Berger.Fan222
Member
Sure. Every armed citizen needs to consider the trade-offs. But having been a farmer for many years, I use the rifle about as often as I've engaged with the pistol on my hip. And it's not only varmints. It has included dissuading threatening youths from throwing an individual off a cliff, defending a pedestrian crossing a pasture against one of my bulls, putting the crosshairs on a rotweiller threatening my livestock and family while a ranch hand closed a gate (animal control handled it once the rotweiller was caught), and euthanizing a calf stuck in a spot from which rescue was not possible. We've also dealt with enough ornery trespassing hunters and animal rights activists that being able to deploy a rifle quickly seems advisable.
I have enough respect for armed citizens not to think that they feel the need to use a rifle simply because it is available. But a rifle in the vehicle is a useful tool that as a farmer I've had occasions to use several times a year (about the same frequency I use the pistol on my hip.) Over my entire life, I've never had a vehicle stolen or broken into, but our family has had several home burglaries. A rifle secured in a vehicle is at least as safe as one secured at home, at least given my experience, risk assessments, and security habits. But the rifle secured at home takes too long to access to be useful in nearly every case. That may not be true of other homes and vehicles.
