Leaving CCW in car

[Bonc_CHL]

Does anyone out there have suggestions for when you have to leave you gun in the car.
Where do you keep it? Any small safe ideas?
Thoughts, comments, complaints, concerns, etc?
\Joe

[karder]

I ride a motorcycle 99% of the time, so leaving the gun is not an option. I don't go to places that ban CHL holders, and if I must, I (unfortunately) leave the gun at home. As soon as I finish my business, I go back home to get the gun. I do have a Ford Bronco which I will use if the bike is in the shop, and I have a small safe bolted to the back seat area. I can lay the seats down over it to cover it up. I think that it is pretty safe there. If that is not an option for you, I would get a handgun safe and bolt it to the floor of the trunk. For me the best solution has been to not frequent places where I can't take my gun unless it is totally impossible.

[jamullinstx]

I use the bioBOX from Sequiam (now bioMETRX). You can find a description at this link:

http://www.sequiam.com/products/index.php

Do a Google search on the product to find online sources. I paid $179 for mine, so shop around. The list price is around $249. I use it at my bedside, for airline travel and in my car. It has a cable that you can wrap around a spare tire lug, tie-down lug, luggage frame, etc., to hinder removal. It accepts 6 fingerprints, but that is misleading since each print requires one backup, so it is really only 3. Nonetheless, I find it extremely compact and useful. It is not a vault or safe, but it should discourage the casual theif.

Does anyone out there have suggestions for when you have to leave you gun in the car.
Where do you keep it? Any small safe ideas?
Thoughts, comments, complaints, concerns, etc?
\Joe

[The Annoyed Man]

I got one of these from Cabelas, and it goes under my front seat, anchored by the cable to the seat mount. It will hold a full sized 1911. I've also fit both a USP Compact .40 and a 642 Airweight in it at the same time. It was a tight fit, but it worked.

[mgood]

I got one of these from Cabelas, and it goes under my front seat, anchored by the cable to the seat mount.

I've been meaning to get one of those for years.

I also want a Du-Ha box under the back seat of my pickup for a long gun and/or extra ammo and whatever else I want to lock up out of sight.

[JJVP]

Does anyone out there have suggestions for when you have to leave you gun in the car.
Where do you keep it? Any small safe ideas?
Thoughts, comments, complaints, concerns, etc?
\Joe

I use one of these http://www.gunvault.com/microvault.nxg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Also
have the one from Cabelas someone else posted.

[A-R]

http://www.consolevault.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[chamberc]

The Secure-It safes are economical and do the job for me.

[Kevinf2349]

I was contemplting getting a ConsoleVault but the price it a tad high and I haven't bitten the bullet on it yet.

It would be useful for the GPS and other stuff when we evacute but the cost just puts me off....but I guess it is still cheaper than replacing a pistol?

We have 2 Secure-It boxes and they are good but I would still like something bolted to the frame. Maybe someone will buy me one a ConsoleVault for Christmas?

[CLTX11]

I got one of these from Cabelas, and it goes under my front seat, anchored by the cable to the seat mount. It will hold a full sized 1911. I've also fit both a USP Compact .40 and a 642 Airweight in it at the same time. It was a tight fit, but it worked.

x2, its cheaper then the others and works just as good.

[troglodyte]

Here is a bit of a lower tech option. Modify for your vehicle.

Pick up a seat cable lock at the bike store (made to secure you quick-release seat). It looks like its big brother Kryptonite cable. Find a good, heavy-duty lock.

To stow the gun, unload, check to make sure it is unloaded, check again. Pass the end of the the cable through the trigger guard and around the seat frame. Lock it and tuck under the seat.

Advantages:
-Cheap
-Adaptable to vehicle
-Can be moved between vehicles easily
-Will thwart all but the most determined smash-and-grabs

Cons:
-If they have a pair of bolt cutters it's about worthless. But I don't hear of m(any) smash-and-grabbers carrying bolt cutters
-Requires a lot of handling of the gun to employ.
-May allow gun to rub against seat frame scratching finish.
-Gun is not as readily available and is not in a condition to be fired quickly

I use this when I have to, which is not too often. I'm not too concerned as it is not for long-term storage. Generally it is for a few hours at most, the gun is stowed in the console (out of site), and I park in "safer" places. I would never think of using it for overnight or long term (i.e. everyday while I'm at work) storgage. I'd ge the safebox for that. It does work fine for my needs.


I never can remember how to post a picture. Here's a link for referencehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images ... ting-goods

[Sangiovese]

My wife and I both use lockboxes from center of mass http://www.center-of-mass.com/Store_InCarGunSafe.htm

They even keyed them the same for us which is a nice feature.

They wont stand up to a cutting torch or anything, but they will certainly deter the smash and grab type and seem better built than some similar models I've seen. With it anchored to and tucked underneath the driver's seat, it cannot be seen from outside the vehicle... and you have to really look even inside. They also double nicely as cases for checking your pistols when traveling by air.

[rdcrags]

Maybe I'm weird about this, but if one or more of my guns are taken from the house or car, it's just something else to put on the list to State Farm when reporting the break-in. I don't lock them up anywhere except at the airport when checking the suitcase. My guns are not ancient collector's items. Insurance money can replace them.

[Sangiovese]

Maybe I'm weird about this, but if one or more of my guns are taken from the house or car, it's just something else to put on the list to State Farm when reporting the break-in. I don't lock them up anywhere except at the airport when checking the suitcase. My guns are not ancient collector's items. Insurance money can replace them.

For me, it's about my responsibility to take reasonable measures to keep my guns out of the hands of criminals. Different people have different views on it... some think that we shouldn't have to do more than lock our doors - it's not our fault if a criminal breaks in and gets our guns. But the way I see it - we shouldn't have to carry weapons to protect ourselves and our families, but we do. Most of us do a lot that we "shouldn't have to do" in order to protect our families. Securing our weapons is just one more of those things.

While I agree that you should not have any civil or criminal liability if someone breaks into your car, steals your weapon, and uses it to kill someone... I do know that I personally would feel pretty lousy about it if I knew that I didn't take precautions that are very affordable and easy to implement. "Affordable and easy" varies for everyone, so I don't judge others by what works for me. I just wish that gun owners would all do what they can to safeguard their weapons. After all, if that dark day comes when a criminal attacks you or a family member, there is a good chance that they got their weapon from someone who did not do much to prevent them from stealing it - and instead took the stance that, "I shouldn't have to lock my stuff up - people should not break into my home/car."

Related to the original topic... before I got my car safe, I frequently took the slide off my pistol and put it in my pocket if I had to go somewhere I couldn't carry (like a properly posted hospital to visit a relative). The thought was that the BG might get most of my weapon, but he certainly wouldn't be able to use against anyone without the missing piece. Didn't cost a dime, but did require more handling of the weapon inside my vehicle than I liked.

[Bonc_CHL]

I agree with Sangiovese, I know I could just toss my weapon in the glove box lock the doors and leave it at that, But there are too many what if scenarios that can play out.
Personally I want to take at least a few more steps to ensure that removing my weapon from my vehicle is not as easy as an unlocked glove box. I never plan on leaving my weapon locked in the car for extend periods of time, but just want to have something in place for the rare times I need to leave it, even if its for 10 minutes or an hour, it takes only seconds to break a window and make off with what ever is in the car.