Shotgun for a trunk gun?

[oneounceload]

Well if you live near Palm Beach, Florida heres a good reson to keep a trunk gun.

more like a good reason to get the MP-5 and keep it between your seats......

[J.Smith]

I went out and bought 500 more rounds for each of my guns today, can't ever tell who might be living across town.

[Super-Dave]

So am I a paranoid lunatic?

Am I the only one that has a trunk gun?

Is a shotgun a bad choice for my trunk gun or should I use something else?

[Doggieman]

I think a trunk gun is a very good idea. I'd have one if I weren't so afraid of some shmuck breaking into my car.

[ebutler462]

I carry as a trunk gun 20 gauge Nova with a 24" barrel. Short, handy, and goes bang every time I use it. Maybe I should call it a truck gun. I go out to the farm about 2-3 times a week and it sure comes in handy with coyotes, crows, snakes and whatever else I want to pop a cap at.

I have a Taurus 85 in 38 caliber that I also carry at all times. I keep it loaded with snake shot but have 158 grain wadcutters in the case with the gun.

I hope that I never need to use either on a bad guy. If I need to, I will. After 30+ years as a cop, now retired, I will do what I have to do to stay alive. Since I am suffering with cancer, I hold life more dearly than I did when I was a detective dealing with danger every day.

That little Nova goes with me wherever I go. It takes up almost no room and is short enough to handle inside a vehicle. It is as ugly as sin with it's Star Wars space age looks, but it is a great life insurance policy. It is so ugly that it is cute. I enjoy getting out and shooting a few rounds when I get depressed and the chemo is tearing me up emotionally. I come back home refreshed and looking up instead of down.

Happy shooting.

[mikenbarb]

I think that you realy have to think about it if you need a "trunk gun" from a legal point of view. You have to check the laws in your city and see what they are in regards to carrying a weapon and ammo in your trunk for defense reasons. I think it would be pretty hard to convince a prosecuter that you were only out for a sunday drive when a bad guy gets shot because your defending yourself with a "trunk gun" that you keep in your car at all times "just in case". In the state I live, It would get you thrown in jail for quite a while if you didnt have a concealed carry permit. Especially in the city's that we have, You wouldnt ever want to be caught with a gun in your trunk. My opinion is that its a bad idea and if your that paranoid that you need to have one then you should have a good lawyer thats real up to date with the firearm legal issues if something ever happens with your "trunk gun" and its stolen or something worse. And how in the world do you plan to get to your trunk if your in the middle of a riot????????
PS- I can do certified armor plating if you want.

[ebutler462]

Mike, retired LEO's have a federal permit to conceal carry. They must qualify annually. Being a cop does not make friends among the bad guys. I'd rather be tried by 12 than to be carried by 6 to my grave.

I've been retired 15 or so years and still think like a cop. The Boy Scouts motto: Be prepared. Most cops have decent judgment and know when to charge people with carrying. You would be suprised at the number of people who tell the cops they are carrying during traffic stops, checkpoints, etc. There is too much paperwork involved in arresting good, decent people that are looking out for themselves. However, if the person is being arrested for another problem, then you charge for conceal carry. Judgment and discretion are the attributes of a good police officer.

Civil matters are different. There are a lot of hungry lawyers that will sue for anything, especially a stolen gun that can be traced back to you that has done damage. Police officers have better things to do than harrass people that are law abiding, except for the fact that they have a piece under the seat or in the trunk.

[arizona98tj]

You should make a movie out of it.

I believe they were going to but Mel Gibson, the hoped for leading man, didn't want to share the big screen with a pack of midget pitbulls, which supposedly would pull him from a burning car just after he crashed it (he was heading to Barter Town for a little late night action).

[RedneckFur]

I think a trunk gun is fine in a rural enviroment, but for an urban area, I'd stick with a CCW.

Say your riot does happen. You get out of your car, grab your shotgun, and start running away. Any cops/national guard who have been sent in to stop the violence are likely gonna see you as a potential target and put a few pounds of .223 into you.

[Firepower!]

I am sorry but I have to strongly agree with mikenbarb on this one. I simply cannot subscribe to the approach that ''I rather be tried by 12 other....6 to grave.'' Too many ambiguities in this approach. Rule of law come absolutely first. If we show disregard for the law than what difference is there between us and the 'bad' guys for whom we need to carry gun(s) for?

[Rich Miranda]

This is what I'm getting to to secure my shottie in the trunk...

I live in Texas where it is not only legal to carry guns in your car, it is encouraged!

[Super-Dave]

Okay first off I live in Florida. Its perfectly legal if I kept a .50 Berret sniper rifle in my trunk for self defense. I live in a no retreat state. That means I do not have to attempt to retreat in order to use deadly force to save my life or another's life.

No one here cares what type of gun you have as long as it is a legal gun.

I was going to use an AR-15 for my trunk gun but was afraid to lose it if my car gets stolen or broken into. I thought my $150.00 shotgun was a good choice because if it is stolen it is not much of a loss.

I do carry a glock and I have a CCL. But I figured that I really need more firepower if things get hairy while I am at work. I work downtown and some parts of it look like mogadishu.

If the shtf it would take national gaurd atleast 48 hours to establish a reasonable presense and the citizens of this city out number the cops 300:1 We are already the murder capital of the state and that is even without shtf.

So if the shtf you could not count on the national gaurd or the police for help. Even 48 hours might be expecting too much for government assistance.

[mikenbarb]

Super Dave, You keep saying "if its stolen". I want to tell you that if its stolen out of your trunk, You have no rite to keep it there. I think that a gun has its purpous for self defense but if its "stolen" and turned on innocent school kids or innocent people then its a big problem that should have never happened to begin with if the firearm was secured properly. And if its secured well enough for noone to steal, How long is it gonna take you to get out and use for personal defense??? Hmmm, I think the bad guy would have his way with you and you should have just hit the gas and kept going. Why take the chance if you already carry a Glock?
ebutler462, I am well aware of the carry laws involved with LEO. There are different types of LEO carry permits and not only one for all. Its a Federal issued permit and not a Federal carry permit(Can you carry in DC?).I have many friends that are State, County, and Local law enforcement and they can "carry" ONLY in the state they work and reside in.
And in NJ if someone gets pulled over with a gun in their trunk they better have it for hunting(with proper license) or have a carry permit or their going to jail. I realize different states have different laws but I dont see a reason to even get out of your car, dig thru the trunk for gun and ammo, load a shotgun and then defend yourself. ROFL, Im laughing because I worked in NYC for 13 years and never had a problem that I needed a gun. Also, My Union hall is in Camden NJ wich has the highest murder rate around and never had a problem their either. I think if you look for it its gonna find you. Dont be so paranoid and you wont have a problem.lol Do what you want, Im done.

[Bill DeShivs]

Mike
Your logic here is backwards. You act as if it's OK for someone to steal from you, and if they do YOU are at fault. Pretty skewed.
You certainly have a NJ mindset.
If you have something in your car and your car is not locked, is it your fault if someone steals it? The answer is NO. No one has the right to steal from another, whether the item stolen is secured or not.
You put the blame on the victim, not the criminal.
Think about it. Or not.

[Super-Dave]

Some of the comments on this site confuse me.

Many people here must live in states that are worse than Nazi Germany.

The type of things you people post make me sick to my stomach.

Luckily I live in Florida where citizens have rights.

The more I read and post on this site the more I think I should never move to any other state unless it is Texas.


How can yall live under the jack booted thugs that run your states?

.

[mikenbarb]

Bill, I agree 100% with it being your possesion that someone shouldnt steal. I never said its ok for someone to steal from another but it happens and some are acting like it dont. But in our world today, It open game for criminals and I think if a gun is to be carried in a vehicle then it should be secured so that noone can get to use it except the one that ownes it. We all know that cars are broken into every day and its not an excuse to say that its in your trunk and thay have no rite to steal it. Criminals dont care, And thats the point im trying to make. If noone stole firearms, The world would be a heck of alot better place. Reality is that crimanals dont care if its your property or not, Their gonna take it anyway. Its not rite and I dont agree with theft at any degree but it happens and if another gun theft can be avoided, then it should be. And also, I think if you carry a firearm in a vehicle that the vehicle should be locked at all times when your not in eye sight of it. Gun ownership comes with certain responsibilities of owning them. And if someone is crazy or stupid enough to leave a gun in an unlocked car then they should keep them at home in the vault. Or do you think its ok to leave your vault unlocked also?

[Super-Dave]

I will agree that if you keep a gun in your car you should keep the car locked.

However if a criminal breaks into my locked car and steals a gun I have in my car and goes on a shooting rampage at an elementary school, I will not feel any guilt.

This is no different to me than if a criminal broke into my home and stold my guns and commited crimes with them.

No matter what you think, your guns are not safe from criminals.

I new a guy about 12 years ago. While he was on vacation someone drove up to his house cut out the safe he had bolted to the floor and his brick wall and halled his safe off. They cut out the wall from the outside of the house and loaded it up on a truck and left. There were tire marks in his yard where the hole in the wall was and you could tell that the wall was cut from the outside.


So if criminals steals my guns and commits crimes with them, I place the blame and responsibility on the criminal. I would feel no guilt.


Now this is different than if a child who is in your home finds an unsecured firearm and kills himself. I would feel plenty of guilt about this. In the state of Florida you must keep firearms secured and locked away if there are minors in your home.

[JUNGLEBILL]

dave,just doit, i have for years,,bill

[Horseless Trooper]

I keep a Maverick 12ga. in my trunk and have had no problems with it. I take it out once a month or so and wipe it down. I do not have any particular need for a car gun but I don't see any reason to not have it. I have never been attacked or robbed in 52 years but I still carry a handgun. Must just be paranoid.

[Rich Miranda]

To summarize my thoughts....

Most of us are not going to need our CCW - ever. Most of us won't need a shotgun in the trunk - ever.

But we prepare for the unlikely need to defend ourselves by training with these arms and having them with us.

I don't think it is paranoia to keep a car/trunk/ccw gun. It's just being prepared. Yeah, the day may never come, but if it does, you'll be ready.

One must take normal precautions when it comes to securing your firearms in the car.

EDIT: At the tender age of 18 I was carjacked, kidnapped, robbed of everything, and left in the middle of nowhere. God was looking after me and I was not killed. I hope the odds of this happening again are astronomical, but I'm still not taking any chances.

[mikenbarb]

SuperDave, How many guns are needed in your car to feel safe? You already stated that you carry a Glock with a concealed carry permit. When asked why you needed to carry a shotgun also, You came up with some reason of midgets with cricket bats hitting you in the legs.(im still lmao) In all reality you will proably never have a need to use a trunk gun except to dispatch a deer hit by a car let alone use it for self defense reasons. You already carry a Glock. Go to the local sports shop and buy a few x-tra clips for it(sure you already got)and it will be alot more practical and maybe even safer in the long run. I am giving my opinion based on the laws in the state I live in and my personal thoughts of what "could" happen and not on what proably wont happen. I know the laws vary from state to state but we all have to think of safe firearm storage and handling no matter where we live. If you feel you can safely store your shotgun in your trunk then go for it. Just make sure you can identify yourself quickly to LEO if you have to use it and they happen to be in the area. You dont want them thinking your the bad guy holding a street sweeper. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[oneounceload]

Dave - you ought to move to Gainesville - everyone is sssoooooooooo zen there, they'll convince you you not only don't need a gun, but you won't even need a car to carry one in....... (and the coeds are pretty cute too!)

Seriously, IF I lived in an area where I had to worry about a Katrina-type scenario, I think I would move to someplace where that possibility is less.......you might try The Villages.......

[plom]

Super Dave, do it, better safe than sorry!

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Why do you need a trunk gun?? Think Katrina--North Hollywood---LA riots---will it happen to you?? Not likely---BUT better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it---you never know.

I kept a POS Remington Viper in the trunk for years---no case---it never rusted and always worked when I pulled it out to run a few mags through it for function testing----I gave it zero love and no maintainence and it still worked everytime.

[ebutler462]

Most states recognize CCLs from other states though a compact agreement. I don't need to go to DC. I, however, have been in VA and MD where the permit is recognized.

I have advised officers when going through checkpoints in several states, that I am carrying. They appreciate my telling them and we usually end up swapping war stories. I've never had one to over react. They check my permit sometimes. I always tell them I have a gun. I got stopped for speeding in another state that is an anti-gun state. When the officer approached me, I advised him that I had a weapon. He asked me to tell him where it was. I did and he personally retrieved it. Then he asked for my permit. We chatted for about ten minutes and he told me to slow it down and went on about his business. No citation!

I haven't researched the laws of the various states. However, I have found that every officer that I have had contact with since I retired has been very respectful and has seemed to enjoy having a chat with a retired cop that has been there, done that. Attitude means everything.