Keeping Your Handgun "Handy" In A Car/Truck?

[ronto]

Just trying to find a good place to keep a handgun in a car/truck for a CHL holder that would be easy to get to and not obvious for a thief to break in and steal when temporarily getting in and out of the car going to places that are illegal to carry. Would rather keep it in the car rather than taking it in and out of the IWB holster and at the same time keeping it handy between stops.
Under the drivers seat in an attached holster? Tucked under the passenger side visor in a holster (hands-up scenario)? Glovebox? Center console? Security box?
Thank you for your ideas and actual experiences.

 

[civilian]

no easy answer for this question. chances are any location that places the gun within your reach is just as easy for a thief to find. i wouldn't put anything under a visor. that's the most common place these days for spare keys and cd's and if I were a thief i'd check there. i can do that in 2 seconds and a thief is probably looking at the easy places given time constraints. i would say examine your vehicle and determine a suitable place that makes the weapon easily accessible but difficult for unwitting folks to find. consider special slots unique to your car or even creating your own slot. personally there are very few times where i'm in a situation that my weapon has to be left in the car.

 

[ilbob]

or even creating your own slot.

this is a crime in at least a few states, including illinois and california.

 

[Nick1911]

or even creating your own slot.

this is a crime in at least a few states, including illinois and california.

I'm did not know this. Do you happen to have references handy? I'm not disputing your clam, just curious about the wording and time of passage of the law and whatnot.

Thanks!

 

[p_pac]

This is pretty good one. I always have to go places where you can't carry.

http://center-of-mass.com/

 

[vynx]

A company makes a flat metal box with a cable that you can run around a seat post - I don't remember the name but sportsmans guide even sells it now.

I have seen it posted on some posts here on THR.

 

[carebear]

psst...

vynx, look up

 

[Mannlicher]

you may be worrying about a non problem.

 

[farscott]

In my car, I keep a sock-like case impregnated with corrosion inhibitors inside a locked box bolted to the trunk sheet metal. The gun goes inside the soft case which goes inside the locked box. I have a spare sock for accessories such as magazines, knives, and lights. This works really well when I need to leave my vehicle at the airport as I can secure my gun while getting my luggage on my departure and vice versa on my return. On airport runs, I unsnap my VM-2 and place it in the locked box. I also use the system when I have to go to places that forbid carry such as government offices. On these short trips, I leave my holster in place and just secure the gun, spare magazines, light, and knife.

When I drove a regular-cab pickup, I secured the box behind the seat to keep it out of view. The negative was accessing the box from inside the cab. I have been looking at the Honda Ridgeline as my next truck as it has locking storage under the bed.

 

[ilbob]

I'm did not know this. Do you happen to have references handy? I'm not disputing your clam, just curious about the wording and time of passage of the law and whatnot.

I don't have a handy reference to CA law but this is the Illinois law. Basically, any effective means of hiding something in your vehicle is a class 4 felony.

(625 ILCS 5/12‑612)
Sec. 12‑612. False or secret compartment in a motor vehicle.
(a) Offenses. It is unlawful for any person to own or operate any motor vehicle he or she knows to contain a false or secret compartment. It is unlawful for any person to knowingly install, create, build, or fabricate in any motor vehicle a false or secret compartment.
(b) Definitions. For purposes of this Section, a "false or secret compartment" means any enclosure that is intended and designed to be used to conceal, hide, and prevent discovery by law enforcement officers of the false or secret compartment, or its contents, and which is integrated into a vehicle. For purpose of this Section, a person's intention to use a false or secret compartment to conceal the contents of the compartment from a law enforcement officer may be inferred from factors including, but not limited to, the discovery of a person, firearm, controlled substance, or other contraband within the false or secret compartment, or from the discovery of evidence of the previous placement of a person, firearm, controlled substance, or other contraband within the false or secret compartment.
(c) Forfeiture. Any motor vehicle containing a false or secret compartment, as well as any items within that compartment, shall be subject to seizure by the Department of State Police or by any municipal or other local law enforcement agency within whose jurisdiction that property is found as provided in Sections 36‑1 and 36‑2 of the Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/36‑1 and 5/36‑2). The removal of the false or secret compartment from the motor vehicle, or the promise to do so, shall not be the basis for a defense to forfeiture of the motor vehicle under Section 36‑2 of the Criminal Code of 1961 and shall not be the basis for the court to release the vehicle to the owner.
(d) Sentence. A violation of this Section is a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 93‑276, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

 

[Daemon688]

I would personally keep it in the glove box or inside the armrest provided it fits. But that's because there aren't any other places I can store it without it being obvious. One thing I would not do is place it anywhere high up, especially on a visor. The last thing I would want is a heavy metal projectile comming at me in a car accident.

 

[meef]

Illinois sounds like a wonderful place......

Building a secret compartment in your vehicle is a felony?

I hear that even thinking about punching out your obnoxious neighbor or the like is grounds for an assault charge too.....



Wish I lived there.

 

[carebear]

(b) Definitions. For purposes of this Section, a "false or secret compartment" means any enclosure that is intended and designed to be used to conceal, hide, and prevent discovery by law enforcement officers of the false or secret compartment, or its contents, and which is integrated into a vehicle. For purpose of this Section, a person's intention to use a false or secret compartment to conceal the contents of the compartment from a law enforcement officer may be inferred from factors including, but not limited to, the discovery of a person, firearm, controlled substance, or other contraband within the false or secret compartment, or from the discovery of evidence of the previous placement of a person, firearm, controlled substance, or other contraband within the false or secret compartment.

The first bolded part, in a "good" state should provide your legal "out". You're creating the compartment to hide it from thieves, not cops. If it's a legal gun and there's no evidence you intend to commit a crime, that should be the default interpretation.

-but-

The italicized portion gives them the hammer to use. it just says "firearm" and a "bad" DA would ignore the "or other contraband". That phrase should excuse a legally owned gun from triggering charges, as it is by definition not contraband. But that isn't how an anti would play it.

 

[ilbob]

LE does not have x-ray vision or ESP, so if it is hidden from normal people it is also hidden from LE.

Did you know it is also a crime in Illinois if a laser pointer you are using happens to pass over a LEO's boots?

These are just bad and stupid laws.

 

[justatexasboy]

I think the catch phrase in the above law is if the intention is to conceal something from the authorities. If you have a CCW you are required to identify yourself to law enforcement and make them aware of the location of your weapon if you are pulled over. So the "secret" compartment would not in anyway be a device used to conceal anything from the law.

This was obviously a law written to prevent smuggling or perhaps to give LE an additional means of busting known smugglers when they were not in possesion of actual contraband.


Having said that. My father in law taught me to sit in my vehicle. And then to duck as if someone was shooting into my truck. If you do that and look around when you are down there you will find that one of the best hiding places is under the dash on the passenger side of the vehicle somewhere. Be smart in placing it and make it accesible from a normal position and youve got a great spot.

A rivet gun and a holster is all youll need. Use the small riviets so you dont damage any electronics.

 

[1 old 0311]

Old McDonalds bag thrown on the floor.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Don't leave it in the vehicle. Always keep it on your person.
That was easy.

 

[farscott]

Don't leave it in the vehicle. Always keep it on your person.

Not good advice if one is a frequent flyer as handguns are persona non grata in the aircraft cabin and in some states concealed carry is not applicable, and airports are often in high-crime areas of town. In addition, some customers of mine have security that forbids the carrying of weapons onto their property. For me, the choice is locking it in the vehicle or not having it at all.

In addition, how do you address trips to the Post Office and government facilities?

 

[gr8cook]

I am not recommending hardball and there should not be a situation where your vehicle is being searched . . . but if it were, then if you informed the LEO about it before hand I would THINK that demonstrates that it is not intended to hide something from said LEO.

Illinois sounds wonderful. Isn't this the state of the famous Cook County?

Cook

 

[clt46910]

I like the small safes that have the finger combination controls. I use the mini ones by GunVault.

I had one mounted under the passenger side of my truck seat. Was just enough room to reach under it and open it while standing at the door with my left hand. I would keep my gun in it while going into the courthouse, school or other such places I could not carry. Upon returning to the truck would open it and get my gun out before I got into the truck, then replace my gun as I sit in the truck.

A guy I know replaced his glove box with one. You opened the glove box and there it sit. But he had a older car with a big glove box. Not sure how that would fit with some of the newer cars.

 

[Car Knocker]

how do you address trips to the Post Office

The local supermarket does just about everything the Post Office does including money orders, registered mail, parcels, etc. With no wait, usually.

Besides, what law says a customer can't carry in a Post Office?

 

[ronto]

Post Office Carry

I always thought a Post Office is Federal property (i.e. governmental building) and carrying a concealed weapon therein is illegal. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Car Knocker]

Carry in Post Offices seems to be a gray area. As far as I know, the supposed prohibition has not been legally challenged nor does there seem to be any case law specific to permitted CCW in Post Offices by non-employees. See the links below for discussion and the actual law.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/rtc-usps.html

http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/rtc-usps2.html

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000930----000-.html

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/...access.gpo.gov/cfr_2002/julqtr/39cfr232.1.htm

 

[carebear]

Atty. Rob Fiorello's position posted on The Gun Zone is the legal argument I like.

In brief, (IIRC) the specific part of the regulation that allows carrying a weapon into a post office (remember, it's legal to mail a long gun) rests on the phrase "or other lawful purposes" (sec. D?), which is in the code but is often not actually printed on the notification posters. Th extent of "other lawful purposes" (does it cover self-defense?) hasn't been defined in case law in reference to the Post Office regulations.

Check the link(s), do NOT base any posts on my half-remembered synopsis.

My argument, if caught and charged, would be that I carry a lawfully manufactured, shipped, wholesaled, retailed and possessed handgun. I carry it lawfully under the laws of my state for the (under state law) lawful purpose of self-defense. My purpose in going into the Post Office is explicitly lawful, I am there to send and receive mail. There are no grounds for any interpretation of any unlawful intent. Therefore the whole decision would rest on the Federal Atty taking the position that all that "lawful activity" is actually unlawful, including my key purpose of self-defense, and convincing a jury and then an appeals court (in my case, the 9th, I'm boned ).

I'm not going to walk in and set myself up as a test case, but I'm not going to not carry either.

 

[beardxxxd]

Personally while driving i have the gun holstered and inside a tossel? hat then wedged between my 60/40 bench

If I must leave it in the truck (only time is work here) i have a "gun vault" mounted behind my seat... $100 bucks or so.

Tossel caps are a must. Makes getting the gun from the front seat to behind the seat easier.. Hides it.. Most people dont like seeing you messing around in your truck with a holstered gun.