someone needs to get in/out of a gun free zone. The only gun free zones here are courthouses and even there you can leave the gun upon entry with the guard before passing through the security frame so there is no need to leave it in car. Some courthouses even have safes in the lobby before you enter the security frame so you can lock it yourself without handing it to the guard.

 

[herrwalther]

I don't leave firearms in my car as a general rule. The only time my firearm is off my body is when I go into a restricted area (courthouse) although I still carry at the post office. I lock my firearm in the glove box with the car key. Not nearly as secure as a dedicated, hardened storage.

 

[Speedo66]

Vehicles are an unsafe place to store a weapon. When I was working, we were told, in writing in our agency rulebook, that a firearm theft from a vehicle was inexcusable. It meant a hearing and the forfeiture of 2 weeks pay the first time, and grounds for dismissal if it ever happened again.

Most cars open the trunk from a release in the vehicle interior, so trunks really are not secure. We've all probably broken into cars for accidentally locked in keys, etc. and know how easy it is to do. A pro can do it in seconds. Plus the entire car can be stolen by towing, etc.

I've seen a couple of trials where people were taken to court for failing to safeguard their weapons, one civil, one criminal. You don't want to be in a position where someone gets shot with your stolen gun.

 

[Nanook]

I've been considering one of those Console Vaults for my truck. They seem to be pretty secure, but anything can be broken into given enough time.

It should keep the casual "oh look at that!" thievery from happening. The testimonials are pretty positive.

 

[X-Rap]

It's easy for some to sew everything up into a pretty little box but try living a 1000 miles from home for months at a time and see how creative you get. You'll also learn that your vehicle is probably not the least secure place you could store a weapon.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

http://www.snapsafe.com/snapsafe-lockbox.html

I use one of these for my handgun. 21bucks conceals well. The only thing I don't like is it's too skinny for the holster.

I don't leave a long gun in my car

 

[Trunk Monkey]

=
I once had shotgun taken in broad daylight from my marked patrol car parked in front of the Dade county courthouse (Miami).... It was secured in an electro-lock bolted into the dashboard. At the time it was raining heavily...

What did the rain have to do with it?

 

[g.willikers]

Rain = good cover for nefarious acts in public places?

 

[lemaymiami]

That day in a 20-30 minute downpour there were two purse snatches, one strong arm robbery, and my patrol car was broken into.... All of this was in the parking lot right in front of the courthouse..... Back then Miami was wilder than Baltimore on a bad night....

 

[Plan2Live]

Neither my glove box nor my center console on my truck lock. Work is a non-permissive environment and if you read the employee manual to the letter I'm not even supposed to have one in their parking lot. I live 34 miles away from work, pass through a variety of scenery and pass two military installations on my daily commute. I'm not going to not carry. I can't risk being seen fiddling around with a lockbox cable locked under my seat which would be very awkward to access anyway (not to mention the wires and junk the factory leaves exposed under a seat) so I take my chances and leave it in the console.

 

[Glock1978]

Neither my glove box nor my center console on my truck lock. Work is a non-permissive environment and if you read the employee manual to the letter I'm not even supposed to have one in their parking lot. I live 34 miles away from work, pass through a variety of scenery and pass two military installations on my daily commute. I'm not going to not carry. I can't risk being seen fiddling around with a lockbox cable locked under my seat which would be very awkward to access anyway (not to mention the wires and junk the factory leaves exposed under a seat) so I take my chances and leave it in the console.

I feel your pain, perhaps there is a safe place close to work where you could store it in a cabled safe under your seat? Ive had to do that but now I will ride with it on the seat, then shove it under when I park. Tinted windows are your friend.

 

[Saw-Bones]

Midway and others have many lockboxes you can use to store your handgun and I use one similar to the one in Trunk Monkey’s link.

I only do short term unattended long gun storage under the back seat of my super cab pickup truck. If I was really worried about it or if I had to store it over a longer period of time, I would put a cable lock on it and secure it to one of the metal braces.

Several posters were concerned about their vehicle being stolen and the gun(s) subsequently removed in privacy. I agree that this could be a problem, gun or no gun, so I installed a small hidden switch that grounds out the distributor. Unless you know where the switch is, the vehicle isn’t going anywhere. The switch cost me $5... cheap insurance.

Don’t let gun bumper stickers or NRA type decals invite thieves. Others’ experiences have warned me about that. You pays your money and you takes your choice. Good luck in your choices.

 

[Bo]

http://www.snapsafe.com/snapsafe-lockbox.html

I have one of these in my truck. Same thing, different maker. The latch is just spot welded and easily defeated. I drilled mine and put pop rivets in to prevent this.

 

[Speedo66]

It's better than nothing, but at $21, I wouldn't doubt you could cut the cable with a lineman's pliers.

 

[lemaymiami]

I've been using a vehicle kill switch for years -and set it on just after I start the vehicle so that it's in play the moment the key is turned off... Best cheap insurance I know of.

For anyone needing cheap weapon security a heavy ring bolt secured to the floor and heavy padlock is a pretty good option....

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I'm a strong proponent of "out of sight, out of mind".

Most vehicle break-ins seem to be quick "smash and grab" events. Gain entry, grab the item that caught the eye, leave right away.

This happened with my wife's GPS. Apparently one of our kids left her vehicle unlocked and someone entered and snatched her GPS. Didn't touch ANYTHING else...which meant they never opened her console to see the $20 bill laying right there. A couple decades ago, someone stole a radar detector out of my car, same deal...nothing else touched.

I've designed a nice wood console to install in my car with this in mind. It will has a hidden, lockable compartment designed specifically for a handgun. You could open up the console and empty it and still not notice that compartment. Hopefully I'll get time to build it this summer.

 

[herrwalther]

I'm a strong proponent of "out of sight, out of mind".

There is some logic there. However statistics are not on your side in terms of nationwide criminal trends. The typical smash and grab robber for vehicle crime will look for in plain sight indicators. Like GPS. They will also look for clues of high value electronics. Charging cables for GPS or cell phones will encourage a robber to look for the item they go for. Example you may leave the charger for the GPS in plain view but hide the unit in the arm rest or glove box. Statistics from the DOT and DOJ say the top three places criminals look, when they do: under the seats, glove box, center console.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

There is some logic there. However statistics are not on your side in terms of nationwide criminal trends. The typical smash and grab robber for vehicle crime will look for in plain sight indicators. Like GPS. They will also look for clues of high value electronics. Charging cables for GPS or cell phones will encourage a robber to look for the item they go for. Example you may leave the charger for the GPS in plain view but hide the unit in the arm rest or glove box. Statistics from the DOT and DOJ say the top three places criminals look, when they do: under the seats, glove box, center console.

Where do you get these trends? Statistics may vary from region to region and place to place, but the overall drive for the vast majority of criminals seems to be to hit a target fast and leave fast. Crimes which take longer times only seem to increase where the opportunity affords the criminals the luxury of additional time to linger without any significant risk to themselves.

If one is in a "bad neighborhood", then criminals naturally have more time on their side than if one is in a "good neighborhood".