Leaving a handgun in your car 24/7?

[Peter M. Eick]

If this post is in the wrong forum, moderators please move it. I view it more as a general gun question then a tactical question which is why I put it here.


Just out of curiosity, if it were legal in your area, would you be worried about leaving a handgun in your car 24/7 if you had the appropriate CHL permits?

I ask because there are times that it might be more convenient to just leave a particular handgun in the car 24/7 instead of hauling it in to the house every night and and back out every morning.

I was thinking about it and I look at the gun as say $700 but the car is worth $45,000 sitting outside so why focus on the cheap gun? The flip side is it would bother me if someone broke the glass and stole the gun since it is the only thing of value in the car.

Also at work I have to disarm and leave the gun in the car daily during work so why not just leave it there 24/7?

So far, I have come up with it is just not a good practice to leave a loaded firearm in a readily accessible place like a car where it could easily be accessed by breaking the window. If I put a safe in the car (like a FAS style) that would be different but just tossing it in the holster in the glove box is not a smart thing to do.

What are your thoughts and practices in this case?

 

[jlr1962]

I would not leave anything of value in your car in the DFW metro area if it can be avoided. I have had my cars and work vans broken into many times. The valuable items were not in plain sight at the time. The valuable items were stolen EVERY TIME. Twice in my own driveway, (my fault on those two).

You live in HOUSTON, and you are asking this question? Did you just move into town? When we had to do jobs in HOUSTON, we were told to offload the entire contents of our work vans if we had to stay at a motel. Two empty vans wet actually stolen one year.

 

[Sovblocgunfan]

OP, maybe some might be less concerned about value, and more concerned about what a thief could potentially do with the gun that was just taken from your vehicle.

 

[txblackout]

I use a console vault and keep a loaded gun in the car at all times. If you bolted a vault to the floor of the car I think you would be ok.

 

[bikemutt]

I have mini touch pad vault in my vehicle, chained around the seat frame. I mostly use it when I can't carry into some establishment, also keep my vehicle registration, proof of insurance etc in it. I would have bolted the vault down but all the spots where it made sense to locate it were either inaccessible from the underside, or too close to the gas tank for me to go drilling. Hardened 3/8" chain will keep someone busy for a while.

 

[X-Rap]

where it could easily be accessed by breaking the window

Sounds like a lot of peoples houses to me. I make a reasonable effort to ensure that any weapon in my vehicle is secured and at times for me the truck is probably the safest place, especially if I am keeping more than one or must disarm to get into my work environment.

 

[BSA1]

This is a rural vs. urban setting type of question.

I live in the country so I am comfortable keeping a firearm in my truck. Where I live is also why I am comfortable with having rifles and shotguns standing in the corners of different rooms in the house.

When I lived in the big city I never left a firearm in my vehicle except for the trunk.

 

[Drail]

I have had too many vehicles broken into in my life to ever consider leaving a firearm in one. There are guys out there who will break in your vehicle just to see what might be in it. You never know where you may have to park your vehicle or who is watching you walk away from it. A locked trunk is just as easy to open as a locked car door. I have seen young kids who could pick automotive locks in seconds. I learned how to pick locks and auto locks are pretty easy. If your vehicle is parked in a secure lot when working that is a different story, but I would not consider leaving it in the vehicle 24/7. Your firearm is much more secure strapped to your body. Any place that will not allow me entry while carrying is a place I will not go.

 

[jmr40]

I would, and have in the past, but not a high dollar gun. If the gun is out of sight, and the doors are locked I've met my legal and moral obligations. If someone breaks into a locked vehicle and takes the gun they are the criminal. If they will do that, it is only a small step away from breaking into your home.

That said, I usually bring it into the house at night if practical. If traveling, camping etc. that may not always be the best option. Same with running errands around town.

This is not the same as a carry gun. My carry guns tend to be smaller, very compact handguns. The firearm I keep in the vehicle is going to either be a full size handgun or a carbine of some type.

 

[splattergun]

I have to vote an emphatic NO. I live in the suburbs, and my cars have been broken into and all they got was a tool box with about $30 worth of tools and a cheap pair of binocs.. No way would I leave a gun in the car 24/7 to end up in the hands of a meth-head.

 

[Browning Guy]

I personally don't like leaving a gun unattended. I have to at times but I don't like it. If it's mine I want to be in control of it.
Another aspect to consider is the legality of OTHERS using your car. If I leave my pistol in the car and my wife drives my car without a concealed pistol lic. (cpl) she is illegal. In Mich if I leave my pistol in the car, while I'm outside the car as shopping, business errand, etc, with other people who don't have a CPL they are illegally in possession. These laws may vary in other locales but I'd hate for someone who borrows my car to get busted for something they might not even realize is there.

 

[Hangingrock]

I don't have a $45,000 car. The two vehicles I have would not total up to the previously mention vehicle value. Personally I'd rather not have the weapon stolen because of the aftermath negative usage that could occur. We all view things differently.

 

[bannockburn]

I treat my car gun just like anything else I'm traveling with (cell phone, laptop, etc.); that is it comes inside for the night. Don't like leaving anything in the car that can be lost through a break-in or with the car itself being stolen.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I would have no problem with it.

 

[Blacksmoke]

I keep a Redhawk in a locked steel center console of one vehicle and a carbine behind the seat in my other truck. Dogs bothering livestock are the main reason.

 

[GBExpat]

For years I kept a 9x19 Star BM in each of my gloveboxes ... 'course the vehicles were garaged when they were home (rural) and I never left them parked in any questionable areas.

When I gave my car to my college-bound niece several years ago, leaving me with just my truck, I decided to stop the practice and, instead, depend upon whatever handgun I am carrying at the time.

If my only parking option at home were street/carpark/driveway and/or had to leave my vehicle in a "bad" area for any length of time, I would not leave a firearm in it.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

It always worried me leaving a firearm in a vehicle. Especially my van, which seems to be a target being it is always loaded with tools.
You know, none of my vehicles know how to shoot, so I can't see leaving a gun in them.
I rather not give some dirt bag any chance of getting one of my guns.

 

[Malamute]

if it were legal in your area

It is legal in my area, no permit needed. I leave guns in my vehicle sometimes. Vehicle burglaries arent common in this area, nor especially in the fairly remote, wide open area I live. Some actually do leave their keys in their vehicles here. I see obviously unlocked vehicles at walmart also (windows open etc).

I think its a good idea to have a gun locker or safe in your vehicle in any event. They are cheap compared to the cost of losing a gun.

RE having registration and proof of insurance, I never leave anything of that sort in my vehicle, just in my wallet. In the very unlikely event of the vehicle being stolen, I dont want the thief to have any useful paperwork that would make them appear legitimate. Also have a locking gas cap, partly for that reason.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Just out of curiosity, if it were legal in your area, would you be worried about leaving a handgun in your car 24/7 if you had the appropriate CHL permits?

I live way out in the woods, five miles from the paved road, off the county road, and off the common road. You'd be hard put to find my place if you didn't know where it was.

I live in a county that has a very low crime rate.

I would NOT leave a gun in my car or truck -- on-body carry is my rule.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Yes as it was pointed out above, I do live in Houston. On the west side we don't really have cars broken into. Having said that I will probably get mine broken into tonight but so be it. They will only get my baseball hat in the back seat and some tools in the trunk.

I was just curious what folks thought about it in general.

I lived in Midland Texas (west Texas) for years and there kept a EAA Witness 10mm in the truck constantly. I did not worry about it since it was a $285 gun and no one would bother it. No one ever did and I still regret moving back to Houston every time I think of it, but one goes where the paycheck is.

So the bottom line is I need to order up some FAS locking safes and appropriate mounts. In the mean time, I will continue my standard of just not leaving anything of value in the car.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Stumper]

We SHOULD be able to leave anything in our vehicle.....but the world is a mess so I am cognizant of the risks of leaving a firearm in a vehicle.
Ironically I have a truck full of tools which are more easily disposed of by a thief than a firearm(chainsaws and other pricey hockable items).
More ironically the only things I have ever had stolen from my vehicles have been firearms.... So I could logically conclude that leaving a firearm in my vehicle is a huge risk that should never be taken.

Nonetheless I refuse to live a life ruled by trepidation. I try to remember to lock my vehicle if I have a gun in it and I hope no one ever tries to steal from me...but I refuse to actually worry about it.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Nonetheless I refuse to live a life ruled by trepidation.

Same here -- but a practical step in that resolve is to have your gun ON YOUR PERSON rather than locked in your truck.

 

[Malamute]

Same here -- but a practical step in that resolve is to have your gun ON YOUR PERSON rather than locked in your truck.

True, and agree in principal, though there are some times and places one cant take a firearm, or its inconvenient. Having a lockable gun container is a good alternative to simply putting it somewhere out of sight. I recently found a good price on a small Gunvault with the fingerpad combination (with key overide if the battery dies).

 

[missourimike]

do not leave your firearm in the same lock area, or box, or console as your drivers license, registration etc. When that cop, who will be watching you vigilantly, sees a gun where you are about to put your hand to grab a registration, you are going to be very very sorry. Also,
you may think you are legal in your storage of your handgun. The cop may disagree. Or he may just not like people who legally carry and he would like to teach a legally permitted carrier the need for more politically correct conduct. I can give examples.

 

[walker944]

I leave a handgun in my vehicle 24x7, which is completely legal in Texas. I live in the country but commute to downtown San Antonio to work. My vehicle handgun is not expensive by any means, however it functions perfectly every time the trigger is pulled. I keep the gun in the console armrest where it is very quickly and easily accessible. I've done this for years (since it finally became legal in Sept 2005) and don't have any intension to change that.