Do you lawfully leave a gun in the car when you're not in it?

TXAZ · February 7, 2021, 01:45 PM

If you leave a gun in your car when you're not in it, what do you do to secure it when you're out of the car?

TRX · February 7, 2021, 02:10 PM

On the rare occasions when it is necessary, I use one of those small "gun safe" boxes cabled under the seat.

While some people strut about proclaiming how useless they are, it satisfies the requirement for "due diligence" and protects it from casual smash-and-grab thefts. If a thief has a battery-powered angle grinder and a prybar, it doesn't much matter how you store the gun.

Whatever method you use, keep in mind that thieves know about GFZs too, and if they see you twisting about inside the car, walking to the trunk, etc., it's pretty obvious you're leaving a gun behind when you walk away.

RickB · February 7, 2021, 03:02 PM

I have, and do. Hidden from sight, locked doors (which, last time I looked, is what the law requires).
If nothing of value is visible inside the car, not much reason to break into it, unless it's to steal the car, and in that case, does it really matter how secure the contents of the interior are?

BourbonCowboy · February 7, 2021, 03:11 PM

Yes. And I always have. I usually don't leave anything inside my truck, so it appears empty and less of a temptation for thieves. My pistol is out of sight, so there's nothing to be seen inside worth stealing.

jmr40 · February 7, 2021, 03:20 PM

If the gun is out of sight and the doors are locked I've met my legal and ethical obligations. At least where I live. Taking extra measures may not be a bad idea and may be required by law in some places.

As a rule I try to avoid doing so, but there are times when there are no other options.

jmr40 · February 7, 2021, 03:26 PM

Quote:

If a thief has a battery-powered angle grinder and a prybar, it doesn't much matter how you store the gun.

If you use your remote to lock the vehicle when you leave it is possible for someone with a radio receiver to steal the signal and use it to clone another remote to unlock your doors. Lock them manually as you leave. Use the remote only to unlock when you return.

I lost a gun that way. Caught on security video, but no tag number could be seen on the guys car.

TomNJVA · February 7, 2021, 03:55 PM

I legally keep a handgun in my center console all the times. When home the car is kept in a locked garage. When I am out, the moment the doors are shut i manually press the lock button on the door handle. No exceptions, even if I am just going to be out of the car for one minute. The doors even lock automatically when driving, so effectively the car is locked 100% of the time.

**Aguila Blanca** · February 7, 2021, 04:12 PM

https://www.harborfreight.com/person...afe-64079.html

Kreyzhorse · February 7, 2021, 08:28 PM

I will leave my travel gun locked in the car when I can't take it with me.

Doors locked and nothing of value in sight. When I'm home the gun comes with me into the house.

Marco Califo · February 7, 2021, 08:42 PM

In the trunk, and in a cabled lockbox.

jrothWA · February 7, 2021, 09:02 PM

Avoid bad publicity, get a simple lockbox with cable or chain.

I once dumped mine (j frame) in a garbage bag, after that I use a combination lock steel box and wrap the cable around the seat rail.

keep the combination simple and common for all boxes.

Radny97 · February 8, 2021, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BourbonCowboy

Yes. And I always have. I usually don't leave anything inside my truck, so it appears empty and less of a temptation for thieves. My pistol is out of sight, so there's nothing to be seen inside worth stealing.

Yep.
And also NO pro-gun, gun swag, or hunting promos on the vehicle. All those types of bumper stickers or back window stickers tell potential criminals that there’s a chance at a free gun in the car. It’s like open carrying. You’re just telling the bad guys to take you out first.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

STORM2 · February 8, 2021, 03:13 AM

The disadvantage of buying a new vehicle during the Covid event....the 2021 vehicle vaults were not available yet. When I discovered Console Vault was unable to provide the new version I searched alternate sources. It turned out Lock’er Down out of San Antonio was looking for a vehicle to work out the kinks in the new GMC Yukon version. I volunteered my truck. I drove to them, the new vault will be available soon. While I was there the rear cargo flush mount (one long gun under the Weather Tech mat) floated into the conversation. I’m driving back in a week or so for that second fitting. These folks are great to work with. Looking forward to the completion of both vaults. My previous SUV had front/aft security vaults, they are worth the investment. OnStar shut down/tracking plus an additional add on tracking system, valet parking and actually using my garage at home make my vehicle less desirable. Nothing is fool proof, but mine is a poor choice for bad guys....or gals.

Brit · February 8, 2021, 06:43 AM

I don't leave a gun in my Jeep. I wear it. My marked Security vehicle never stays outside, lives in the Garage, never stayed in the street.
Went to renew my Security D license on the 4th.

Wore it in this office. No signs to forbid it, armed Security Officer on the door, checked his list, in I went. Great staff, 5 separate individuals working the desks. I was in and out in 20 minutes, new license in hand, nice photo. No requirement to retake fingerprints!
Great state this Florida.

Pistoler0 · February 8, 2021, 08:55 AM

I leave it in the car out of sight and doors locked. The gym and the pool are the only places where I do not take my gun in with me. I always park it close to the building entrance.

My car is a mess, with kid's stuff, broken toys, gloves, wet-wipes.... and papers.
I doubt any thief would want to break into it.

Even I don't want to get in it! : )

Kevin Rohrer · February 8, 2021, 04:11 PM

It goes under a jacket on the front seat. I don't live or goto areas where car break-ins are a problem.

FITASC · February 8, 2021, 05:20 PM

In the center console of the truck in a holster; out of sight. No "gun" decals or other announcements I am a gun owner or have one.

GarandTd · February 9, 2021, 02:02 PM

Sometimes. Glove box. Doors are always locked.

Marty8613 · February 9, 2021, 02:25 PM

Only at the Casino, which is the only place I’ve ever been that I had to disarm while in the car. Goes in the trunk with my wife’s purse. We always park near a camera.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

gnystrom · February 12, 2021, 10:16 AM

Small lock safe cabled to the seat rail and pushed under the seat. Seldom used but available if needed.

Pistoler0 · February 12, 2021, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FITASC

No "gun" decals or other announcements I am a gun owner or have one.

yes, I think that is important.

For the life of me I cannot understand those people who have gun decals of all the firearms they supposedly own, on the window of their car. WHY?

FAS1 · February 12, 2021, 12:04 PM

Very rarely do I go somewhere that I can't carry. A heavy duty (7GA) handgun safe bolted down is the best solution to keep all but the most determined thieves hands off your handgun.

FITASC · February 12, 2021, 06:10 PM

Not leaving anything in view in the first place that they might want to break into your vehicle in the first place is the best defense.

BillG174 · March 2, 2021, 06:56 PM

See post # 2 which is what I do.

7.62 man · March 2, 2021, 07:13 PM

I don't keep a gun in my car but I do store it in my car when I go in somewhere that doesn't allow me to carry. My truck is a different story I do a lot of driving in back woods areas looking for hunting areas. There are a lot of crack heads cooking their drugs in the woods, many don't like people looking around in the woods while they are in them.
If you walk through the woods stay away from any kind of box, trash bag or cooler sitting in the woods.
I carry as I scout out the woods that I go through, if encountered I may want a little more than a pistol, so I carry a backup small rifle behind the seat.

Locks & lock boxes only keep the honest, HONEST.
A thief can get into anything provided they have enough time.

February 7, 2021, 01:45 PM	#1
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	Do you lawfully leave a gun in the car when you're not in it? If you leave a gun in your car when you're not in it, what do you do to secure it when you're out of the car? __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

February 7, 2021, 03:02 PM	#3
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	I have, and do. Hidden from sight, locked doors (which, last time I looked, is what the law requires). If nothing of value is visible inside the car, not much reason to break into it, unless it's to steal the car, and in that case, does it really matter how secure the contents of the interior are? __________________ Runs off at the mouth about anything 1911 related on this site and half the time is flat out wrong.

February 7, 2021, 03:20 PM	#5
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	If the gun is out of sight and the doors are locked I've met my legal and ethical obligations. At least where I live. Taking extra measures may not be a bad idea and may be required by law in some places. As a rule I try to avoid doing so, but there are times when there are no other options. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

February 7, 2021, 03:55 PM	#7
TomNJVA Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2014 Location: Floyd, VA Posts: 241	I legally keep a handgun in my center console all the times. When home the car is kept in a locked garage. When I am out, the moment the doors are shut i manually press the lock button on the door handle. No exceptions, even if I am just going to be out of the car for one minute. The doors even lock automatically when driving, so effectively the car is locked 100% of the time. __________________ In NJ, the bad guys are armed and the households are alarmed. In VA, the households are armed and the bad guys are alarmed.

February 7, 2021, 04:12 PM	#8
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,459	https://www.harborfreight.com/person...afe-64079.html __________________ NRA Life Member / Certified Instructor NRA Chief RSO / CMP RSO 1911 Certified Armorer Jeepaholic

February 7, 2021, 02:10 PM	#2
TRX Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2008 Location: central Arkansas Posts: 400	On the rare occasions when it is necessary, I use one of those small "gun safe" boxes cabled under the seat. While some people strut about proclaiming how useless they are, it satisfies the requirement for "due diligence" and protects it from casual smash-and-grab thefts. If a thief has a battery-powered angle grinder and a prybar, it doesn't much matter how you store the gun. Whatever method you use, keep in mind that thieves know about GFZs too, and if they see you twisting about inside the car, walking to the trunk, etc., it's pretty obvious you're leaving a gun behind when you walk away.

February 7, 2021, 03:11 PM	#4
BourbonCowboy Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2019 Posts: 127	Yes. And I always have. I usually don't leave anything inside my truck, so it appears empty and less of a temptation for thieves. My pistol is out of sight, so there's nothing to be seen inside worth stealing.

February 7, 2021, 08:28 PM	#9
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	I will leave my travel gun locked in the car when I can't take it with me. Doors locked and nothing of value in sight. When I'm home the gun comes with me into the house. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

February 7, 2021, 08:42 PM	#10
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,598	In the trunk, and in a cabled lockbox. __________________ ............

February 7, 2021, 09:02 PM	#11
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	Avoid bad publicity, get a simple lockbox with cable or chain. I once dumped mine (j frame) in a garbage bag, after that I use a combination lock steel box and wrap the cable around the seat rail. keep the combination simple and common for all boxes.

February 8, 2021, 03:13 AM	#13
STORM2 Member Join Date: January 23, 2021 Location: Texas Posts: 75	The disadvantage of buying a new vehicle during the Covid event....the 2021 vehicle vaults were not available yet. When I discovered Console Vault was unable to provide the new version I searched alternate sources. It turned out Lock’er Down out of San Antonio was looking for a vehicle to work out the kinks in the new GMC Yukon version. I volunteered my truck. I drove to them, the new vault will be available soon. While I was there the rear cargo flush mount (one long gun under the Weather Tech mat) floated into the conversation. I’m driving back in a week or so for that second fitting. These folks are great to work with. Looking forward to the completion of both vaults. My previous SUV had front/aft security vaults, they are worth the investment. OnStar shut down/tracking plus an additional add on tracking system, valet parking and actually using my garage at home make my vehicle less desirable. Nothing is fool proof, but mine is a poor choice for bad guys....or gals. Last edited by STORM2; February 8, 2021 at 03:32 AM.

February 8, 2021, 06:43 AM	#14
Brit Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2005 Location: Orlando FL Posts: 1,934	I don't leave a gun in my Jeep. I wear it. My marked Security vehicle never stays outside, lives in the Garage, never stayed in the street. Went to renew my Security D license on the 4th. Wore it in this office. No signs to forbid it, armed Security Officer on the door, checked his list, in I went. Great staff, 5 separate individuals working the desks. I was in and out in 20 minutes, new license in hand, nice photo. No requirement to retake fingerprints! Great state this Florida.

February 8, 2021, 08:55 AM	#15
Pistoler0 Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2019 Location: Conifer, CO Posts: 632	I leave it in the car out of sight and doors locked. The gym and the pool are the only places where I do not take my gun in with me. I always park it close to the building entrance. My car is a mess, with kid's stuff, broken toys, gloves, wet-wipes.... and papers. I doubt any thief would want to break into it. Even I don't want to get in it! : ) __________________ Life is simply an inter-temporal problem of constrained optimization. Last edited by Pistoler0; February 8, 2021 at 09:41 AM.

February 8, 2021, 04:11 PM	#16
Kevin Rohrer Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2010 Location: Medina, Ohio Posts: 1,049	It goes under a jacket on the front seat. I don't live or goto areas where car break-ins are a problem. __________________ Member: Orange Gunsite Family, NRA--Life, ARTCA, and American Legion. Caveat Emptor: Cavery Grips/AmericanGripz/Prestige Grips/Stealth Grips from Clayton, NC. He is a scammer

February 8, 2021, 05:20 PM	#17
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,441	In the center console of the truck in a holster; out of sight. No "gun" decals or other announcements I am a gun owner or have one. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

February 9, 2021, 02:02 PM	#18
GarandTd Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2016 Location: Rural PA Posts: 1,639	Sometimes. Glove box. Doors are always locked. __________________ 22lr, 20 gauge, 8mm Mauser, 35 Remington, 30-06, 5.56x45/223, 9mm, 380acp

February 9, 2021, 02:25 PM	#19
Marty8613 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2014 Location: Grapevine TX Posts: 378	Only at the Casino, which is the only place I’ve ever been that I had to disarm while in the car. Goes in the trunk with my wife’s purse. We always park near a camera. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

February 12, 2021, 10:16 AM	#20
gnystrom Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2006 Posts: 308	Small lock safe cabled to the seat rail and pushed under the seat. Seldom used but available if needed.

February 12, 2021, 12:04 PM	#22
FAS1 Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2010 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 541	Very rarely do I go somewhere that I can't carry. A heavy duty (7GA) handgun safe bolted down is the best solution to keep all but the most determined thieves hands off your handgun. __________________ *Glenn* *FAS1 SAFE*

February 12, 2021, 06:10 PM	#23
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,441	Not leaving anything in view in the first place that they might want to break into your vehicle in the first place is the best defense. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

March 2, 2021, 06:56 PM	#24
BillG174 Member Join Date: October 8, 2014 Location: Lenexa, KS (Kansas City Metro) Posts: 46	See post # 2 which is what I do. __________________ Being Armed Is A Mindset, Not A Physical Condition - Rob Pincus Freedom Is Not Free SAF, GOA, Kansas State Rifle Association

March 2, 2021, 07:13 PM	#25
7.62 man Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2009 Location: Cyber-world USA Posts: 258	I don't keep a gun in my car but I do store it in my car when I go in somewhere that doesn't allow me to carry. My truck is a different story I do a lot of driving in back woods areas looking for hunting areas. There are a lot of crack heads cooking their drugs in the woods, many don't like people looking around in the woods while they are in them. If you walk through the woods stay away from any kind of box, trash bag or cooler sitting in the woods. I carry as I scout out the woods that I go through, if encountered I may want a little more than a pistol, so I carry a backup small rifle behind the seat. Locks & lock boxes only keep the honest, HONEST. A thief can get into anything provided they have enough time. Last edited by 7.62 man; March 2, 2021 at 07:20 PM.