Anyone else do this?

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ArizonaTRex

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Just so you know my favorite carry gun is a full size SA1911, and yes here in the Southwest it is hot and heavy to carry...but it is worth it!:D

But if I KNOW I will have to go in a place where I am not allowed to carry I bring my Glock. Here is why-I really do not like leaving a weapon in the car anymore, so with the Glock I feel "safer-more responsible" by leaving it behind-in pieces. The Glock tears down so fast and reassembles so quickly, I break it down leaving the frame, magazine and slide in two places (locked away) and take the barrel and spring assembly with me inside. And yes I try not to go places that I cannot carry but even here in AZ it is not worth the trouble if you get caught in forbidden places. With the barrel missing, as a usable gun it is worthless as an "Immediate" weapon. I realize if stolen, the thief could buy the parts, but until then it is not capable of firing.

So let me know- what do all of you think of this?
Don't worry about hurting my feelings-flame away, but if you are really mean I'll go watch TV:neener:
 
I might start doing it from here on out. I consider "locked in a car" unsecured. That's a good solution so long as I can manage not to have an ND in my car.
 
I agree that your method is preferable to just throwing it in the glovebox unsecured, but why not install a lockbox (whether commercial or homemade)? You could bolt it in a concealed location such as under the seat or in the trunk?

A steel mil surplus ammo can bolted down with a buffalo padlock securing the lid, for example.
 
Under the seat or in the trunk isn't really concealed at all - thieves who aren't interested in stealing the actual car will often pop the trunk of a car (either by busting out the lock on the trunk itself or popping it from inside the cabin after breaking out a window) to look for luggage, briefcases, etc. And under the seat is where lots of people store things like guns, that are great resale items on the street.

That's not saying that those areas are bad places to locate a lock box, just that they're not "concealed" at all, to a thief.
 
I have thought about a lockbox, but if the car is stolen I still do not want them to have a fully functional weapon.
 
Dunno much about Glocks, but don't you have to pull the trigger at some point to strip them down?

Is that true of all models?

Not trying to start a Glock-bash here, but somehow, doing that every time I have to get out of the car for an errand seems "dicey."

Pardon my ignorance in advance.
 
I have thought about a lockbox, but if the car is stolen I still do not want them to have a fully functional weapon.
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I like the Center of Mass safes and have one. It's a lockbox that tethers to anything secure with a steel cable. Attaches in seconds, in fact when my car went in the shop for work last week it only took me a few seconds to untether it, bring it with me, and install it in my rental car, tethered to the seat frame underneath the seat. If someone steals the car then they'll be able to get in it with some tools, but it's enough protection to dissuade a smash and grab anyway. The "safe" (lockbox) is about the size of a medium hardback book and is large enough for just about any handgun you'd want to carry, although there is a somewhat smaller model available too.

I would argue against bringing a gun or not bringing a gun in the car based solely on "what if the car gets stolen and the crook then has a gun"? I wouldn't limit myself because of a criminal act that someone may or may not commit and that I have zero control over. If you follow that line of thinking, where does it stop? Not having a gun in your house because it might get broken into while you're gone and the thieves would have gun(s)? At some point there's no totally eliminating at least the possibility of this happening, no matter where you live or how strong your gun safe is.
 
My advice is to stay out of TX if you insist on carrying places that you've been informed weapons aren't welcome.

In TX, it could be a class A misdemeanor, and in certain places(gov't buildings for instance) they may even bump it up to a felony. I haven't read the statutes in a while...
 
230RN ,you're right Glocks do require the trigger to be pulled to strip the weapon down, but I always remove the magazine, eject the round, pocket the round AND look into chamber to verify it is empty. I'm kinda anal taking care that way, pretty sure it my parents fault too....:) I don't do this every time I get out of the car, it is only when I have to go to those "special" places. For example, the Hospitals ICU, my wife came down with a rare disease recently, caught a STAPH infection WHILE there and I was required to put on the full gown, gloves and booties just to see her, hard to conceal a gun from the staff while putting all that on! Tucson is pretty gun friendly so it is not common for me to have to disarm.

And machinisttx YOU tell my Momma I can't come back Home to Texas and see her! (I may live in AZ but Home is a place in the piney EastTexas woods) Plus if I showed up without a gun she'd sit me down and give me a stern talking to- have to sit -thats' the only way she can look me eye to eye!
Anyhow she gave me my first pistol-which I still have.

xsquidgator- I may still get a lock box also. Do not care if the car gets stolen, well i do, but I can get another car. The cable setup is good that way I can go between the car and truck. What I don't want is some lowlife having a working firearm.
I always carry. If I am with the wife the 1911 is my primary and the Glock is my BUG ,or if needed, her primary.
Her being disabled now and having to use a walker or wheelchair I prefer to tote the shootin' irons. I almost clank when I walk.

BTW thanks to everyone who read this and were willing to give me their input.
 
I'd imagine most thugs who would break into a car wouldn't recognize a gun if it was in pieces.

You could even carry the slide in with you if you wanted. After all, it isn't a gun.
 
To reiterate:
 

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Hey, I've got a full-length guide rod in my favorite .45...

I can break that thing down into two... er... three pieces in seconds.

And put it back darn near as fast, but I haven't played at that as of late, because I had the thing parked at Knob Creek a coupla years ago, and it's still un-idiot-scratched.
 
Have seen people do the same. I would be more apt to bring the frame, as the other parts mail order replaceable.

Hard sided laptop cases also make very good non-descript storage that you can take with you.
 
Hey Rex,

I'm wondering why you're doing this. I'm from AZ as well and the only restrictions are government buildings (including airports and schools) and places that serve liquor. There's national parks, but they aren't exactly common areas to visit.

Government buildings are required to offer lockable storage immediately inside the front door for firearms so you don't have to lock them up in the car. If they don't have those lock boxes in plain sight at the entrance you, by law, can carry at that location.

I do have to ditch my gun for the post office, under federal jurisdiction, but I only go there when I need a USPS money order to buy a gun.

I carry almost everywhere. The big exception is restaurants that serve liquor. That always makes me a little paranoid because, in Arizona at least, they are notorious for having thieves watch people park, wait until they are in the bar and pop the door with a crowbar. Good thieves don't break your window. That draws attention. They simply stick a crowbar or tire iron between the door panel and the frame and pop it open relatively silently.

Still pondering where you could go that would be such a hindrance to carrying. State law makes it very difficult for a business to refuse to allow open carry, much less concealed. I open carried in an airport today. Just can't go past the security check. They did not offer a place to check my weapon. If they had harassed me I would have sued them.

Last comment, I'd rather break down a Glock or a CZ than a 1911. We are talking whiz bang that you can do in the dark. Just lining up the link in a 1911 can be a pain under good circumstances. I can do CZ and Glock with my eyes closed.
 
with a normal 1911 couldn't you just unload and pop the recoil spring and plug out the front? save time and effort vs taking the slide off. faster to get into working order again you definately are not going to be shot with your own gun and and if mr. badguy was to steal it he ain't gonna use it until he replaces the parts.
 
Hey Loop,
Mainly only do it when the wife is in the Hospital. Wife spent two months there, three weeks in ICU. So that was a lot of trips and the gun was left in the car.
Trust me, I only disarm where ABSOLUTELY required! If it ain't GOV or involve alcohol being served my gun does not come off. Well, forgot the Gun shows but at least there I get to carry it around. :D ( I even forget sometimes at work) Truly lucky to work at a place where that is OK,not only do I have great Bosses but co-workers that are completely OK with it. (if you ask me how I really know they are OK with it, I'll tell you the stories)

I have only been asked once to leave a business while I was OC'ing. Security Guard at a local Dept store (I won't say which one but their logo is perfect to sight in on at the range) told me I couldn't OC carry inside, he was young I was in a hurry so I went outside pulled my shirt out and went back inside- he specifically said I wasn't allowed to open carry so I didn't. :neener: never been told that there again so that was a misunderstanding on HIS part. I do carry at the airport also. I feel the same way about the Glock, fast and easy to take apart, only gun I own that is easier to take down is my Rem 870, but that one is a little harder to CCW!

And lastly kungfucowboy I could do that but my carry 1911 has a full length guide rod that you need a wrench for, and on 1911's lining up the barrel link is not "easy" when in a hurry. Maybe if I replaced the guide rod and practiced more it would be OK, but if I am going to lose a weapon I would rather lose the Glock.

And these replies are really interesting I fully expected somebody to seriously chastise me about this practice.:cool:
 
as long as you dont carry what ever part has the serial number on it, by law what ever part has the serial number is the firearm and you cant carry that with you
 
Sorry to hear about your wife and the hospital. Hope she gets better soon.

Lived in Tucson 23 years. I know some of those places can get real anal retentive.

Just a word of warning though. Six months before I moved out of Tucson four friends of mine were murdered in a robbery. The gun was stolen out of a car in the parking lot at Tucson Medical Center less than six hours before the robbery.

I've been a little overly paranoid since then. All four of the murdered people were friends and they, and I knew, the robbers who shot them. It was three women and one man. They guy who did the shooting knew the man. The shooter's father wasn't there for him and the guy who got shot bought the shooter his first car. They did not want to leave witnesses to the $400 robbery so they killed four people.

Interestingly, one of the women who was murdered was the mother of a young woman who was shot to death a year earlier. I was the last person, besides her killer, to see the young woman alive.

Anyway, the guy who was killed in the robbery (it was at the Firefighters Union Hall) had a .357 under the seat of his car. He obeyed the law and left his gun in the car because the union hall sold liquor.

I need to shut up now. This is not a subject I like to dwell on.

Suffice to say, the car is not a safe place to store a gun. I attended four funerals because the law doesn't allow us to take our guns into certain buildings.

Kind of lost all respect for politicians who restrict our right to self defense.

BTW, I worked at the Star at the time and covered those murders. They were at Station 2. Probably still on their archives if you care to look them up. Having to cover them as news stories and attend the funerals of my friends kind of put me over the top. I moved to Idaho and became sort of militant.

It's been about 12 years, but I'm still very quick to the grips if anyone looks at me or my family in a way I consider questionable.
 
Last comment, I'd rather break down a Glock or a CZ than a 1911. We are talking whiz bang that you can do in the dark. Just lining up the link in a 1911 can be a pain under good circumstances. I can do CZ and Glock with my eyes closed.
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And lastly kungfucowboy I could do that but my carry 1911 has a full length guide rod that you need a wrench for, and on 1911's lining up the barrel link is not "easy" when in a hurry. Maybe if I replaced the guide rod and practiced more it would be OK, but if I am going to lose a weapon I would rather lose the Glock.
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At the battle of Waterloo, Major-General Sir William Ponsonby didn't want to risk his favorite charger. Instead, he chose a small hack he wouldn't mind losing. A French lancer rode him down. This is what we call "false economy".
--Unknown
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As to the issue of the difficulty of taking a 1911’s slide off or ‘field stripping it’, there was a time in my life where I had to field strip it and reassemble it blind folded. Now I don’t really remember the time frame either 1 minute down and reassembled or one and a half minutes. It really isn’t that tough. Frankly I think the easiest hand gun to field strip is a Classic SIG with the old ‘stamped’ slides. All my SIGS were/are stamped except for the 229, which never was offered in stamped. They called that a 228.

Anyway, I am going to carry my best/favorite CCW pistol, which is either a Colt GunSite Pistol, Government, or a Browning Highpower. I simply don’t carry any of my Glocks, I am only down to 3 at this time.

I do like the idea of field stripping your weapon when you cannot CCW. I have to think on it, but I may start doing that. The place I most often have to disarm for is the VA. I spend a lot of time there.

And I agree with the OP, I live in Arizona too, and am an old Florida boy too. Understand both dry heat and Humidity and heat. I much prefer the all steel 5" government sized pistol year round in my Milt Sparks VM II.

Good luck

Fred
 
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