Probably my fault, I don't know. No lectures, just advice

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Bandit01

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Okay, I do have a CCW. I live in Charlotte, N.C (lot of crime there). I sometimes don't leave my office until the wee hours of the night. I have to drive through bad neighborhoods. I drive a sports car (Trans Am). Those are the details. Today, I got my car detailed by a shop that's in teh garage of my office. I always keep a snub nose revolver in the elbow compartment. While N.C., is a somewhat gun friendly state, you can't carry a pistol into an office building where there's a sign posted stating no guns allowed.

After lunch, I went to get my car (it was looking really good). As I was parking the car, I noticed that my pistol was not where I left it. The elbow compartment is deep, I had the pistol on the bottom and paper and other stuff on top. It was facing in the wrong direction and other stuff was on the bottom. I approached the guy and asked what was up, did he go through compartments. He denied it. I'm very careful with fire arms and all of my possessions. I leave things a certain way on purpose. It's currently after 11 PM and I'm just getting home from work. I don't like driving at night without a pistol.

I'm really pissed but since it's a fire arm, I don't want to make a major situation of it because I don't want to go through the red tape of why was it left in the car. I'm going to look irresponsible. Then, I don't want it known that I'm packing. Finally, while he's an idiot, should his company have to suffer because of him. But, what if he's stealing personal, financial stuff from everyone. Hell, he's the daily guy there. He has access to your car literally all day.

As well as they detail a car, I'm no longer going to give them my business because it's obvious that they go through your car. Unless you catch him in the act, I don't think that there's anything that I could do about it.

Here's a situation, the guy has my car and my gun. What if he shot someone with it and was caught in the act. Can I get in trouble with the law. I'm really freaked out cause I feel violated. I know for sure that I didn't leave my pistol in the manner that I found it.

After I parked the car, he was pulling a Corvette Zo6 into the shop. In an indoor garage, this moron was revving the engine so hard. While I like the sound of a strong engine, I don't want him doing that to my car but I'm sure that he was showing off.

Your advice please!!!!!
 
edited because I need to learn to read for content............ :banghead:

the following still applies:

[lecture] If you are going to leave it in the car, leave it locked in something they can't get into without making it obvious. "Detailing" means cleaning every interior nook and cranny and guns are cash on the hoof to a dishonest minimum wage guy. [/lecture]
 
He didn't say his pistol was missing. Read the post again. :p The way it's written, you could easily think it was stolen, though.
 
[strike]Report your gun stolen and the circumstances. Let the police use their legal procedures. For all you know, that shop may employ ex-felons or other people whom the police may have reason to suspect of crimes. Place yourself on the high ground.[/strike]

In my best "Ernestine" squeaky voice: Nevermind!
 
You don't want a lecture, but dang, man! That wasn't a very responsible thing to do. Ok, no lecture....

1) Are you sure the gun isn't somewhere else? I had a very similar situation a few years ago. I thought a gun was in one place and it wasn't there when I checked. I gave my son the third degree ( I thought he had taken it to practice and didn't return it). I was about to call the police to report it stolen, but I checked the whole house one more time. I found it - in the last place I, myself, had put it!

2) Are you absolutely sure it was in the compartment when you left the car at the shop? The way you describe it, it sounds like the gun stays in there all the time. Could it have been stolen at a prior time without your knowledge?

[Edit after reading Rockstar's post above]

It's not missing? Ok, I see that now. Your post wasn't very clear on that point.

I'd say you're very lucky it wasn't stolen. Detailing means exactly that, almost everything is cleaned. I'm not surprised the gun was moved around. I'd let it go at that. No harm, no foul. I would keep going to that detailing shop for the exact reason you say you would stop. They appear to be honest as opposed to dishonest.

*************
bubbygator - That was Rosanne Rosanna-Dana. :)
 
Report it to the police. I would complain LOUDLY at the establishment that did the detailing. It is not right no matter the circumstances. A thief is a thief, and I don't care if it was left in your car!
 
Read the post again. He's not really saying that the gun was stolen. He's just not very clear in his writing style. Or, maybe it was stolen, and I'm not reading it correctly. :)
 
I will now publically eat crow for all my previous "read for content" snide comments in other posts. :banghead:

Thanks Rockstar.

Change in advice....

Well, you braced the guy and he denied it. Hard to do more in a he said/he said situation. Most detailing companies would want their management to know, they don't like being put in positions by possibly dishonest employees.

In any event, stop letting them detail it, don't leave the keys with them for any reason. If you are paranoid, pay the dinero to change your locks, it ain't that hard to copy a car key if you have had all day.

I'd still invest in an underseat lockbox for when you'll be away from the car for any length of time in the future. That will make a possible future "unrelated" snatch and grab a little less lucrative.
 
Lecture:
From my (limited) understanding of law, you are responsible for your guns, and thus are supposed to keep them "in a safe place". Clearly, within comfortable reach of a stranger does not qualify. :)

Advice:
Don't do business with that establishment again. No longer leave the gun in the car at any time. That way, if the mechanic gets drunk and blurts out your secret in a bar, some wiseguy won't get your gun from your car. He might still vandalize the car expecting to find the gun there, but at least you won't be arming the perp. It may be a good idea to talk to the mechanic straight and let him know that if your car gets vandalized in the future, you would have some idea why that is and where the police should start their investigation. That may help keep him silent, at least until he gets drunk... :rolleyes:

Conclusion:
I feel for you, dude. Although you have yourself to blame, you still got yourself in a pickle of a situation and I hope you pull through without problems. :)
 
Let's see....

you pay the guy to go thru your car (to clean it)

then you get cranked because the goes thru your car

:confused:

Seems simple. If you want to protect your gun, why don't you protect your gun (get one of them little lock box thingies).

There's no way in hell I'd let a stranger have open access to one of my firearms. Not a matter of "if" it will be gone...matter of "when"
 
If the gun wasn't stolen (at this point I'm confused about this point) you're lucky. In an ideal situation you could take the gun with you to the office, but that doesn't appear to be an option.

Looking toward the future, you can buy a small, one-pistol-size gun safe and have it mounted somewhere, say in the trunk. Then lock you gun therein when you don't have control over it. When you leave, retrive the gun and place it back in the elbow compartment (or wherever).

I never leave a handgun or any other firearm is a car that's going into anyone to be serviced. I also remove any ammunition. You never know who is going to be going through the car, and once they have the keys it's open season for a thief.
 
After lunch, I went to get my car (it was looking really good). As I was parking the car, I noticed that my pistol was not where I left it. The elbow compartment is deep, I had the pistol on the bottom and paper and other stuff on top. It was facing in the wrong direction and other stuff was on the bottom. I approached the guy and asked what was up, did he go through compartments. He denied it. I'm very careful with fire arms and all of my possessions. I leave things a certain way on purpose. It's currently after 11 PM and I'm just getting home from work. I don't like driving at night without a pistol.

I have no idea if the gun got stolen or not. At one point you say it was facing the wrong direction. Which tells me it was there. Then you say you don't like driving at night without a pistol, which says it wasn't there.

What should you have done? You should have had the gun secured so no one else could have had access to it. You paid people got detail your car. That means they are going ALL over it.

I had a similar situation not long ago. I left my car to have some work done on it. I made arragements with a trusted co-worker to lock my gun in her car. At the end of the shift I got it back, picked up my car, no problems.
 
Bandit01's post must have been edited by the time I read it. My first impression is that he was upset that his gun was discovered in the console. That alone prompted my reaction, which is pretty much the same as Redneck's
(you pay the guy to go thru your car and clean it, then you get cranked because the goes thru your car?? The solution seems simple. If you want to protect your gun, why don't you protect your gun?).

Probably my fault, I don't know. ....I'm going to look irresponsible. I'm really pissed...

Huh?? I'll quote, Matt H here,
You don't want a lecture, but dang, man!

I don't mean this as a presumptuous sermon; this isn't meant as a "lecture". It's just my reaction to what I read. It seems to me that aside from the ire, maybe Bandit has missed the point.. This isn't about common sense and how to 'protect your guns', or the privacy of personal habits, etc. This is about the responsibility of gun ownership-- CCW means that no one knows I'm carrying--- "CONCEALED" is the descriptor. The license means that I must do all I can to hide my weapon from the public, and maintain it responsibly. How can a car-vacuum lackey be put to blame for denying that he went "through compartments"? His job is to clean the car, bumper to bumper. (and is he the actual lackey who physically cleaned the front interior, or was it a co-worker? Out here, several guys at once detail vehicles.) Why is the notion of reporting him even a consideration? And why is ire directed at the detail company? The fault was not theirs, the fault was, allowing an unsecured firearm to be completely accessible to the entire public. Before and after detailing, (at least, locally) cars are parked in the detailer's parking lot unlocked, but ANYONE can see it; and I'm sure a bold stranger could walk right up, get in, and rummage through it without anyone's objection ("I forgot my pills, or "I left my cell phone"). The point is, when one is away from their guns, it is not the responsibility of others to take on responsibility. They're OUR guns. We alone are responsible for their security. That this gun wasn't locked in its' own separate compartment tells me that Bandit01's common practice is to "hide" his gun unsecured, when prohibited from CCW at a specific location, and trust to luck that his car is "ugly enough" that it won't appeal to some two-minute thief on a 'smash and grab'.. That's only one person's "fault". Sorry if that all sounds harsh; it isn't mean to have that tone.
 
This IS kinda confusing so, two answers.

1. If the gun is gone: Report it. Take your lumps. Better that you report it now than have to answer why your gun was used in a crime or some 4 year old got it and killed a playmate.

2. If the gun is still there: Go home, beat your head against the wall and write 100 times, "I will not leave my gun unattended and unlocked in a car I have turned over to someone else to work on."
 
If YOU left it there, and it is not gone.?! Learn from it, don't "Stew" on it, and don't do it again... ;) Turns out apparently that the guy isn't a thief, just an idiot...
 
As far as I can tell from reading your story, your gun was not stolen, just moved from where you had left it.

When you get a car detailed, they clean it out.

I am confused why you think leaving an unattended firearm in a car that you let someone else have access to is anyone's fault but your own. You are just lucky the guy is honest and didnt steal it.

When I get a car detailed, or valet park it, or leave it at a repair shop, I take everything of value out of it. You are asking for trouble by not doing so.
 
"Probably my fault, I don't know. No lectures, just advice"


Yes, it's your fault.

Now you know.

You still need a lecture.

Don't EVER leave a firearm in an unlocked vehicle unattended. Don't EVER trust someone with your gun. (this is what you did)

Detail your own vehicle, or figure out a safe effective way to store your gun when you turn it over to a stranger. I solve this problem in a couple of ways. I never detail my vehicles. (or wash them for that matter), and I never "go wait in the waiting room" when having oil changed or tires installed. I always stand around and watch. My "excuse" for standing around watching is the two large dogs that are always in my vehicle. The oil change places usually have me do the start up to check for pressure, and don't vac the interior.
 
I also cannot tell for sure if the gun stolen or just disturbed. So in general, my advice is:

Any gun not on your person must be secured. Locked up so it can't be used or taken by a casual observer. At the very least a locked box bolted to the car or the gun locked to a solid object in the car (like a cable lock to the seat frame).

If the gun was stolen, you must report it to the police ASAP. If you suspect it was the car wash employee report your SUSPICION (you don't know for sure) to the management. They will deny responsibility but you still need to tell them.

BTW- I have seen signs at car washes saying "Don't leave a gun in your car" so it's a common error. Also, there's no "probably" about it being your fault. You are responsible for your gun and you weren't showing good judgment.
 
I don't believe the car guy did anything wrong at all. You left a firearm in an accessibe area of your car - you asked them to detail your car - they did.

It was your fault for leaving the gun accessible. You can't blame the guy for doing the job you requested.
 
I agree, the guy didn't do anything wrong...you did. The guy was detailing the car after all...you didn't expect him to open the compartments?

I think you weren't thinking is what I think. You're damn lucky to have a detail guy who would leave the gun right where he found it and not call the cops or so much as mention it to you.
I'm going to look irresponsible.
Aw, come on now. What would give you that impression?
 
advice: get a lockbox that uses a different key from your ignition.
advice: leave your pistol at home when you know you're going to get your car detailed.

while it might've been dishonest of him to deny going through your compartments while he obviously did, you still have your pistol. I agree with everyone else.. when you decided to let him have access to your car you decided that it would be worth the risk to let him have access to your pistol. while it is his fault for moving it around it was your fault for letting him.
 
What place in Charlotte? So I know not to go there...

I had a similar situation once at a car rental place, I left a decent digital camera in a rental when I turned it in. About an hour down the road I realized I left the camera, called the rental place "No one turned it in...", I then said, "I'm on my way there right now..." as soon as I got there, my camera was 'found' :mad:

edit- wait, the gun is still there, and you're mad?
 
Last edited:
"I drive a sports car (Trans Am). "

I know that most people will read this and think you are some kind of teenage wanna be moron or something because there is a stigma about Trans Ams and Cameros. Some people think that Camero drivers are all dumb rednecks but I am not one of them. I understand what you are getting at 100%. I would be upset if I left my gun in the car and had it detail cleaned and then found out that it may or may not have been touched by the guy that was doing the cleaning. I would probably sue or even burn the place down if they did something like that to me. :rolleyes:

Anyway, what is the problem? You left the gun in the car and you were lucky that is wasn't stolen. When I take my car to someone and turn over the keys, I take out anything that I don't want stolen. That is life. I keep a gun in the glovebox but there is no way I would leave it in there when someone else had access to it. Learn some personal responsibility would ya? :mad: It is people like you that give the rest of us a bad name. Having a gun means knowing where it is at all times, you were not doing your part in seeing that it didn't fall into the wrong hands.

Unless someone breaks into my car, my gun is safe. It is as safe as if it were in my house at least. I keep my car locked when I am not in or near it and I don't leave loaded guns in it when I have it serviced.

You need a wake up call my son. You have nothing to complain about except yourself.
 
My best friend in highschool worked at a detail shop. Finding guns in cars was an almost weekly experience. The shop rule was remove gun, clean car, replace gun as it was found. Change in the ashtray remained there, change on the floor or in the seats was considered a perk, or tip. Drugs were to be confiscated by the owner, and either used by him or resold. My friend once found, what he called a full sandwich bag full of coke in a car that the owner confiscated and sold. He told my friend that if the cars owner had a problem with it he could call the cops. My friend quit soon after.
 
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