How safe is to keep a pistol in your car?

[Coltman 77]

Not Safe at All

Don't leave anything you don't want stolen in your car.

 

[searcher451]

Here's one reason why it's a bad idea:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=439316

In fact, more than one reason ...

 

[LibShooter]

Sometimes if you carry a weapon, you're going to come across places you can't enter with a gun. I suppose one could never enter a Post Office, a restaurant with a bar, or a city park but I prefer to sometimes leave my CCW in the car while I condcuct my business. I locked down a small safe in the hatchback area just for that purpose.

A dedicated theif with a crowbar, bolt cutters and several uninterupted minutes alone with my car could take the gun or maybe the whole safe away. But that seems unlikely. I've heard news reports that car break-ins are more rare now. Sound systems have lost their resale value because they are so specialized that they can't be moved from car to car.

 

[woad_yurt]

A thought I had while reading this thread:
How about using a cable lock through the trigger guard to secure the gun to one of the legs of the car seat? Then, you can just push the gun under the seat. They sell them in the bicyle stores in all different degrees of strength.

 

[searcher451]

Something this discussion presupposes, I guess, is that every time you take your car or truck or SUV out for a spin, everyone around drives safely and you drive safely and everything always turns out all right. But the fact of the matter is that this is not always the case; stuff happens out there on the highway, as we all know. I'm not sure that I'd want a gun with a cable lock attached to it clanging around the cab after a crash while I'm going 25 mph, let along 65 mph. It just conjurs up all sorts of nasty, scary thoughts.

 

[outerlimit]

Sometimes I stick mine behind the seat in a gun rug. The cable lock idea is interesting, but may cause damage to the gun from foot traffic and the elements. Plus it's not very quick to get to.

 

[inSight-NEO]

I wont go into my overall opinions of storing a weapon in a vehicle other than to say that, upon leaving a weapon in a vehicle for any decent period of time, might I suggest taking any loaded magazines with you. If its a revolver, unload it and take the ammo with you or store it separate from the weapon. Its probably not a great idea to leave an un-attended, loaded weapon within a vehicle.

 

[yongxingfreesty]

not very safe at all, i hear of too many "car broken in and gun stolen" stories on here

 

[RP88]

not leaving it in the car is the best bet, but if you do, either bolt a safe to the wall of the trunk, or keep it and anything else of interest out of sight. If you cannot do so because it would require a CCW/CHP, then I'd suggest that you go and get one so you can at the very least stash it under the seat or something (other local laws not withstanding) when needed