why do you have the gun in the truck in the first place? What use do you think it will have?
We've had a number of threads which detailed, discussed, debated ... and flat out argued ... over the "why?" question.
A few reasons seem to float to the top:
1) I drive a lot of back country miles and like to kill animals that I see out in the wild while driving -- and it is legal to pull off the road and shoot them in the state where I live.
2) I am very afraid of riots and I drive into the city each day, so if I'm trying to drive home and I'm bogged down in a rioting crowd I'll get out of the car, go to the trunk, get my rifle and load it up to protect me from the rioters swarming my vehicle.
3) I enjoy a little target practice from time to time and there's a range that's on my way home from work, so if I keep my gun with me I can stop off and shoot any old time I like.
4) If I'm ever in a place like a mall or school or other public area and an active shooter/mass killer starts taking people out, I can run to my car, get my rifle, and go back in and shoot him.
5) I drive a lot during the winter in very remote areas. If my car becomes disabled or slides off the road I could be stranded. I keep all the survival necessities like warm clothes, water, shelter, fire-starting gear, and durable food goods in my car but I think I could be stranded so long, <
removed for clarity>, that I would run out of MREs and need to hunt for food in order to stay alive.
6) Because I can. That's it. Just because no one can stop me and I can't think of any good reason not to, so I do.
7) I don't trust a handgun very much for real self-defense, and if I'm ever stranded along side of the road at night I will get out my rifle and prepare to defend myself against any bandits which might try to rob or kill me instead of help me get a tow.
8) I have a cool gun and it is so compact or compact-able that I can fit it into a small spot in my car or truck. This becomes a "needful thing." Because it CAN, it MUST.
9) I am a traveling salesman or representative and live out of hotel rooms much of the year. I carry a handgun, but when I'm in my room at night I prefer the firepower of a rifle or shotgun for defending myself from anyone who kicks in the door of my 10'x14' room.
Those seem to be the primary reasons.