Storing a carry gun in the vehicle
- Thread starter Jbird45
- Start date
- Status
OP
OP
Jbird45
Member
I am reluctant about it too, but then again if some drug abuser gets road rage and pulls a gun on me on my way home, what good is it in the safe?
And before someone says what are the odds of that happening, some druggie (assuming from the way he was acting)did get out of his car and start screaming at me and running around my truck because apparently I was tailgating him even though there was plenty of room between us. That's why I got my CCW in the first place. I felt completely defenseless and it scared the crap out of me.
So what I have gathered is everyone's situation is different, which I expected, and I will have to decide what is best for me and my situation. There is a risk either way if you leave it home in the safe or if you secure it in your vehicle, and I have to weigh risk vs reward. I suppose that's common sense, but thank you everyone for the helpful replies.
FL-NC
Member
One really should not think "gun" and "road rage" in the same context.
As long as one is in a working motor vehicle and has an open or openable route away from the situation, one should use that strategy first.
Also, even the threat of deadly force, such as the display of a firearm, would not be lawfully justified because someone is "screaming at [one]" and running around [one's] truck".
bdickens
Member
Again, with what?
How many thieves do you think go wheeling a toolbox through the parking lot? My guess is "not very many."
How many seats have you taken out of vehicles? My guess here too is "not very many." I've done hundreds.
While it's pretty easy when you have the correct tools, it still takes an amount of time greater than zero. The seats in Ford & Chevy vans are generally held down by four nuts with an 18mm hex. Much of everything else is held in by a more specialized fastener like a Torx, inverted Torx, Torx plus or some purpose designed variation on the theme.
Now, I could probably have a seat out of a car in a couple minutes, but I was a pro. Of course, I was taking care not to damage anything. However, I did have the key and have to break in first.
In fairness, my estimated time is having the seat all the way out and sitting on the shop floor.
Our theif would only have to unbolt it and, naturally, would probably not be overly concerned about damaging anything. So I figure maybe 45 seconds to unbolt the seat so he can lift it. That's after he breaks in. And that's assuming he is carrying the right tools with him. Which he probably won't be.
And guess what? Now he has a loose seat with a lock box securely attached to it by a cable. BECAUSE IF YOU'RE ANY KIND OF SMART AT ALL, THE CABLE GOES AROUND THE SEAT FRAME ITSELF, NOT WHERE IT BOLTS TO THE FLOOR!
Now our theif has to cut the cable anyway, so it's back to the tool box. Oh yeah....
By the way, your proverbial catalytic converter thieves carry a sawzall with them because they are on a specific mission to get catalytic converters as opposed to the smash & grab artist who is just looking for whatever he can get quick and easy.
Obturation
Member
Wow, a simple statement that you disagree would have worked.
I've had hundreds of seats out of cars as well, I was a general auto mechanic for 15 years and now do mainly specialty cars & customs , so I do know what I'm talking about.
Loosen up some , nobody's attacking you and you don't need to try to force YOUR OPINION down anyone's throat, it just makes you seem like an unpleasant person.
bdickens
Member
I apologize, I didn't mean to get you riled up or make you feel insulted.
I was trying to get across the point that while it is certainly possible for a theif to get into one of those car lock boxes, or take the whole thing outright, that it isn't very likely.
OP
OP
Jbird45
Member
I'm not thinking that. I am also smart enough to not brandish a weapon. But if the jerk in front of me who got out of his car pulled a gun out because HE had road rage I would rather not be defenseless.
I am never looking to escalate things to violence. I truly pray I never need to use it. But if someone is threatening my life I at least want the chance to defend myself
Last edited:
You would probably be far more apt to survive unscathed by using your car to escape.
...and with less likelihood hitting an innocent, or of being charged with public endangerment.
Again, one should not think "gun" and "road rage" in the same context.
Speedo66
Member
I was a LEO, I don't recommend it. I didn't say all crooks carry a handcuff key, but in tossing them enough came up that I don't think it's a safe method of securing valuable or dangerous items.
If you have no other choice, then of course, something is better than nothing.
OP
OP
Jbird45
Member
Ok. I see your point. I'm sorry, I was wrong.
Styx
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2014
- Messages
- 3,250
Can't always escape in a car while in traffic/rush hour.... All depends on the situation...
Anyway, I keep a firearm in my car and will continue to do so.... It's hidden when I'm out the car and placed within reach when im inside the car. I also carry a firearm everyday for the last several years while at work against company policy... To each their own.
Last edited:
Howland937
Member
According to the local deputies that I deal with on occasion, the majority of firearm theft reports they take were stolen from a vehicle. I try my best to never leave guns in my ride. For one, I've had to break in my own vehicle and I know it's not hard. Another reason is for a thief to possess tools to gain entry, it's reasonable to expect them to have bolt cutters (around here they also typically carry cordless drills and sawzall too).
That said, there's currently a loaded firearm in my vehicle, protected only by the vehicle's locks and factory security system...because I'm 4 hours from home and the resort hotel "strictly prohibits carrying of any weapons on their premises"
That said, there's currently a loaded firearm in my vehicle, protected only by the vehicle's locks and factory security system...because I'm 4 hours from home and the resort hotel "strictly prohibits carrying of any weapons on their premises"
You might want to research state law where you are. In some states it is a criminal violation to have a gun in a posted "no firearms" business. In other states it is a civil matter, and only becomes a legal problem if the business discovers you have a gun, asks you to leave, and you refuse, in which case it is a civil trespass violation. Finally, the law may specify exactly how the no guns signage must appear, like the wonderful 30-06 statute in Texas; failure to follow the signage requirements renders them unenforceable. IANAL, but have noted the nuance of criminal prohibition versus civil trespass sanction.
Trunk Monkey
member
I haven't stayed in a hotel in a while. The last time I did I took my own lock box and locked it to the closet shelf which was wire and I opted not to have my room made up until after I left.
There is no way I'd leave my gun in a car in a hotel parking lot.
Insignificant bill
Member
- Joined
- May 2, 2019
- Messages
- 1,206
The problem with most of these is the crappy locks that can be picked with a paperclip
Trunk Monkey
member
You're not wrong
Howland937
Member
My understanding is that, here in Ohio, if they post a sign it becomes a lawful order. Not sure how or why, but that's what the LEO's I've discussed it with have told me.
The hotel here is part of the resort system at a large theme park. Gated with security, passes required to enter. Our room has a safe in it and I'm sure I could carry without anyone knowing. But based on being informed it would be illegal to do so, I don't.
bassjam
Member
Never trust a LEO's version of the law. My experience has been they often don't know the laws very well, if at all. I've heard the opposite as you, as the officer who taught my CCW class told us that only weight those signs carry is they can ask you to leave the premises, and you can be arrested for trespassing if you refuse. It turns out however there is more to it than that, and your source was closer to the truth. It's a 4th degree misdemeanor for "criminal trespass"
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2923.126
Point is, always go the the Ohio Revised Code for what the actual law is and don't trust word of mouth.
Charlie Martinez
Member
I know a guy that had very nice AR rifle and an equally nice 1911 (both quite expensive guns). He lived in a nice condo complex & every other Sunday he went to the range. Every time he went to the range he would grab his gear & walk from his condo to the parking lot, place all his gear in the trunk of his car & then do the reverse when he came home from the range. This went on for a few months until one day he came home from work & found his condo had been broken into & his guns were all gone.
The moral of the story is that he told me he was sure that the thief was specifically after the guns & that whoever it was must have seen him with his gear walking back and forth from his condo to the car & back. They knew exactly what they wanted when they broke into his place.
When a thief targets a regular car parked in a parking lot full of regular cars it's hard not to assume that they knew there was something of value inside that particular vehicle. The best way to prevent having your car broken into is to extremely discreet & make sure that nobody knows you have anything of value stored inside. This is especially true if leaving the gun stashed in the car while at work is routine. Whoever knows this can easily figure out when they can strike. That's why telling nobody includes not telling relatives, best friends & especially co-workers because people talk a lot.
The moral of the story is that he told me he was sure that the thief was specifically after the guns & that whoever it was must have seen him with his gear walking back and forth from his condo to the car & back. They knew exactly what they wanted when they broke into his place.
When a thief targets a regular car parked in a parking lot full of regular cars it's hard not to assume that they knew there was something of value inside that particular vehicle. The best way to prevent having your car broken into is to extremely discreet & make sure that nobody knows you have anything of value stored inside. This is especially true if leaving the gun stashed in the car while at work is routine. Whoever knows this can easily figure out when they can strike. That's why telling nobody includes not telling relatives, best friends & especially co-workers because people talk a lot.
Howland937
Member
I don't try to accuse lawmakers of intentionally muddying the water, but there's some lack in clarity at least in how some LEO interpret laws. I've had deputies from the same county with differing opinions (both licensed CCW instructors) on how many concealed handguns a person may carry at the same time. From what I'd read of Ohio law, it specifically says it's illegal to carry anywhere that prohibits carrying, ie...sign on the door. I always looked at it from the perspective of "no metal detector, no problem". If they're not checking me, then they didn't check the people in front of me and they're not checking the ones behind me. But there is a lot of security here, and some places with metal detectors...so I left it locked up in the Jeep.
FAS1
Member
7GA steel bolted down will stop most that break into your vehicle. Can be mounted horizontally as well if there is room under your rear seat like you mentioned.
U.S.SFC_RET
Member
I have two lock boxes in my vehicle. One under the front seat for small conceal carry pistols and one larger lock box in the back. If I want to keep a service sized pistol around it goes in the larger one. This works for me.
Tom-R2
Member
We have two metal gun safes with cables. I have a second set of cables so I put two cables in each car. One locking safe generally stays in my wife's car, one in mine. If we ride together, we simply move the safe from the car we are not going in to the one we are driving that day. Both safes are keyed alike. The cables can easily be removed if we need to move one of the safes into a hotel room or some other reasonably private location. It's easy to keep a few items in the trunk to cover the safes so they are out of sight. If we are going somewhere that we can't take a pistol, it's not hard to have the safe in the front with us, remove the pistol and place it in the safe, then get out with the safe and place it in the trunk and attach the cable. Lock it and cover it over. Lock the trunk and the car and walk away. When we return, it's just the opposite.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
