Leave it in the car

[Texas9]

Many of us carry a gun every single day. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who can't carry at work. My question is this:

Is it bad for a gun or the ammo to leave it in the car all day? I know that here in South Texas the temperature in the car can reach upwards of 130 degrees. Is there a safety issue here?

 

[nalioth]

Not at all.

 

[nwilliams]

I've always worried about leaving ammo sitting out in the direct sun for long periods of time. When I lived in AZ I would go shooting out in the hot desert and sometimes rounds would be left in the sun for hours and get extremely hot. They never popped though and I now wonder how much heat it really would take to set off a typical round. Obviously if you tossed one into a fire it would probably go off but I wonder at what temperature it becomes dangerous. Sounds like a job for the Mythbusters

 

[jrou111]

Just make sure to not neglect your guns you leave in the car. They have feelings too

They also need to be regularly fed and excercised.

 

[edrice]

I would imagine that over time the constant heating and cooling of the powder and primer (day and might) are going to have a detrimental effect. It would have to eventually breakdown from expansion and contraction.

I would rotate the ammo from time to time and shoot up the old stuff.

Concerning the heat setting off cartridges, I wouldn't be too concerned about that anymore than I would worry about a round going off after being chambered into a blistering hot barrel.

Ed

 

[tmajors]

It won't go off, that's for sure, but it might be downright painful to pick up without wearing gloves.

 

[whyipackmy45]

"In his book "Gunshot Wounds" Vincent Di Maio describes various experiments where ammunition was heated in ovens. He says that .22 long rifle cartridges detonate at an average of 275F, .38 Special at 290F and 12 gauge shotgun shells at 387F."

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=278523

On CSI (I know it's fiction) they had a revolver go off in a car fire and I believe it was in the mid to upper 300's F.

 

[Speedo66]

What's bad is the possibility of it being taken. In my agency a theft like that would result in the loss of 2 weeks pay the first time, probable dismissal if it happened again.

Leaving a weapon in a vehicle even if locked, in the trunk, hidden, "just for a moment", etc., is not regarded as properly safe guarding it.

I think we all remember a few years ago when some FBI agents lost their M-16s leaving them in a locked van overnight at a motel. Wouldn't want to have to explain that one.

 

[MedWheeler]

Speedo66 wrote:

>>>What's bad is the possibility of it being taken. In my agency a theft like that would result in the loss of 2 weeks pay the first time, probable dismissal if it happened again.

Leaving a weapon in a vehicle even if locked, in the trunk, hidden, "just for a moment", etc., is not regarded as properly safe guarding it.

I think we all remember a few years ago when some FBI agents lost their M-16s leaving them in a locked van overnight at a motel. Wouldn't want to have to explain that one.<<<

Here in my city, in 2001, a 19-year old man shot and killed his best friend with a single shot to the head. This occurred during a game of horseplay, in which he was showing off his recently-acquired Colt Mustang .380. Apparently, he did not know enough about handguns to know that removing the magazine does not necessarily unload the weapon. He is now serving time. The relation to this thread? He had stolen the gun from a deputy sheriff's patrol vehicle parked in his neighborhood (he stated the vehicle was unlocked; the deputy denies this.) The deputy and his employer have been named as defendants in a civil suit filed by the family of the decedent.

 

[def]

"This occurred during a game of horseplay, in which he was showing off his recently-acquired Colt Mustang .380. Apparently, he did not know enough about handguns to know that removing the magazine does not necessarily unload the weapon."

If a "friend" of mine decided to play around with a gun, even if I KNOW it's unloaded for an absolute 100% fact, by pointing it at me and pulling the trigger, I'll have one less friend. I don't care if he's using a revolver and the cylinder is out. I think that says a lot about someone's character.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Leave it locked in a vehicle safe, or a lockbox secured to the vehicle... And rotate the ammo out a little sooner than normal.

lpl/nc

 

[RaspberrySurprise]

Sometimes your only choice is to leave it in the vehicle or go unarmed for the day. Worse still is that conditions that would preclude you from leaving it in the car are the kind that would make you want to carry the most.

 

[springmom]

I thought the OP's question related to the well being of the gun, not the desirability of not having it in a safe.

To that end, it wouldn't hurt to run a silicon cloth over it every once in awhile. Heat and cool cycles in a car (especially in high humidity areas like here) can also result in some condensation. And shoot up the ammo fairly regularly. Other than that, you should be fine.

Springmom

 

[Nickotym]

I believe mythbusters did a test on what happens if ammo gets cooked in the oven. Don't recall what temp it had to get up to though.

 

[pictoblu]

1) Gun in Pelican waterproof case.

2) Cooler/ice chest with a few re-freezable/blue ice packs.

3) Pelican (containing gun) in cooler.


And there ya have it.

 

[csmkersh]

Texas9 and I are within 25 miles of each other; I just a little further South.

I've left my carry gun in the door pocket 8 hours at a time and had no ill effects of function of the pistol or the ammo. I do recommend frequent change to fresh ammo in those conditions. A temp of 120ºF may not hurt the loads, but it certainly doesn't do them any good.

I was speaking of my regular carry piece. Both the truck gun and the car gun stay there 24/7 winter and summer.

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[texastony]

I live in Houston and regularily leave my firearm and spare magazine in my truck. My BLACK truck during the day while I am at work. I generally shoot the old ammo and replenish with new once a quarter. I never noticed any difference between the old or the new, but why take chances.

 

[Defensory]

Posted by MedWheeler:
Leaving a weapon in a vehicle even if locked, in the trunk, hidden, "just for a moment", etc., is not regarded as properly safe guarding it.

I disagree.

In any area where it is legal to do so, people have the right to carry a weapon in their vehicle for protection. During the course of a day, there will be places you need to go where you cannot carry your weapon---such as the Post Office etc.

It is completely acceptable from a legal and ethical standpoint to store the weapon in your locked trunk, since that would be the most secure area in a standard automobile.

 

[strangelittleman]

Place it in the center layers of a blanket folded square about 2 1/2 ft by 2 1/2 ft. It will be quite well insulated in both winter and summer.

 

[VegasOPM]

I live in Vegas and I've been doing it for 10 years. I shoot the ammo every three months, and replace it. No ftf's yet.

 

[bobbarker]

At an Ammo Tech school, My buddy learned (And later told me) that The Marine Corps is Not allowed to store ammo at any temperature over 150 degrees, as that is the lowest temperature that our rounds have been found to "cook off" at. It would worry me, but, it probably wouldn't happen. All matters on how careful you want to be I guess.

 

[FLA2760]

"Just make sure to not neglect your guns you leave in the car. They have feelings too" ...
LOL
Also invest in a good lock box that can be bolted in place.

 

[Patrick Henry]

Many of us carry a gun every single day. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who can't carry at work.

Do they have metal detectors at the door to your building?

If not, I don't see why you can't.

Of course, if you ask your boss, "Hey boss! Can I bring a gun to work?"...What answer do you expect to receive? America is the land of liability.

But what you have on your person is nobody's business. My philosophy on carry is "don't ask, don't tell." I don't ask if I can carry a gun and I don't tell when I do.

 

[JeepGeeek]

bit of a different take on the question:

in my state, you have to leave the weapon in the glovebox, console, or behind the rearmost seats.

My glovebox is plastic. Hardly secure, and non-locking.

No console.

This leaves me with the rear area-- of an SUV. So I have to get out, go to the back of the truck, pop open the hatch, and disarm. It's a drop-tailgate situation, so there's no ability to use the door to block site of me disarming.

How do you get your weapon TO the locked storage in the cargo area in such a situation? I'm going to bolt down an ammo box with a lock on it in that area for security.

 

[csmkersh]

Under current Texas law, an employer may ban employees from carrying. While an infraction won't get you arrested, it most likely get you fired.

Texas Government Code

§ 411.203. RIGHTS OF EMPLOYERS. This subchapter does
not prevent or otherwise limit the right of a public or private
employer to prohibit persons who are licensed under this subchapter
from carrying a concealed handgun on the premises of the business.

All the employer need to is make the it part of the organizations policy. For non-employees, it's a bit more difficult. A TxPC 30.06 compliant sign must be posted at each entrance.

§ 30.06. TRESPASS BY HOLDER OF LICENSE TO CARRY


CONCEALED HANDGUN. (a) A license holder commits an offense if the
license holder:
(1) carries a handgun under the authority of
Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, on property of another
without effective consent; and
(2) received notice that:
(A) entry on the property by a license holder
with a concealed handgun was forbidden; or
(B) remaining on the property with a concealed
handgun was forbidden and failed to depart.
(b) For purposes of this section, a person receives notice
if the owner of the property or someone with apparent authority to
act for the owner provides notice to the person by oral or written
communication.
(c) In this section:
(1) "Entry" has the meaning assigned by Section
30.05(b).
(2) "License holder" has the meaning assigned by
Section 46.035(f).
(3) "Written communication" means:
(A) a card or other document on which is written
language identical to the following: "Pursuant to Section 30.06,
Penal Code (trespass by holder of license to carry a concealed
handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411,
Government Code (concealed handgun law), may not enter this
property with a concealed handgun"; or
(B) a sign posted on the property that:
(i) includes the language described by
Paragraph (A) in both English and Spanish;
(ii) appears in contrasting colors with
block letters at least one inch in height; and
(iii) is displayed in a conspicuous manner
clearly visible to the public.
(d) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
(e) It is an exception to the application of this section
that the property on which the license holder carries a handgun is
owned or leased by a governmental entity and is not a premises or
other place on which the license holder is prohibited from carrying
the handgun under Section 46.03 or 46.035.

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