Securing your weapon in your vehicle

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RetiredUSNChief said:
Where do you get these trends?
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DOT and DOJ are good sources for vehicle burglaries. I was agreeing with you for the most part while adding that sliding a firearm or high value objecy under the seat, in the console, or glovebox are the first 3 places a criminal looks WHEN they get a chance. You are very correct that they have more time to look in bad neighborhoods compared to good. Police response times are something organized criminals take note of when planning a crime.
 
herrwalther said:
DOT and DOJ are good sources for vehicle burglaries. I was agreeing with you for the most part while adding that sliding a firearm or high value objecy under the seat, in the console, or glovebox are the first 3 places a criminal looks WHEN they get a chance. You are very correct that they have more time to look in bad neighborhoods compared to good. Police response times are something organized criminals take note of when planning a crime.
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Thanks!

Yes, it looks like we're in agreement.

Criminal acts are almost always centered around some opportune moment or event because, for the most part, criminals aren't interested in being caught, hurt, or killed for their acts. Thus criminals who break into vehicles in parking lots tend to target vehicles in which they have actually sighted something they want and can quickly get to it and leave. Criminals in more secluded locations may have more time to do some kind of quick, or even thorough, search for items not out in the open.
 
Must admit that I pay little attention to "crime trend" reports since they rarely ever painted an accurate picture of what I was seeing on the ground all those years ago.... There might be "criminals" that make a point of doing vehicle burglaries but the vast majority of the ones I dealt with (after either catching them in the act or catching them with the goods then trying to figure out where the burglaries had occurred -after the fact) were kids that didn't even think of themselves as "bad guys".... Most were operating on the spur of the moment or were addicts desperate to steal anything they could get away with to either buy drugs or trade for drugs. The only exception were kids that needed to steal a weapon as a token to gain entry into a gang...

Auto thefts were a completely different proposition since we dealt with many, pretty much professional, car thieves. There were well established channels for auto theft (from the taking to the processing or ultimate re-sale) where car burglaries had no similar structure that we could ever see....

Funny thing... my outfit killed a professional car thief as he was busy stealing a car (circumstances cleared the officer - the thief wasn't armed but his tool looked like a firearm in low light at close quarters...) during an anti-car theft operation I was responsible for. As a result our city had zero car thefts for almost six weeks afterward. Car thieves don't like places where consequences might be severe to work in.... Most car thieves have lawyers and bondsmen waiting for a phone call whenever one was arrested. The vast majority of car thieves I knew had been down for auto theft both as kids and then as adults on more than one occasion - they knew the drill by heart.
 
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.
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What agency?

I regularly see many patrol cars here with a long gun secured in the middle of the front seats. Usually a shotgun or a rifle. Normally at the end of the shift the LEO will bring it in (of course), but I've seen some patrol cars with long guns in the vehicle even when the officer is not with the vehicle (either inside the police station or in their home).
 
We have one of the $25 keylock cases cabled under the front seat of each car. That's "due diligence." If an enterprising thief manages to get it, I'll take it up with our insurance company.

In some circumstances it's easier for the thief just to take the whole car to strip or resell at his leisure.
 
Lucky for me that it's not something I have to deal with regularly. If I did, I would use something that is made with heavy steel and I would bolt it in the rear or trunk. Those $25 boxes seem really easy to access with a pair of standard dikes to cut the tiny cable or standard size screwdriver to pry with. Not to mention, under the seat would be the first place I would look for a gun.

I would prefer the thieves to work a little harder and maybe they will decide they don't have enough time to mess with it.

FAS1MustangTrunk.jpg
 
Plan2Live said:
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.
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Yes, my employer have the same thing. Fortunately, Wisconsin State Law prohibits them from enforcing it. Ironically, I can carry in there all I want when I'm shopping not in conjunction with a work shift.
 
It would seem that around here, the professionals feel that the safest place to leave a fully automatic weapon is in plain sight, in a vehicle, overnight and not in a good part of the metro. We have a couple stolen each year from FBI, Highway Patrol and even the Game and Fish (I never have figured out why they need M-4s, anyhow).
 
justice06rr said:
What agency?

I regularly see many patrol cars here with a long gun secured in the middle of the front seats. Usually a shotgun or a rifle. Normally at the end of the shift the LEO will bring it in (of course), but I've seen some patrol cars with long guns in the vehicle even when the officer is not with the vehicle (either inside the police station or in their home).
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It was a state agency, and the edict was concerning off duty time: personal off duty weapons in personal vehicles.
 
If you are going through the effort to install a safe, take a bit of time and $20 bucks and buy a small roll of carpet the same color as your interior and cover your safe with it. The closer to an exact match the better and this stuff can be ordered online or purchased at many auto parts stores.
For the most part if the two carpets match well, it's very hard to be seen from outside the vehicle and even more so if the windows are tinted.
Hidden in plane sight.
 
I have I window cover that I use in the winter that I cover the box with.

Having a 12 year old car helps too
 
http://m.hornady.com/store/TriPoint-Lock-Box

Or

http://m.hornady.com/store/Shackle-Box

16 gauge not 18 or 20 like others.
Armlock model's arm is 1/8" steel.
Appears well built.
I have the arm lock (shackle box link above) model because I don't like cables. So far I am quite happy with it.

Product Features
Designed to exceed ASTM standards for child resistance and protection from unauthorized access
Both safes can travel with you and meet TSA requirements for handgun security in luggage*
Industry first, patent pending TriPoint[emoji768] locking system features 3 points of contact
Three, ½" wide steel locking lugs
Padded interior
 
I drive a 12 year old ugly car, and I don't normally keep valuables in my car, but on occasions when its necessary, I put them in the trunk. I leave it unlocked, often with a window down when weather permits. My past cars were similar. The general impresssion is there's nothing worth stealing in there. In 25 years, the only times its been breached was at night in my driveway. Kids looking for change and cigarettes. I had an ashtry with about $3 in change stolen. In each case, the contents of the glove box were on the floor, and contents of consule were usually on the seat. The one time I'd actually forgtten my wallet under the seat, but they didn't find it. I'd never leave anything important in the glove box or console. Under a rear floor mat is a far better hiding spot.

I had considered unplugging my front access trunk release, and really have a secure area. I do believe that out of sight and in the trunk would be the last place a car burglar would be looking forefore fleeing the scene. Think about it as though you are the criminal and unfamiliar with your vehicle and habits.
 
I don't necessarily have the answer to this question, as I've never been fully confident in my setup. But, I sometimes find myself needing to make stops on the way to/from the range when I'm carrying my nicest gun with me (an Accuracy International). I don't like to leave that gun vulnerable even for a minute! But, when I do leave the vehicle the rifle is in a padlocked Pelican case, which is secured to the vehicle itself by a thick bike security cable.

This isn't foolproof (honestly no security system is), as someone could always get access to the gun with a set of bolt cutters. But, most smash-n-grab thieves don't carry tools like bolt cutters, and it will at least prevent someone from just grabbing the rifle and running off.
 
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.
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My agency is also hard on officers for thefts from vehicles. But, I don't think that really means that gun can't be reasonably secured in a vehicle. After all, while someone can certainly gain access to a vehicle by busting a door lock or smashing a window, the truth is that they can also gain access to a home just as easily. At that point it really comes down to what choices the gun owner has made to hide and/or secure the weapon. Obviously you can't fit a TL-15 (or better) safe in a vehicle, but very few gun owners have those anyway.

Again, I'm not a huge fan of leaving guns in my vehicles, but I'm also not convinced that it can't be done with a reasonable amount of security for the weapons.
 
A home is a lot more secure than a vehicle. Not to mention at night there is normally someone inside. I'm amazed at the number of people that leave guns in their vehicles at night. Why? during the day I understand situations dictate otherwise, but I will not leave a firearm unattended in my vehicle when I could easily take 10 seconds to carry it inside. Just seems lazy and careless imo.

Not too many places to hide a gun in a car. In my home it could take you hours to find them.
 
Thefts, security ....

Thefts are common in my metro area even with sworn LEPs and off duty cops, :uhoh: .
2 "undercover" sworn deputies in my county had their agency issued unmarked vehicle broken into while they were at a local beach, off duty. 2 firearms, handcuffs & a few boxes of LE ammunition were swiped. No arrests were made.

I started working out again at a new fitness center. I go at night(1130pm to 1230am). It's cooler and fewer members are there. I put my Glock 21 gen 04 .45acp with Glock white light or my compact M&P Shield 9mm no thumb safety in my nylon 5.11 PUSH bag. It's not secured but I don't leave it in my vehicle for hours on end. I'd take my gym bag or 5.11 bag in with me but the fitness center does not permit gym bags or cases on the main floor.
A secured case or container is a smart idea but I'm okay with a bag or gun case. It meets state laws/statues of travel & its discreet.
I don't leave guns or items laying out or have firearm logos/brands all over my SUV.
 
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