I've seen lots of discussion of methods for securing guns in the home but how about in the car? i would like to look into the possibilities of getting a gun safe installed in a car and having it not accessible by the vehicle's ignition key. Very useful for traveling with guns on the road.
Securing guns in a car
- Thread starter PhotonGuy
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I secure my gun in the car by taking it with me when I get out.
I carry behind the right hip, so that's not terribly comfortable when I'm driving. The Jeep isn't too bad, but the Corvette...
I do have one of these under the dash in the Jeep.
In the Vette, this is not an option. Nor is there room to tuck the gun between the seat and console. My solution (which is less than ideal, but will do till something better comes up) is to place the gun between my leg and the console, pointed to the rear of the car, butt pointed up. It's convenient if I need it, and reasonably secure.
If I do need to leave a gun in the car (extremely rare), I put it in the glove compartment or console and lock it. Then I lock the car and rely on the alarm. It's unlikely that anybody is going to break out a window and then pry their way into the glove box while the alarm is blaring.
If I did feel the need for a gun safe in the car...
There's this or this or this or this or this or this or countless others.
I carry behind the right hip, so that's not terribly comfortable when I'm driving. The Jeep isn't too bad, but the Corvette...
I do have one of these under the dash in the Jeep.
In the Vette, this is not an option. Nor is there room to tuck the gun between the seat and console. My solution (which is less than ideal, but will do till something better comes up) is to place the gun between my leg and the console, pointed to the rear of the car, butt pointed up. It's convenient if I need it, and reasonably secure.
If I do need to leave a gun in the car (extremely rare), I put it in the glove compartment or console and lock it. Then I lock the car and rely on the alarm. It's unlikely that anybody is going to break out a window and then pry their way into the glove box while the alarm is blaring.
If I did feel the need for a gun safe in the car...
There's this or this or this or this or this or this or countless others.
There are a number of options on the market, ranging from simple lock boxes with chains (lock the linkage inside the box...) to complex safes hidden in the car a la James Bond. Honestly... simple options work best. Unload it. Secure the gun and ammo separately. Consider field stripping it to some degree, or using a cable lock or other means to add an additional complication to loading and firing the gun. Of course, you also have to consider why you're carrying it, and balance the need for access. And -- don't neglect legal prep. If you're carrying a gun hidden in your car, in way that it's easily accessible to you and is ready to fire (as opposed to secured in a gun box in the trunk), you just might find yourself under arrest for carrying a concealed weapon, depending on the specifics of the laws in your area.
The legalities do matter- especially when traveling between localities. Bolting or welding a safe to the vehicle can be seen differently than chaining or cabling it depending on the locality. Agree with keep it simple. If traveling - it is nice to be able to bring the whole case to the hotel room.
Regards
Brian King
Regards
Brian King
- Thread Starter
- #5
If its bolted or welded into the trunk or back compartment I don't see why that would be a problem. As long as the weapons are unloaded. Now, traveling with loaded weapons might be a different story.
Know your laws for your local area and state and also the federal laws for transporting a firearm.
In my state, one can open carry. If you enter a vehicle, then it becomes concealed and unless one has a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) then one is in felony violation of a state law.
In my state, one can open carry. If you enter a vehicle, then it becomes concealed and unless one has a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) then one is in felony violation of a state law.
In Colorado, open carry is legal. Concealed carry on/in property owned or controlled by you does not require a permit. Your car is owned/controlled by you, so no permit is needed.
It's also important to keep track of which states recognize my permit. Happily, most do. I find this very helpful when planning road trips.
It's also important to keep track of which states recognize my permit. Happily, most do. I find this very helpful when planning road trips.
A built in compartment suggests a deep degree of planning. Especially if it's concealed, it suggests that you might have things you want to hide, which leads to wondering why... An obvious welded-safe advertises that there are valuables of some sort inside, making you a target.
If you're traveling a lot with your guns, you might want a permanently mounted safe. Otherwise -- an appropriate lockbox or even simply gun locks are likely enough.
- Thread Starter
- #9
That's just the thing, I would want a concealed safe because I might have things to hide in my car and Im not necessarily talking about just guns but other emergency supplies which can be very valuable if the need for them arises. As it is I sometimes do drive across the country and usually I bring some guns when I go on long road trips unless Im going to a place where they're heavily regulated or prohibited such as Maryland, Washington D.C. or Canada. I do have a carry permit that is valid in most states but usually I will be passing through a few states where its not valid and so usually I just keep the guns unloaded and cased in the back compartment when Im traveling. However, as I said I want something that's more secure. There are some places such as restaurants where they don't allow you to bring in guns whether or not you've got a carry permit so I would have to leave it in the car. Also, there are some places where they valet park your car and if I were to have my car valet parked and I was keeping guns in the car because I couldn't have them on my person at the time I would want them somewhere where the person valet parking my car couldn't get to them. That would mean a locked and concealed safe. Once, when I was driving to New Orleans I had to stop at a service station in Mississippi because one of my headlights had gone out and I needed to get a new bulb installed. In the back of the car I had a backpack that had a handgun in it. It was unloaded but I didn't want to leave it in the car while it was being serviced so I took the backpack into the waiting room with me. I would not have been able to do that, however, with a rifle. As it is, I don't see how I can install and conceal a secure safe that is large enough to hold a rifle in my Toyota Prius but I do know some places where I could possibly put in a hidden locked compartment that could hold handguns although it might have to be custom made.
And besides, the Toyota Prius does not have a trunk that can only be accessed from outside the vehicle. It does though, have an area in the back designed for transporting luggage and it does have a cargo cover in the back that fits over any luggage or bags you might put back there, so in that sense you could say that anything you store back there, if you use the cargo rack that you're concealing it.
And as I said, while it might be smart to keep your gun or guns on your person provided that you're going somewhere where that's allowed and you've got any necessary permits for doing so, there are some places where you can't bring guns and there was a big problem about all these people trying to bring their guns into a Cracker Barrel.
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It depends, on others have said, on the state one is in.
In California, for example, despite having a concealed carry permit, all my firearms have to be unloaded, in a locked box, and locked in the trunk in order to be "legally transported."
That said, I can and do carry in Albuquerque and the rest of New Mexico. In Albuquerque, though, where car-jackings are pretty frequent, especially for pickup trucks, what I do is secure a holster to the hose clamp I've got wrapped around the steering column.
EDIT: It appears, though, that you're interested in stashing or secreting firearms in a vehicle. If it has a trunk, a locked carrying case or box should be enough-Prius hatchback notwithstanding.
Gotta be the funniest thing I've ever seen you post....:lfao:
Seriously, though-if you can lay down a set of golf clubs back there, and you can, you can make a way to secure a rifle or shotgun.
In California, for example, despite having a concealed carry permit, all my firearms have to be unloaded, in a locked box, and locked in the trunk in order to be "legally transported."
That said, I can and do carry in Albuquerque and the rest of New Mexico. In Albuquerque, though, where car-jackings are pretty frequent, especially for pickup trucks, what I do is secure a holster to the hose clamp I've got wrapped around the steering column.
EDIT: It appears, though, that you're interested in stashing or secreting firearms in a vehicle. If it has a trunk, a locked carrying case or box should be enough-Prius hatchback notwithstanding.
Gotta be the funniest thing I've ever seen you post....:lfao:
Seriously, though-if you can lay down a set of golf clubs back there, and you can, you can make a way to secure a rifle or shotgun.
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- Thread Starter
- #11
Ever seen the back of a Toyota Prius?
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Well, now, no, but I don't have to-I'm an engineer.
I looked up the dimensions of the cargo space for the Prius (also called "luggage compartment" ) on line.
You...uh...do know how to use a tape measure, dontcha? :lfao:
Unless your Prius is Gen. 2, as in those manufactured prior to and including 2008, you can fit a rifle back there....and if you can fit a rifle back there, you can do so securely
You might just get a locking rifle case, secure it to the metal of the compartment with bolts, and raise the false-bottom carpet cover to cover. Or just weld a couple of u-bolts there, and lock the firearm to that-raising the false-bottom, etc. Or you could buy something from a company called TruckVault that also makes....trunk vaults...:lfao:
There are federal laws covering transporting guns. Federal law trumps state, of course.
So if you follow this you're legal anywhere. Makes the gun useless for defense, but it does keep you within the law.
As I read this, in a car like my Corvette, I'd have to have a gun safe of some sort in the car. There is no separate trunk. The glove box is disallowed. There are some small compartments in the rear that are intended for securing packages so they don't bounce around, but they're not lockable. I'd be legal, though, if I took this off the bedside table, locked the gun in it and put the safe in one of those compartments under the hatch.
Fortunately, my permit is valid in most of the US, so as long as I am careful to check specific local laws for whatever states we are passing through, I'm golden. The only time I ever have any potential issue is when we drive to Indiana to see the In-Laws. Anything resembling a direct route requires us to clip the southern end of IL, with their draconian (and useless) gun control laws. In all honesty, I have to admit that I do not stop at the border, unload our guns, and lock them away somewhere.
So if you follow this you're legal anywhere. Makes the gun useless for defense, but it does keep you within the law.
As I read this, in a car like my Corvette, I'd have to have a gun safe of some sort in the car. There is no separate trunk. The glove box is disallowed. There are some small compartments in the rear that are intended for securing packages so they don't bounce around, but they're not lockable. I'd be legal, though, if I took this off the bedside table, locked the gun in it and put the safe in one of those compartments under the hatch.
Fortunately, my permit is valid in most of the US, so as long as I am careful to check specific local laws for whatever states we are passing through, I'm golden. The only time I ever have any potential issue is when we drive to Indiana to see the In-Laws. Anything resembling a direct route requires us to clip the southern end of IL, with their draconian (and useless) gun control laws. In all honesty, I have to admit that I do not stop at the border, unload our guns, and lock them away somewhere.
Well there's your problem...
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I know, right? :lfao:
Ultimate gray man vehicle.
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Nah. The "ultimate gray man vehicle" would be one with some capability. A Nissan Altima, gray four door, with the 3.5 liter V-6, perhaps.......
not a granola-mobile....:lfao:
Do you have to go through the floor of the trunk to get to a spare tire or anything? If not there are a number of trunk safes that would work. If you are actually trying to create a hideaway safe in your trunk, then you are probably asking the really difficult. The easiest solution would be to get a super sturdy lockable gun case and create some permanent anchors in the trunk to cable it to.
