Vehicle 'Carry'

I see this question come up from time to time and folks chime in with suqestions about dashboard holsters and under seat rigs ,etc. However, know the laws of your state. Your permit covers concealed on your body, and not in a vehicle. There are seperate laws for vehicles that you must follow. Read these laws first, and let them determine where you keep the gun.

In South Carolina, your options are only in the glove box or the console, or on ylur person if you have a ccp. Anywhere else, ie under seat, holster mounted under dash, etc. is illegal and can get you arrested.

Know the law and work within its framework.

Sent from my SCH-I925 using Tapatalk HD

In Missouri you can keep a loaded firearm in your vehicle whether you have a CCW or not. Me? On my person at all times.

In the car, if I'm wearing a shoulder rig, I leave it there, as it is still accessible with a seatbelt on.

Otherwise, I put it on the passenger seat with a newspaper or similar item over it. For a duty rig in a vehicle, I actually preferred the hard blackhawk holster that sits on the thigh.

you make a good point...

MN is fairly accommodating. If you have a Carry Permit, (and you should, as it's a shall-issue state) a handgun in your vehicle is generally considered as a handgun on your person. I carry my car gun in a sturdy utility bag hanging from the back of the passenger seat, where I can reach back between the seats, unzip the bag and put my hand on it without having to move my body or turn or cause undue notice...

My truck has a rather deep center console that is easy to access. The console slides forward to open rather than lifting upward. I have a DeSantis Kingston car seat nylon holster velcroed vertically on the inside of the console. I bought heavy duty industrial purpose velcro for this task due to the weight of the gun and extra magazine. My Glock 30 SF and the extra magazine ride there out of sight, but within easy reach if needed. This set up works perfect in my truck, but you must have a Rather deep center console. I have the same holster set up in my wife's mini van where I keep a XDM 3.8.

Florida is pretty liberal (the "good" kind of liberal, before the word was corrupted) when it comes to in-vehicle possession. With no carry license, one can still keep a handgun within their vehicle as long as it's in a container or compartment that requires a lid or door be opened for access, and the container is not on the person. Even a pizza box or shoe box meets the requirement.

I am licensed to carry, and that removes all restrictions except the requirement to keep it concealed. Typically, if I want an accessible firearm within the vehicle (more accessible than my holstered sidearm), I'll place a second gun in the center console. I don't use my primary because of the possibility I'll forget to re-holster upon exiting.

During my one-night-per-week pizza delivery gig, I'll put my second gun in a holster clipped to the lower steering column cover.

I'm in the "on my person" camp.
I think it's a bad idea to leave an unsecured gun, unattended in a vehicle.

That said?
You could get a raccoon or maybe possum stuffed. Or learn taxidermy and do it yourself. It's supposed to be an enjoyable hobby? Anyways... Leave a holster shaped cavity inside. Use elastic to make the "rear aperture" expandable. Mount "natures little holster" on your dash, facing forward. When you need your gun, just reach on up there. Assessable, discreet and not likely to get stolen with your radio. Especially if you go with the possum...creepy little things.

The map pocket in the driver's side door is a real good fit for my S&W 908 in its holster. Stays put and in easy reach.

Console, glove compartment, or visible in the car is perfectly legal in GA with or without a permit. On your person with a carry permit. Under the seat, or in a map pocket in the door panel is illegal however. The gun must be either visible, on the seat etc. when a LE officer comes to your door during a traffic stop. Or if it is not readily visible it must not be readily accessable, such as a map pocket, or under the seat.

A handgun stays in all of our cars at all times. It the car is locked, and the gun out of sight I've met all of my legal and moral obligations. If someone breaks in and steals it, they are the criminal.

There are so many laws regarding guns in vehicles it makes your head spin.
Some want it in plain sight others just the opposite. If one is taking a trip across state lines you definately want to study the gun laws because they are likely different. Car carry, resturant carry, public buildings all change from state to state and if you live in one of the less restrictive one you may be shocked as well as in trouble if you make assumptions.
Worst thing is, criminals don't generally follow laws so it does make one wonder why we have so many senseless ones.

In Texas, it doesn't matter if you have a licence or not, as long as you're 18 you can have a handgun in your vehicle. Concealed or not.

I usually leave a wheelgun on the passenger seat since I don't have a center console to mess with, or I'll have it in my lap if I'm in a bad part of town.

See that's what I'm talking about. Concealed Carry website says Texas requires handguns to be concealed at all times in the vehicle.
Which is right?

colorado_handgunner said:

I see this question come up from time to time and folks chime in with suqestions about dashboard holsters and under seat rigs ,etc. However, know the laws of your state. Your permit covers concealed on your body, and not in a vehicle. There are seperate laws for vehicles that you must follow. Read these laws first, and let them determine where you keep the gun.

In South Carolina, your options are only in the glove box or the console, or on ylur person if you have a ccp. Anywhere else, ie under seat, holster mounted under dash, etc. is illegal and can get you arrested.

Know the law and work within its framework.

Sent from my SCH-I925 using Tapatalk HD

Click to expand...

Yeah, what he said! However, here's the full quote from 16-23-20 (Unlawful carrying of handgun; exceptions), paragraph (9) of SC law, which includes a couple additions to this posting:

It is unlawful for anyone to carry about the person any handgun, whether concealed or not, except as follows, unless otherwise specifically prohibited by law:

(9) a person in a vehicle if the handgun is secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or in a closed container secured by an integral fastener and transported in the luggage compartment of the vehicle; however, this item is not violated if the glove compartment, console, or trunk is opened in the presence of a law enforcement officer for the sole purpose of retrieving a driver’s license, registration, or proof of insurance;

I'd like to also include the paragraph on motorcycles here, for our brothers-in-arms who ride:

(16) Any person on a motorcycle when the pistol is secured in a closed saddlebag or other similar closed accessory container attached, whether permanently or temporarily, to the motorcycle.

Note that none of this wording says "locked"...it says "closed".

http://www.sled.sc.gov/SCStateGunLaws1.aspx


Sorry...SC resident here.



Of note here..."closed console" can be one you've designed, built, and installed in the vehicle. There's no proscription against this. I mention this because I just got the vehicle I have this year and I've not yet got around to building a new one for it. It'll be a finished oak console that fits (bolts) on the hump under the center of the dash. It'll have a lockable partition not easily noticable to anybody who might break into the vehicle and make a quick grab for valuables. In otherwords, out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

Under the seat and such, like you said, isn't legal. Probably wouldn't be an issue in SC if you were properly licensed to carry concealed, but you COULD be cited for violation of the law if discovered.

jmr40, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Being a armed citizen comes with a lot of responsibility. One of those responsibilities is to make sure that non of your guns fall into the wrong hands. The implications of having a gun stolen from you go far beyond just the loss of the gun. Bad people steal things and bad people do bad things with guns. If anyone has any idea there might be a gun in your car, it would just take seconds to break a window and get the gun. My truck gun becomes my night stand at night and the rest live in the safe.

clg114 said:

...One of those responsibilities is to make sure that none of your guns fall into the wrong hands.

Click to expand...

1) That "responsibility" would be impossible to fulfill. You have no real way of preventing your guns from being stolen. A residential security container won't stop theft. Nor will sleeping next to the gun. You shouldn't claim responsibility for things you cannot control. And yes, you should try to prevent theft, but that's because theft means your stuff is taken and you must work harder to replace it.

2) No it isn't one of my responsibilities. I have no responsibility to judge whose hands are right or wrong. That's the thing with rights...if you have a right to free speech I don't get to decide, "well no not you, I don't like you." It's your right. You have a right to be armed even if I think your hands are wrong. Of course I don't want my property stolen but that has nothing to do with a "responsibility" to see that guns don't end up in certain hands, it's about me having a right to decide what happens to, and to benefit from, my own property.

To the original question.... I have a locking drawer mounted under the driver's seat for storage. There may or may not be handguns in that. I have a center console between the seats, also locking, that fits a pistol in holster. However, from an access perspective the top two choices are the map pocket behind the passenger seat or a full flap holster (for concealment) mount to the headliner (which required some custom work).

clg114 said:

Being a[n] armed citizen comes with a lot of responsibility. Yes.

One of those responsibilities is to make sure that non[e] of your guns fall into the wrong hands. To a reasonable degree, yes. Hands such as children without supervision. Knowingly into the hands of a criminal.

The implications of having a gun stolen from you go far beyond just the loss of the gun. Yes. They extend to my filing of an insurance claim and beginning the search for a replacement.

Bad people steal things and bad people do bad things with guns. Both correct.

If anyone has any idea there might be a gun in your vehicle, it would just take seconds to break a window and get the gun. Yes, breaking into a car is pretty easy, regardless of what the thief might think is in there.

Click to expand...

However, your argument is irrational. Let's say this same bad person steals your truck, the one that has no gun inside. He goes on a joy ride after having a few drinks, and crashes into a school bus, killing several children. Are you responsible for those deaths? After all, it was your truck he crashed into that bus.

Of course you're not. Nor should you carry around a guilty conscience. Once someone steals your property, you cannot be responsible for what he does with it.

know the laws of your state. Your permit covers concealed on your body, and not in a vehicle. There are seperate laws for vehicles that you must follow. Read these laws first, and let them determine where you keep the gun.

Click to expand...

Kind of funny to see the contradictions in this. The statement may be true for South Carolina, but is it true for Wisconsin where the OP is? In Ohio, my CHL most certainly does cover concealed carry in the vehicle as well as on my person. It is that way in many states.
The advice to "know the laws of your state" is excellent. Just remember to not blanket apply your state's laws to another state. Do not assume they are the same in all 50.
.

Different states have different laws, I guess that's what should be taken from this and if one travels out of his state or in some cases even within their state there are vastly different requirements for vehicle transport of a firearm.
Some states treat all firearms under their concealed carry regs and some draw a line between how a handgun and a long gun are recognized.

If I'm not carrying @ 11:30, IWB, then it's on the passenger seat. If I have a passenger, then it's either in the glove box or on my person. I can easily reach my daily carry G26, when belted in, when carrying @ 11:30.

Otherwise, I put it on the passenger seat with a newspaper or similar item over it.

Click to expand...

That's what some of the FBI agents did in the infamous Miami Shootout. So in the critical opening moments of the fight, they were down on the floor boards, looking for their guns.

Vehicle 'Carry'

Click to expand...

Mine.

Glock 19.



Ruger Security six .357 and SKS.



Ruger Security six .357.



In the back of all the vehicles are long guns.

Vehicle 'Carry'

Just curious - those of you keep a firearm in your vehicle (either at all times or only when you're in it), where in the vehicle do you keep it?

Click to expand...

Only when I am in it.

It is concealed in my pants.

I have kids. Although they are prohibited from getting in the car without the adults and have abided by the rule for 13, 8, and 7 years, they're still kids. There is a compartment in the back of my Pilot where I keep a CZ P-07 with 2 mags (neither inserted into the gun). The gun and mags are in a locked combination safe. This is my Reginald Denny gun. It will serve me no good as a quick draw self defense, but will be available if I have to get from point A to point B in a situation that may be dangerous..... A commute home during social unrest as an example.

Other than that, my CCW is on me and not stored in the vehicle.