He Left It in His Truck

[Zaydok Allen]

If I have to leave it unattended for more than an hour, I choose not to bring a gun. I never store guns in a vehicle long term.

Edit: If the vehicle was at a hotel/motel, then leaving it in the vehicle is just plain stupid. Lodging is a hot spot for vehicle break-ins.

 

[lightman]

You're going to tell me you've never traveled alone with a gun/s in your vehicle and stopped to use a restroom?

Well yeah, I guess I can say that. If its a handgun I may carry it in with me but usually if I'm alone I'll just pee in a bottle and do the other on the side of the road, usually at a lonely exit/entrance ramp.

I guess I take my gun ownership responsibilitys more seriously than some?

 

[Trunk Monkey]

When I was in the Army it was pounded into me that you NEVER under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES leave your weapon unsecured.

I guess the training stuck.

 

[HB]

I am an old guy and I find it chilling how the perspective of right and wrong and who is right and wrong has decayed over time. When I was younger, the person that broke into your vehicle was liable, stupid, irresponsible, the bad guy, criminal, etc. - now the person that breaks into your vehicle is assumed, anticipated and accepted like a sunrise - the vehicle owner is now liable, stupid, irresponsible, the bad guy, criminal, etc. and on a right of the people, hardcore gun forum - I have crossed some strange boundary into upside down world - very strange reading to me.

Whether I think the guy that broke into the car was the victim of a broken society or an outright menace to society is irrelevant. The fact is, a guy broke into a car and shot a cop with a gun left in the car.

2 things can be true at once. We can both condemn the criminal for his acts and we can shame a gun owner for leaving his weapon easily accessible. I don’t have to “pick a side”.

Let’s say I got in an accident in which the other party was at fault. Driver is texting on a 2 lane, drifts into my lane and hits me head on. Im ejected and die. Wasn't wearing a seat belt.

Yes, the other driver was the cause. But also yes, a seatbelt would have likely stopped me from face planting on a tree 50’ away.

I have a feeling that those that feel the same as me will never change other’s minds.

 

[Phantom 309]

It is naive to think that someone won't break into a junky looking vehicle.

^ Absolutely correct. And furthermore, locks and strongboxes only go so far. Don't ever fool yourself into thinking the entire vehicle can't just disappear. When I was 19 years old I walked out of my best friend's house to find an empty driveway where my $500 '78 Chevy k10 had been parked for less than an hour. Yes, the truck was locked, and based on overall condition one could argue that the purchase price was a bit high.

Thankfully no firearms were in the vehicle, but there was a decent toolkit and a fly rod that had been gifted to me by my grandpa behind the seat. 3 months later about half of the truck was returned to me, but I never saw the fly rod or tools again.

If I am going someplace where my firearms cannot remain in my direct control then they do not leave the safe. It would have to be a truly extraordinary situation for me to leave one locked in a vehicle for any period of time.

 

[jmorris]

The key information in the Little Rock theft is that he left his rifle in his truck while staying at a hotel. My general thought is never leave a gun visible in a car.

I won’t leave a cooler in the car in a hotel parking lot. If I could fit the car in the room, I wouldn’t leave it in the parking lot. First thing I do is pull up, grab the big cart from the lobby and unload everything from the car, then go park it.

 

[doubleh]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/292426998360
I got this nifty gun rack. It was easy to mount, an inexpensive to boot!

Those used to be quite common but I can't remember the last time I have seen one. I used them in my welding rig to carry a couple of long levels as a lot of welder did and probably still do.

When I stay in a motel/hotel/cabin my firearm goes inside with me whatever their policy.

 

[Spats McGee]

I had forgotten what happened to me in about 2010 or 2011. I picked up our daughter from school one day. She was 7 or 8 at the time. We drove home with the windows down because it was a beautiful day. We lived in an apartment at the time and, unbeknownst to me, she forgot to close her window as we parked, and I failed to notice. The next morning, when we went to load up for school, I realized that my car had been rasacked. I lost about 500 rounds of .22, as well as .38spl. and .45acp., for a total of about 800 rounds. Fortunately, I had not any guns in the car, and there was apparently nothing else in the range bag that the thieves wanted. That was the last time I left my range bag or ammo in the car overnight.

 

[Outlaw75]

I had forgotten what happened to me in about 2010 or 2011. I picked up our daughter from school one day. She was 7 or 8 at the time. We drove home with the windows down because it was a beautiful day. We lived in an apartment at the time and, unbeknownst to me, she forgot to close her window as we parked, and I failed to notice. The next morning, when we went to load up for school, I realized that my car had been rasacked. I lost about 500 rounds of .22, as well as .38spl. and .45acp., for a total of about 800 rounds. Fortunately, I had not any guns in the car, and there was apparently nothing else in the range bag that the thieves wanted. That was the last time I left my range bag or ammo in the car overnight.

Same sort of thing happened to me back in the early 2000's. I had a 4 door Saturn that didn't have power locks. Gave a co-worker a ride home one day and didn't follow my usual routine of putting my briefcase on the passenger seat, but instead put it in the backseat. Got home and parked in my condo's parking lot, locked the driver's door then retrieved said briefcase and forgot to lock the rear door. Came out to go to work the next morning and my car had been ransacked. There was nothing of value in the car and nothing visible except a travel umbrella and a couple of home brew CD's. That didn't stop someone from going through my glove box and center console looking for money/something they could sell, though.

 

[herrwalther]

I don't even like leaving my firearm in a locked container for too long. I am not the type to have a "truck gun" for long periods of time sitting in a vehicle, unsecured or not. Vehicle break ins in my area are ridiculously common. The local PD posted a warning video on Facebook about 2 years ago that was 30 seconds long. In it, a group of half dozen teens break into 10 vehicles. 30 seconds and 4 firearms were stolen in the span of the clip. I do not feel the need to contribute to stolen firearms being used in crimes by leaving something in a vehicle for convenience.

 

[Howland937]

I don't know if there is any hard data to check into, but according to the local Sheriff's Dept, about 80% of the stolen gun calls they get are those taken from vehicles. Most of the rest are from homes, with a few from businesses. Knock on wood, my home has never been broken into but my vehicles have a couple of times. I always wondered if the guy that took the prescription pain meds bottle from my Jeep ever ate any of the split shot sinkers that were in it.

 

[dodo bird]

I know tennis racket bags and guitar cases have been used often for discreet long gun cases. Especially for apartment dwellers who don’t want to get noticed. Anyone use anything else?

 

[HB]

I know tennis racket bags and guitar cases have been used often for discreet long gun cases. Especially for apartment dwellers who don’t want to get noticed. Anyone use anything else?

I had a nondescript 4’ long case that would be used for a projector screen. However, ive also had friends get entire projector screens stolen from their college apts. If its worth money people will steal it. We had somebody break into our frat house in 2007 to cut the copper off the massive water heater.

 

[wiscoaster]

...I always wondered if the guy that took the prescription pain meds bottle from my Jeep ever ate any of the split shot sinkers that were in it.

If he did, he sure got what was coming to him!!

 

[Craig_AR]

I know tennis racket bags and guitar cases have been used often for discreet long gun cases

And even violin cases.
\(*^*)/

 

[dirtman]

You never know.... i had my car broke into just to steal my sunglasses once.... another time they towed (with tow truck) my car three 3-4 blocks to large parking lot to pop the truck and steal all tools and fishing equipment and damn my k-bar was gone. The police later admitted there had been wide spread use of a tow truck to steal and or break into various cars and trucks .... I do not leave any unattended guns in my truck or RV when traveling..... They stay with me in the RV or go with me into any hotel room.

 

[jmace57]

I've probably stayed at hotels where firearms are not permitted. Still not leaving it in my vehicle though. If carrying it concealed is not an option, it's getting stuffed into my bag or in the case of a long gun, buried on the luggage trolley under my other crap. Exception being a secured, private parking garage. Open hotel and hospital parking lots without security are kind of a magnet for thieves.

When I drove from Texas to my daughter's wedding in Chicago 5 years ago, I ran across their strange hodgepodge of rules where I stopped at the IL border and unloaded my gun and put it in the trunk. Then the Chicago ordinances said it was legal to have in my car...and legal to have in my hotel room...but illegal to move it from my car to my hotel room.

 

[Swampman]

In the last 40 years I've gone from an open rack in the rear window of my pickup, to an open rack behind the seat and more recently to a police type electronic long gun rack behind the seat.

Because what the hell good is a truck gun that isn't in the truck when you need it?

Given a couple logging chains and a big enough truck, thieves can steal a high quality gun safe "securely" bolted to the concrete foundation of a house.

If I got home after midnight and that was happening, I'd feel a helluva lot better having a rifle with me than I would having it in the safe!

With all that said, if I'm stopping at a motel for the night, I'm taking any guns to the room with me.

 

[Swampman]

I know tennis racket bags and guitar cases have been used often for discreet long gun cases. Especially for apartment dwellers who don’t want to get noticed. Anyone use anything else?

An old golf bag with a few ratty clubs works well for moving things back and forth to the vehicle unobtrusively.

 

[Craig_AR]

OK, this is only tangentially related, but a funny reminder to keep your dang cars and trucks locked. This Ring camera advert appeared on my Next-door subscription page today:
Did This Bear Really Just Do That?

 

[Trunk Monkey]

OK, this is only tangentially related, but a funny reminder to keep your dang cars and trucks locked. This Ring camera advert appeared on my Next-door subscription page today:
Did This Bear Really Just Do That?

They had a story on the news here not too long ago about a bear that got into somebody's Subaru looking for twinkies and destroyed it

 

[Mike J]

OK, this is only tangentially related, but a funny reminder to keep your dang cars and trucks locked. This Ring camera advert appeared on my Next-door subscription page today:
Did This Bear Really Just Do That?

Thanks for the link Craig. Little boy walked into the coffee table & knocked the scab off his knee. I put my laptop in front of him playing those videos & he forgot all about the knee.