What is a "Car Gun?"

[kraigwy]

I'm not into "car" guns. I have my revolver in my pocket whether I'm in the car or not.

However, there was a time.

When I was in LE, I was on the Bomb Squad and was on call a lot. One time I was at a diner party where I didn't have my service revolver.

I got a call out, to provided EOD assistance to a drug raid that was rumored to have booby traps.

I had my patrol car w/the needed EOD equipment, but driving to the scene it downed on me I didn't have a gun. I paniced, but remembered I often carried shooting equipment because I also was shooting for the NG. I stopped and did a search and found a Model 18 Smith and "2" 22 rounds. That was the extent of my fire power going on a drug raid.

Turned out I didn't need it, but after that, tell the day I retired, I had kept an extra service revolver in my glove compartment.

But today, no, I have my little J frame in my pocket, that's all I need. My police car stayed in my garage when I was home. I don't see the need to leave a gun in my car for someone who likes breaking into cars, I don't even lock my truck doors, I see no reason to get my windows broken out for someone to find I didn't leave anything in the truck worth stealing.

[jason hammac]

I will also mention, if you plan on firing at the zombies from within the car, you have to figure out where all that flying brass is going to go.

I have seen safes made to hold your revolver or semi while in the car. I think a determined thug will figure how to rip it out and not worry about messing up the upholstery.

I was stuck in the situation of working on a military base where transport of firearms is regulated. FT Hood and others have many hunting opportunities, as a soldier and hunter it was always a problem. I lived off base and on Saturday mornings at 3 AM we would all meet at the house and load up in my 4 door truck and then go to the rod and gun club to make our plans.
In order to get there you would go through the MP checkpoint that was at all entrances.
MP "Do you have any guns to report"
Me "Why yes we do, maybe a dozen of them"
MP "Proceed please and stop on the way out to show us the Buck's you shot!!"

The funny thing is we are in our hunting camouflage, and watching the other MP's running sobriety checks on all the GI's coming back from the clubs and bars.
During the week I purchased a new AR-15,
MP "Do you have any firearms in your vehicle"
Me "Why yes I do, a new Colt AR-15"
MP "Where are you going with it"
Me "Back to duty and then on home"(I lived 20 miles away on the opposite side of FT Hood)
MP "No that is not allowed, take it home first"
Me "Roger", I turn around and go to another gate who at the moment is not stopping cars to check and go to work.
I swear to this day it was the same MP who was talking about hunting two weeks earlier.
So a car gun present a whole lot of headaches (then there was the time I drove my truck to work and came out (while at the army hospital) and found my fancy chrome bumper guard and ladder rack had been stolen while on the base.

[Berserker]

Nothing stopping you from having a truck gun, and one on your body.

[2ndsojourn]

From Jason:
"In order to get there you would go through the MP checkpoint that was at all entrances."

Back in my day, the job of the SP's at the gate (I was Navy) and at the local Army Hospital was to just wave everyone in. No checks.

[Dufus]

A car gun can be any sort of handgun, a rifle, a shotgun.

Car guns are a way of life down here. Growing up, if you had a pickup, you had a gun rack with something in it.

Nowadays, you can't leave them visible in the big cities, but small town life is a little different.

I have had trucks, but no gun racks, but always have had a "car gun".

[Glenn Dee]

I've had a gun stolen out of my truck, but that was an inside job...

For me a car gun is one that I can get to fairly easily for defense while sitting in my car/truck. I'ts a second gun if I should feel that I need one. It's a gun I can get on the rare occasion I'm not carrying one.

I use a beater S&W J frame airweight in .38 spl. Rough finish, first chamber is snakeshot, second chamber is a wad-cutter, the last three are light frangible JHP's

I take the gun out every night, and put it back in the morning.

When taking a road trip I'll include an ithica 12ga cut down to 18" deerslayer shotgun. And a model 13 S&W in .357 as a carry/car gun.

[Bluecthomas]

I've had a vehicle stolen. They even took the blown rear speakers and door panels...

Didn't have much of value in it, won't be keeping anything of value in my new truck. Which just happens to be parked outside bedroom window with an alarm and a 90 DB at idle wake the dead exhaust.

Good car gun would be dirt cheap. That's for sure. Dirt cheap plus temp humidity cycles and reliable??? Good luck.

Interested in the .410/.45lc judge myself. They got one for rent at my usual range. Been meaning to try it out. Lotta firepower in a very small package.
But not a cheap car gun.

Peggy, I might agree with your thinking... But I won't post it.
We live in a world where just a bit of DNA can get you into a death penalty trial without a body or murder weapon...

[tipoc]

From Gary:

To me, a “car gun” bridges the gap between a routinely carried concealed weapon and a full-fledged battle weapon. It’s purpose is to defend the owner and his or her family and friends from a concerted assault on the vehicle by multiple assailants while traveling, whether from inside the vehicle or if forced from the vehicle by a violent mob.

Maybe the key phrase here is "To me,...". Meaning that this is the ops conception of a car, or truck gun. There is also a reason for this concept which the op lists right away. It's the reason that certain weapons are reviewed for his car gun. That's the concept of defending yourself from an angry mob or multiple assailants. That's at the heart of why Gary has taken a certain approach and chosen those guns. The zombie attack or TEOTWAWKI.

You'll notice though that most folks don't begin their thinking on a car or tuck gun with that as the starting point. That's because most of us don't live lives where that is at all likely. We live a different kind of day to day from the op I suppose.

So since I live a different kind of life I plan for the one I do live. That's why when someone says "car gun" or usually "truck gun" I think what most folks think...the thing I'd have in my vehicle while taking a trip or camping, etc. or running around for the day to day. That varies some depending on what I'm doing. The gun is only a part of what I plan for.

If I lived in zombieland then I'd be planning for alot more than just what gun to have.

Also, if somehow I do get attacked by a mob,or zombies, well I'm in a much more effective escape tool, or weapon, than any firearm I have access to. So I'd likely use that.

tipoc

[Bluecthomas]

Teotwawki?
What's that?

In zombie land, guns and ammo are all free...
Just need to survive the 1st 24 hours or so with what you got.

[rickyrick]

When there was time before widespread concealed carry was legal, there were many locations that you could carry in a car, with a variety of parameters, but not on your body. People left a gun in the car because that was the closest one could get to having a gun in public.
A truck gun is a separate practice, at least where I grew up. A truck gun is a hardy, reliable gun that can be grabbed from the cab at a moments notice while performing farmland ranch work. It didn't stay in the truck overnight or anything, it was merely picked up on the way out the door. You'd be surprised why you run into, especially morning and evening. Not practical outside of private property or in a state that doesn't allow loaded long arms int the vehicle like Washington state.

That's kinda the origins of the vehicle gun. Over the years on gun forums this has morphed into a myriad of meanings, but the bottom line is: if it ain't loaded and accessible then it's not a car or truck gun, you are merely transporting a firearm.

[tipoc]

Teotwawki?
What's that?

The End Of The World As We Know It. You know the theme of about 1/4 of the TV shows and movies made(slight exaggeration there).

A couple years ago most gun forums banned that discussion because it was getting too common and pointless...almost broke the internet. Also causing a lot of fights between the guys who proposed we all need to carry two guns and 8 mags vs. the guys who said "I'm out walking the dog in my neighborhood, I got a leash in one hand and a bag of poop in the other, I feel a J frame is enough".

The arguments went on for 10-15 pages.

tipoc

[dontcatchmany]

I figure you folks have some nice cars/trucks. There are lots of comments of getting things stolen from a vehicle and even the vehicle itself can be stolen...

Me, I drive a 17 year old Ford F150 and a 12 year old Suzuki gas saver.

Can not remember the last time I washed either. But I do maintain them to the point of over maintaining.

I leave a Bersa 9 mm in the car and a Bersa 45 acp in the truck. Both are good guns and I trust them after 2,000-3,000 rounds each with zero defects. Not too big a deal if they get stolen.

I also have my personal concealed carry and sometimes in the truck I add an Extar 556 and/or a FNX/FNS 40 with 357 sig barrel.

For some reason, I do not have the fear of the vehicles being stolen and with rare exception am I parked where thievery is very likely. Although in this day and age druggies and lowlifes are always around.

I went 33-34 ish years where the sight of a gun made me sick. Participating in a war in Southeast Asia took the childhood love of guns out of me.

BUT, in the very early 2000s I had an attempted car jacking in the wee hours of a morning when returning from work. Two thugs tried to get into my vehicle at a stop light. The doors were locked and I ran the stop light. But, I realized that I could shoot another human again. I had also previously had a couple of break ins of an apartment.

I went the next day and got a pistol permit. 357 magnum. Eventually I got the concealed carry and today I feel naked without weapons on me or near me. Most of my "car/truck" pistols/556 pistol are such that I can shoot through a window if necessary.

Oh, I am already almost deaf from that same period of time in Southeast Asia

So my idea of a car gun comes from my experiences.

As a disabled veteran, I have access to the local military bases and when I go to either that is the only time I do not have a weapon in the vehicle. Seems as though my younger military brothers/sisters in arms have an aversion to us old civilians carrying on base.

[Don Fischer]

This has to be a spin off of a truck gun. Around here all the rancher's and some of the people in town carry a rifle in the vehicle. It's for coyote's! I think that the idea of a gang attacking you in your car is really going over the hill with paranoia! I don't really believe I'll ever need my carry gun but I carry it because I have it, no other reason. I'm 71 and have never needed one in my life. I spent the better part of 30 yrs driving road truck's into the worst place's in every major city in the U.S. I always had a gun with me but have never needed it.

[Bluecthomas]

My stolen truck was a 2000 Silverado. This was just last summer, out of casino parking garage with about a dozen security cameras. Only one in entire structure functional...

Radio wasn't stock. $50 Walmart special. And not even a Sony or other brand name.

Judging by condition it came back in when tow yard notified me it had been found 3 months earlier, I'd guess meth addicts.
When your an addict and already commiting felony's for your next fix, if you can get 10 bucks from a very low risk of 10 years, you go for it.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I think that the idea of a gang attacking you in your car is really going over the hill with paranoia!

I bet Reginald Denny would agree with you - at least on April 28, 1992, anyway.

[tipoc]

Denny is a good man and what happened to him was not his fault. But a situation like his brings something to the clear maybe.

The op says...

To me, a “car gun” bridges the gap between a routinely carried concealed weapon and a full-fledged battle weapon.

If I'm driving a 18 wheeler and "a mob" tries to stop me I can stop, get my "bridge the gap" weapon and try for a shoot out, or I can keep on driving. That vehicle is a much more effective weapon they any gun I could have on or near me.

If any such should occur to me then I'd rather have a handgun than a carbine with me as I try to drive. From inside a vehicle a handgun is much easier to move around than an M4 or a AK pistol or some such.

When Don says:

I think that the idea of a gang attacking you in your car is really going over the hill with paranoia!

He's a bit off but maybe closer to the mark of truth than some.

It's good to plan and good to have a vehicle that can help get you out of a number of kinds of trouble. No Mini Cooper's for me. Also nothing that attracts too much attention from the cops or folks who might want to break in looking for guns or goodies.

It's common to be stopped by the cops. Not true that angry mobs are common. Coin toss as to which is more dangerous.

tipoc

[FITASC]

full-fledged battle weapon

[HawkeyeNRAlifer]

I'll add a couple of thoughts. My car gun, because I don't carry every time I leave the house, is a decent Chinese 213 Tok clone in 9mm. It wouldn't bother me if it was scratched or dinged while doing duty in my vehicle.
As to the theft concerns, my vehicle, as do most, has an alarm. That doesn't mean it won't get broken into, it just that a LOT of home don't even have that. If you don't have a secure safe, your gun/guns may be more vulnerable than some people are aware off. I certainly don't want to start an argument, just saying more guns, according to my insurance agent, are stolen from residences than from automobiles, according to my insurance agent.

[Berserker]

Cheap or common enough it can be replaced, but not some junk that if you actually needed it, it would fail. No stats, but I wouldn't he doesn't surprised car guns get used more than some. Still probably .0001%.


What self defense gun gets used most, civilians? Bedroom, around the house gun, carry, car? Dunno. Car goes more places than bed. I worry more out of the house . But if you live places people shouldn't, maybe house gunso get used more. Dunno.

[Scorch]

OK, let's splain it to ya
A bird gun is for shootin birds, right?
An elephant gun is for shootin elephants, right?
So, a car gun must be for shootin what?
Gotta larn folks everthing nowdays!

[Ramey]

I don't do the "victim blaming" thing. If some scumbag breaks into my locked vehicle and takes my gun that's on him not me. It's like blaming some lady for wearing revealing clothing and gets assaulted in a bad part of town.


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[45_auto]

I don't do the "victim blaming" thing. If some scumbag breaks into my locked vehicle and takes my gun that's on him not me. It's like blaming some lady for wearing revealing clothing and gets assaulted in a bad part of town.

Interesting analogy. Would you also consider yourself blameless if you left your gun or a box full of money on the seat of an unlocked car in a bad part of town and it got stolen? Is there any point at all where you accept any responsibility or assume any vestige of "common sense", knowing that there are very likely potential lawbreakers in the area?

[Berserker]

Bad people will do bad, without me.

[Ramey]

Originally Posted by 45_auto

Interesting analogy. Would you also consider yourself blameless if you left your gun or a box full of money on the seat of an unlocked car in a bad part of town and it got stolen? Is there any point at all where you accept any responsibility or assume any vestige of "common sense", knowing that there are very likely potential lawbreakers in the area?

Clearly I said locked vehicle...and hidden out of out sight for that matter. Potential lawbreakers are everywhere. I choose to not live in fear. It's why I carry in the first place. I even have a NRA sticker on my bumper. I'm really rolling the dice!! No, don't give thugs and criminals too much credit. They aren't known for their high IQ.


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[FAS1]

The more we store guns in cars the more will be stolen. I only keep a gun for brief periods of time in a locked container in a locked vehicle on rare occasion that I can't carry. My state allows you to keep a gun in your vehicle without having a CHL. Thieves know this too as more guns are kept in cars on a regular basis.

The 92 cities and counties that responded to the request by deadline on Friday collectively reported more than 10,500 guns stolen from cars in 2015.

http://www.thetrace.org/2017/03/as-t...apons-at-home/