Reminder: Vehicles are Not Gun Safes

[Craig_AR]

Buried in a recent article about the arrest of teenagers in Florida for murder is this statement:

The arrested suspects confessed to shooting Quarles in the vehicle, Woods said. The suspects obtained guns from car burglaries, he explained.
(emphasis added).

On our local NextDoor.com list we see doorbell camera videos of miscreants searching cars in the wee hours about two times a month. Usually the burglars just look for unlocked vehicles, but occasionally they do break windows to get into the cars. In addition, several times a year someone reports the theft of a gun from their car in the middle of the night.
I have a lockbox in every vehicle for short term protection when I have to enter a prohibited area, like the Post Office. However. those are not for extended storage of any firearm.

Optional old f@r7 whine: Darn, I miss the days when a hunting rifle could live in the back window of a pickup truck all day, even in the high school parking lot.

 

[buck460XVR]

Darn, I miss the days when a hunting rifle could live in the back window of a pickup truck all day, even in the high school parking lot.

Yeah, but even back then I locked my doors. Guns have always been a target for thieves, for a variety of reasons. If they are visible, they are a tantalizing prize. One reason so many of us have sold our glass doored gun cabinets and open gun racks, where we used to proudly display our meager collections.

 

[Pat Riot]

I would like to add something here regarding auto break-ins.
How many people leave handy window breaking tools out so thieves can bust out windows easily and fairly quietly?
I am talking about trailer hitches left in the mount and only held in with a pin, not a lock. They make for a great and nearly effortless window shattering tool. Bump a heavy steel ball hitch tongue against a side window and you have almost instant total breakage with just a little noise.

Lock or remove your trailer hitch tongues.

 

[Jdague12]

It’s only going to be a matter of time before one of these radical anti-2A prosecutors goes after you criminally for leaving the firearm in the car in the first place. They’ll argue that the crime could have never happened if the firearm wasn’t “readily available.”

 

[T_Walker]

This is a great reminder that I wish people would take the time to consider more seriously, especially if you have gun stickers plastered all over your rear window.

 

[DustyGmt]

Yeah, but even back then I locked my doors. Guns have always been a target for thieves, for a variety of reasons. If they are visible, they are a tantalizing prize. One reason so many of us have sold our glass doored gun cabinets and open gun racks, where we used to proudly display our meager collections.

Something I just never see anymore but growing up, just about every home I'd ever been in had a glass gun cabinet with the frosted nature scene on it. I'm an electrician and have been in hundreds, possibly thousands of homes and only once very recently did I see a glass gun cabinet. Everybody seems to have gone to safes these days and I can't remember the last time I saw a rack in a pickup truck. I think probably grade school age, growing up they were everywhere.....

Times are a changin'

 

[GBExpat]

... just about every home I'd ever been in had a glass gun cabinet ...

I remember guys in junior high school making such things in Wood Shop for their Project. And, yeah, I, too, thought about making one during my semester in Wood Shop.

 

[buck460XVR]

I remember guys in junior high school making such things in Wood Shop for their Project. And, yeah, I, too, thought about making one during my semester in Wood Shop.

Same here. Last day of school, you saw about 50 of these being carried out to the bus line......

 

[CDW4ME]

For times where one must pointlessly and unhappily disarm due to metal detectors (legality whatever), but they do not wish to be disarmed going to/from, a metal locking safe secured to seat track or other sturdy vehicle structure with a cable would be handy. Example:
ETA: I'll try different pic.

 

[gobsauce]

I remember guys in junior high school making such things in Wood Shop for their Project. And, yeah, I, too, thought about making one during my semester in Wood Shop.

I never got to do that, because of 9/11.

School districts around Fort Bliss got rid of their on campus shop classes, and now those shop classes are taught at completely different campuses (in the case of EPISD, the CCTE campus ) and their rationalization for doing so was 9/11.

The classes filled up before I ever got a chance, since they used to make the course schedules in alphabetical order.

 

[Ignition Override]

A former next door Wealthy Neighbor in east Memphis is a —son— of a guy who Developed much of the Mud Island (on the Miss. River) neighborhood.

This wealthy ex-neighbor sometimes kept expensive hunting shotguns/rifles in his car—in his driveway, Overnight— and some of the Many people who remodeled “T’s” house heard about or saw the guns in his car.

Guess what happened to his exposed car in his driveway, in the Middle of the Night, about seventeen years ago, near Goodlett Ave / Central Ave, due south of the soccer fields of 2nd. Pres. Church? The dude was surprised that it could happen.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Yeah, but even back then I locked my doors. Guns have always been a target for thieves, for a variety of reasons. If they are visible, they are a tantalizing prize. One reason so many of us have sold our glass doored gun cabinets and open gun racks, where we used to proudly display our meager collections.

I know right! thieves have been around since the beginning of time. Don’t make it easy for them.

 

[Iggy]

My glass front gun case out at the ranch became a bookcase when we moved to town.

When I was in high school I took a new rifle into the gym to show the coach.
He called the ag teacher and principal to come take a look.

The school closed opening day of hunting seasons. All of the teachers and most of the students were absent. Gone Hunting!

 

[.455_Hunter]

For times where one must pointlessly and unhappily disarm due to metal detectors (legality whatever), but they do not wish to be disarmed going to/from, a metal locking safe secured to seat track or other sturdy vehicle structure with a cable would be handy. Example:
ETA: I'll try different pic.
View attachment 1144839

Not a fan of those because a pair of cutters (frequently carried by our criminal class) makes the locked container moot in a few seconds. I suggest a box that is bolted to the vehicle.

 

[hso]

New study showed guns are being stolen from cars at a higher rate. That may do with the big jump in new gun owners who haven't learned that they have to responsibly transport and store firearms as to not make it easy for thieves. Even in your driveway, if you don't have at least a cable lock securing your "car gun" to seat hardware you need to take it in and secure it.

 

[hoardingthemanual]

Buried in a recent article about the arrest of teenagers in Florida for murder is this statement:

On our local NextDoor.com list we see doorbell camera videos of miscreants searching cars in the wee hours about two times a month. Usually the burglars just look for unlocked vehicles, but occasionally they do break windows to get into the cars. In addition, several times a year someone reports the theft of a gun from their car in the middle of the night.
I have a lockbox in every vehicle for short term protection when I have to enter a prohibited area, like the Post Office. However. those are not for extended storage of any firearm.

Optional old f@r7 whine: Darn, I miss the days when a hunting rifle could live in the back window of a pickup truck all day, even in the high school parking lot.

I love to go on my rehearsed tirade of why the culture changed, but at the end of the day you’re right, the public just doesn’t handle or think about guns the same way as they used to in the past.

There are members of this forum who won’t bat an eye as they tell you that they’ve had guns stolen from them that police have later recovered from drug dealers. That is embarrassing to say the least and astonishing that they refuse to be responsible for their guns. It’s the clearest case of keeping guns out of the bad guys hands but irresponsible people use rhetoric to justify their venom. I hope the worst on them in the most Christian way.

 

[Old Dog]

There are members of this forum who won’t bat an eye as they tell you that they’ve had guns stolen from them that police have later recovered from drug dealers. That is embarrassing to say the least and astonishing that they refuse to be responsible for their guns. It’s the clearest case of keeping guns out of the bad guys hands but irresponsible people use rhetoric to justify their venom.

One assumes you are speaking only of those "irresponsible" gun owners who either leave their firearms in an unlocked vehicle or unsecured, not in any type of locked container?

Or is anyone who gets a firearm stolen, be it from their home or vehicle, an embarrassment to the gun-owning community and refusing to be responsible for their guns? I have a friend who had a thousand-pound, $3000 safe removed from his man-cave in his locked home. Could he have done more to secure his firearms? Sure, we can always do better, but...

A determined criminal with any experience in his chosen craft, will usually obtain what he's seeking. Obviously, we should make it more difficult for these people, but you're speaking of "members of this forum" as though some of us do not know any better with regard to leaving firearms in a motor vehicle. I cannot recall ever seeing a post in this forum where members refuse to be responsible for their gun, nor "use rhetoric to justify their venom." Perhaps you've seen this in another forum?

 

[wayneinFL]

I had a cop tell me I was irresponsible for leaving tools in my vehicle to be stolen. I was later issued a company vehicle. I had two cops tell me that I was irresponsible to have tools in the van chained up to the inside of the truck, because they had "seen people break into buildings. You think chain will stop them?"

I can't imagine what they would think of a stamped steel box that you can pop with a screwdriver.

The one thing those cops told me would protect your stuff is insurance.

If we're progressing the way I think we are, in a generation or two it's not going to be socially acceptable to allow your gun to be stolen from an unlocked car, locked car, stamped steel box (essentially what your car is, but with glass). You'll be criminally liable if it is stolen and you don't have liability insurance.

I've seen streets in some cities with so much glass on the ground it looks like snow. Look at all the jurisdictions where they've decriminalized petty theft. There is absolutely no interest in doing anything about property crime.

If that trend ever reverses, it will be because insurance companies lobby for it.

 

[wayneinFL]

I love to go on my rehearsed tirade of why the culture changed, but at the end of the day you’re right, the public just doesn’t handle or think about guns the same way as they used to in the past.

There are members of this forum who won’t bat an eye as they tell you that they’ve had guns stolen from them that police have later recovered from drug dealers. That is embarrassing to say the least and astonishing that they refuse to be responsible for their guns. It’s the clearest case of keeping guns out of the bad guys hands but irresponsible people use rhetoric to justify their venom. I hope the worst on them in the most Christian way.

"There are members of this forum who won’t bat an eye as they tell you that they’ve had guns stolen from them that police have later recovered from drug dealers. That is embarrassing to say the least and astonishing that they refuse to be responsible for their guns."

I had a range gun stolen from a hotel room while I was traveling. 22 kit gun. Stolen out of a locked hotel room in front of a camera.

Police had the guy on two different cameras entering and leaving my room. They had his driver's license- he stayed at the hotel previously, and the camera was clear enough the desk clerk recognized him. Guy had a record a mile long. Police took a report and it ended there. The gun doesn't even show up as stolen when you search it.

It's not a crook with a lengthy record still roaming the streets who is to blame? It's not the judicial system for allowing him to roam the streets? It's not apathetic or under resourced law enforcement?

It's solely on me? Okay.

"I hope the worst on them in the most Christian way."

Heh.

 

[Anchorite]

I’ve seen local cops who take their cruisers home at night get broken into - and police patrol ARs go missing.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Times are a changin'

And a hard rain's gonna fall.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

This is a great reminder that I wish people would take the time to consider more seriously, especially if you have gun stickers plastered all over your rear window.

I know, right? Yeah, I get it: 1st amendment, freedom of speech and all, but those days are long past gone. I don't have anything on my truck that would denote what's inside, what my activities are, or who I might vote for. It's just not worth it the hassle of having my truck vandalized or worse.

 

[alsaqr]

Two neighbors have had handguns stolen from vehicles.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I’ve seen local cops who take their cruisers home at night get broken into - and police patrol ARs go missing.

Yeah, and I'll bet no one said "See! We need safe storage laws for police officers."

 

[D.B. Cooper]

...is anyone who gets a firearm stolen, be it from their home or vehicle, an embarrassment to the gun-owning community and refusing to be responsible for their guns? I have a friend who had a thousand-pound, $3000 safe removed from his man-cave in his locked home. Could he have done more to secure his firearms? Sure, we can always do better, but...

You know, it's the law of diminishing returns and the effect of scarcity. Each of us, even the wealthiest among us, only have a finite amount of available resources (i.e. cash). How much does one have to spend to be totally secure in their firearm storage. If the media or government wants us to spend $10k on a safe to store a $400 carry pistol, then the government needs to make gun safes a tax deductible item-separate from the standard deduction.

Is it reasonable to expect someone-especially enthusiasts with $10k worth of guns-to shell out $400-600 on a safe? If so, is it reasonable to expect a single mom living in a craptastic neighborhood working the night shift at iHop who owns a $200 Taurus to spend $400 on a safe? Especially given that new guns all seem to ship with trigger locks now, which will at least keep kids from playing with it.