Best way to store handgun in car

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Sal Mann

Sal Mann

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My 9mm Ruger was just stolen out of my car. I take the mag out and rack it, then put ammunition in the glove box. Then handcuff through the trigger and on to my seat mount under my drivers seat. Thought that was good, unfortunately I'm an idiot.

Some a-hole busted my window and cut through the chain, looks like with a grinding wheel?? maybe battery powered? not sure.. Then he or she got away with my favorite conceal and carry gun (left the mag in the glove box).

What is the best way to store it when in a car? Gun Safe? Which one is best/most cost effective?

Thanks
 
Sorry to hear about that. Never good to lose something to theft, especially a favorite pistol :(

Sounds like someone observed you putting it under your seat (or removing it to carry). So it may be a neighbor (or the neighbor told their friend, etc)... So you'll want to figure out who watches you get in and out of the car as well as looking into a new storage solution. Though to a certain degree, until they are caught, the burglar now knows where to "shop" and will be looking forward to the replacement you bring him... :(
 
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Any suggestions on a safe for the car? I have 3 young kids, and for now the only safe I have is 7 ft. tall/3 ft. wide and very heavy duty. So I'm not as in tune with the smaller safes.
 
Sounds like they knew it was there, and knew what tools they needed to get it. That's not a great position to be in because now they may well try again.

Leaving a gun in a vehicle seems as though it's always a bit of a gamble. My first step is to make sure no one knows it's there. So I try to ensure that it is totally out of sight, and that no one sees me put it there. And preferably that it is secured in such a way as to prevent casual theft. That means tools are needed to remove it from the vehicle if keys are unavailable.

This is not always possible. But the first two are most important in my eyes. I also don't have any pro gun stickers on my vehicle. These steps at least reduce the chances of someone going gun "shopping" in my car.
 
It's fast and easy to cut thru smaller chains and cables. I wouldnt bother with them. (Altho it may help you comply with the laws in your area) Something bolted down may slow them down enough so that they dont bother (also consider how easily the lock mechanism can be jimmied).

They watch you hide things in your vehicle in parking lots, parks, malls, etc. If you have to leave your firearm in your vehicle, hide it before you get to your destination.
 
There are plenty of "vehicle gun safes", console mounted ones etc., but any bedside gun safe that will bolt to a flat surface should do as well in a vehicle. Out of sight to the extent possible, flush mounted, sturdy.
 
Sal Mann wrote:
What is the best way to store it when in a car?
Click to expand...

Keeping in mind that you asked for "the best" way to store your gun; not the most convenient, not the method that provides easiest access, but "the best" (as I, the respondent, understand that term). And the answer is a heavy gauge steel box bolted to a structural member of the car's body in either the trunk or a concealable portion of the cargo area.

And when you're dealing with professionals, just remember the tag line from the 1974 film, "You can lock it. You can take the keys. But if he wants it, it's Gone in 60 Seconds".
 
Sal Mann wrote:
...the only safe I have is 7 ft. tall/3 ft. wide...
Click to expand...

Depending on the vehicle you have, that would make a formidable target for a gun thief. Of course it might take up more cargo space than you were willing to let go.

Seriously, you can do something like these:
Good luck.
 
Great advice guys, Thanks a bunch. I havent considered people might be watching me when I park. I have the same routine every time I know I'm going somewhere the law prohibits me to carry. Someone could easily figure it out and know exactly where I'm putting my gun. Thanks again. It BS that I have to worry about leaving it in my car as much as I have to.
 
I would keep it with me alot more if I could. I can only carry about 25% of the time rough estimate. Seems like everyone is getting those little white no gun stickers.
 
IMG_1169.jpg IMO a console mount would be the best. It wouldn't be visible for smash and grab. It wouldn't create anxiety for traffic stops...
 
Sal Mann said:
I would keep it with me alot more if I could. I can only carry about 25% of the time rough estimate. Seems like everyone is getting those little white no gun stickers.
Click to expand...

In your area, do "those little white no gun stickers" have any actual legal effect? I am not trying to argue the law, as there is a separate "Legal" section of the forum, but, to use Texas as an example, I see plenty of signs posted at business in Texas, that that do not meet the strict standards specified by Texas law, and therefore have no legal effect, in an of themselves. (Regardless of signage, one must leave the premises if asked to do so, by an owner or his reasonably-designated representative.)

Tuffy Products makes precisely-fitting lock boxes for some vehicles. My wife has one in her TJ Wrangler.
 
Don't know what kind of vehicle you have. This is what the police in my local area use or at least something like this. They put them in all kinds of different vehicles.
http://truckvault.com/
 
The no gun sign has to be a certain size. I've also heard recently that because the picture of the gun is the silhouette of a Beretta, you could argue that your gun is not a Beretta. My 9mm that someone else has now was a bit too bulky to be completely conceled without someone noticing. Maybe I will get a smaller gun next time
 
I just took the gun storage box out of my car, since I don't use it anymore. I park my car at the department and store my firearm in a wall drop safe surrounded by cameras.

However if I went back to vehicle storage, I would get something similar to the Bulldog safe. I prefer a mounting bracket as opposed to a cable. As you found out, with the right tools and equipment the cable is the weakest part and can be cut. With a mounting bracket, they would have to take apart most of your car seat to get to the safe. I just wish the Bulldog had something better for a lock like a Simplex. Anything better than just a key.
 
First level of security should be concealment. Can't steal it if they can't find it.
Second level of security should be difficulty. Make it so hard that it isn't worth the time to get busted.
A safe is good, but a hidden safe is better. A hidden gun is good, but a gun hidden in a safe is better.

I used a bulldog crowbar "resistant" safe. Padlocked it. Aircraft cables running around it to the seat brackets. Had it in a hidden compartment under my back seat. Had basically 3 levels to get through to get to the gun on top of locating it. It would take a while to get to, but a "trunk gun" or "car gun" isn't for fast deployment in my mind.

I no longer keep it there as I now work in town and don't travel.
 
Our city is about a million people and the sheriff's office has been running a campaign to get people to be more responsible about leaving things in their cars. At 9pm check your car, take valuables out, and lock it! Today's Facebook message...

"Last 7 days, 83 auto burglaries to UNLOCKED vehicles in Jacksonville. Of those 83, EIGHT guns stolen. #9PMRoutine time! Lets do this, we can do better than this. Let us know if you did the 9PM Routine and what neighborhood you are representing! "
 
I would get the bolt down safe...under the seat maybe. I prefer NOT to store a gun in the car.
 
Sal Mann said:
My 9mm Ruger was just stolen out of my car. I take the mag out and rack it, then put ammunition in the glove box. Then handcuff through the trigger and on to my seat mount under my drivers seat. Thought that was good, unfortunately I'm an idiot.

Some a-hole busted my window and cut through the chain, looks like with a grinding wheel?? maybe battery powered? not sure.. Then he or she got away with my favorite conceal and carry gun (left the mag in the glove box).

What is the best way to store it when in a car? Gun Safe? Which one is best/most cost effective?

Thanks
Click to expand...

best way to store it in a car is on you.

On a side note, sounds very specific, having the right cutting tool for the right compartment, and taking that particular item. I would have to guess someone knew you put it there, or saw you put it there.
 
I had a thread on this not long ago. I purchased a digital locking safe at Academy with a steel cable for like $40 or so and it sits in my van between the seats bolted through the bottom into the floor of the van. The cable is run around the seat frame and it stays covered with a blanket. I only use it when I'm at the school, the Dr/hospital, post office, or library. I do try to be in and out ASAP and get it back on me. I occasionally use it to carry a backup gun and spare mags depending on where I'm going, but make sure to bring them in when I get home.
 
When I have had to leave a handgun in the car I would always separate the slide and the frame. The frame stays in the car and the slide goes into my pocket. No problems so far.
 
RPRNY said:
Bolted in safe in the vehicle trunk/ covered cargo space is the safest method of in car storage.
Click to expand...

Zendude said:
This is the best way. Just don't leave a gun in a vehicle overnight. Leave it in the car only temporarily if you are going inside a place where you can't legally carry.
Click to expand...

I agree. You could put your gun inside a bible cover when putting it in your trunk. Who wants to steel a Bible? :D


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