Placing gun somewhere in the car while driving

[longtooth]

You can legally put it anywhere you want as long as it is concealed. The Law does not make any destinction about secure until bad things happen & a lot of bad things can happen when your gun is on the seat covered w/ a towel.

You are one sudden stop from having that gun in the floor board uncovered. One rearend collision on the freeway from being hurt & cannot get to it to secure it before someone coming to help finds it. Lots of Qs from LEO then & not many good A's. One flat tire at highway speed that puts you off the shoulder at 50mph reaching for a gun w/ one hand, trying to control w/ one, & from there you can fill in this blank w/ anything that can happen & none are good.
For someone new at carry only one fuel stop after getting comfortable & fogetting you dont have it holstered from having your gun on the seat & not w/ you. If we who have carried long term forget it is there until needed, you that are new can forget it is not there when that is what you are used to. Unholstered may be legal but more things can happen that are not good than can be listed.
Buy a comfortable holster & keep it secure on you. Too many of us drive many miles armed comfortably to know it is very doable.

[RPBrown]

I aggree with LT on this one. Concealed does'nt mean comfortable. You can only find a carry position/style that best suits you.

Too many bad things can happen when its not holstered

[nitrogen]

With my comp-tac holster, I feel I can safely put a gun between the passanger seat and console. The grip of the gun will come up right over the passanger seatbelt.

I usualy keep it on my for average sized trips, but if i'm in the car for longer than an hour, i'll keep it there while driving, and re-arm if I get out of the car.

If you think this'll be a comfort problem for you, they make holsters that attach to the bottom of your seatbelt, under your seat, or about anywhere in your car.

[G36Packer]

I have a holster for my G36/23 mounted under the ash tray/cup holder so it is more accessible than the radio. It is secure from most of the situations LT mentions. I also have a P3AT on my person.

[jbenat]

Ideally, IMO, you should be able to reach a gun while sitting in the drivers seat. Car jacking is probably the biggest consern of a driver and car jacking and/or sexual assault is probably the major concern of female drivers.
I keep my car gun on the seat wrapped in a towel when driving alone or in the console between both front seats when accompanied by a passenger. Both areas are easy to reach, even with a seat belt on. It would be best to keep an additional gun holstered in case you need to exit your car for any reason. Gotta admit I'm pretty lax on this part especially in hot summer months.

[Crossfire]

Let's break this down:

Let's say I'm on a nice trip and decide that having my handgun on me while driving is uncomfortable. Am I legal to take it off of me and conceal it somewhere else in the car while I'm driving, such as on the passenger seat with a towel covering it?

Yes, it's legal. With your CHL, you can have the gun anywhere in the car, it doesn't have to be on your body. But you have already heard that an unsecured gun on the seat is not a good idea. Figure out some way to keep it safe. There are more ways to do that than I can list.

What if I'm a passenger?

If you are a passenger, and the driver does not have a CHL, the gun needs to be clearly under your control.

Does it make a difference if I fall under the definition of traveling or not?

Not really. A CHL trumps "traveling"

[Venus Pax]

If I'm on long trips with dh or parents, I usually put it in a seat pocket or glove box. I'm OCD about keeping vehicle doors locked to the point of irritation to my step-father, but I'd rather them locked than have to use my gun.
When just sitting, I typically keep it on me, although I might adjust it so that it doesn't stick me in the leg.

[seamusTX]

I'm OCD about keeping vehicle doors locked ...

This is one of the most essential and easiest safety measures. I've been doing it since I started driving. My current car locks the doors automatically when it goes above about 2 MPH.

If your car door is unlocked, someone can open it and start whacking you from behind, a very difficult position to defend.

- Jim

[Venus Pax]

Keeping car doors locked is an ounce of prevention. And if it doesn't prevent, then it at least buys you time to make your your safety is clicked off.

[quidni]

My current car locks the doors automatically when it goes above about 2 MPH.

If your car door is unlocked, someone can open it and start whacking you from behind, a very difficult position to defend.

- Jim

What I don't like are those cars that automatically unlock all of the doors when you turn the key off. Our office car does that, and it automatically elevates me to "condition paranoia" whenever I have to drive it. And because the car is owned by the Department, that switch can't be disabled.

[seamusTX]

That's a bad strategic decision on the part of the engineers who designed the car.

These functions usually cannot be disabled. Modern cars have a car body computer that controls things like doors and windows.

- Jim

[nitrogen]

What I don't like are those cars that automatically unlock all of the doors when you turn the key off. Our office car does that, and it automatically elevates me to "condition paranoia" whenever I have to drive it. And because the car is owned by the Department, that switch can't be disabled.

My car does this. I just make it a point before turning off the car to check around. Still makes me nervous, especially with my lady in the passanger side, where I can't see to teh side as well.

[kw5kw]

What I don't like are those cars that automatically unlock all of the doors when you turn the key off. Our office car does that, and it automatically elevates me to "condition paranoia" whenever I have to drive it. And because the car is owned by the Department, that switch can't be disabled.

My car does this. I just make it a point before turning off the car to check around. Still makes me nervous, especially with my lady in the passanger side, where I can't see to teh side as well.

From the GM Service site, (dealers only--sorry) for my new car. And, I know that this goes back several years as well.

This is simply an electronic version of the owner's manual.

Document ID# 1561037
2007 Chevrolet Impala


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Programmable Automatic Door Unlock
Your vehicle is programmed so that when the shift lever is moved into PARK (P) all doors will unlock.

With the vehicle stopped and the engine running, door unlocking can be programmed through prompts displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC). These prompts allow the driver to choose various unlock settings. For programming information, see DIC Vehicle Customization .

Document ID# 1561037
2007 Chevrolet Impala


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Programmable Automatic Door Unlock
Your vehicle is programmed so that when the shift lever is moved into PARK (P) all doors will unlock.

With the vehicle stopped and the engine running, door unlocking can be programmed through prompts displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC). These prompts allow the driver to choose various unlock settings. For programming information, see DIC Vehicle Customization .

OFF: None of the doors will automatically unlock.

DRIVER AT KEY OUT: Only the driver's door will unlock when the key is taken out of the ignition.

DRIVER IN PARK: Only the driver's door will unlock when the vehicle is shifted into PARK (P) .

ALL AT KEY OUT: All of the doors will unlock when the key is taken out of the ignition.

ALL IN PARK (default): All of the doors will unlock when the vehicle is shifted into PARK (P).

NO CHANGE: No change will be made to this feature. The current setting will remain.


Select one of the available choices and press the set/reset button while it is displayed on the DIC to select it.

Russ

[Venus Pax]

Our truck (an '03 Chevy) does this. The doors immediately come unlocked when I put it in park. This irritates me to no end. I like doors to be locked unless I'm entering or exiting. The truck doesn't fight me when I go to re-lock the doors, but I don't like having to do that.
I've been that way all of my life. (This sorely irritates my step-father, who I have had to tell on several occasions that being male does not prevent crime.)
Fortunately, my little car didn't come with such "luxury".