Car/Truck Gun - Good idea or bad?

[L84CABO]

That posting of the billet rifle that was just stolen got me thinking and I didn't want to thread jack...

Somewhere there is a line to be drawn between being prepared and keeping your weapons secure. Where should that line be drawn as I suspect there are more than a few people who have elected to keep a weapon permanently stored in their vehicle in preparation for SHTF.

Is this a good idea or a bad one? And where does a person's moral responsibility end with respect to keeping your weapons secure?

Me: I'm not really sure. Still trying to make up my mind. I don't currently store a gun in my vehicle. But I understand wanting to be prepared for the worst. I think if I were going to store a gun in my rig, I would probably make sure it was locked down and add some additional layers of protection to the car...alarm, kill switch, etc.

[Oceanbob]

Yeah, locking a locked metal case via a cable thru the frame, might make it more work to heist. :cool2:

Also in a trunk, under other items might help.

They want the rifle, steal the car first..:D

The AR rifle that got plucked was $valuable.

Sad.

My new trunk gun is a $200 shotgun. Still, I park where I can see my car.

[Steve1968LS2]

Not a bad idea.. in a steel "safe".. cable locked to a part of the car that is hard to deal with (under a seat)..

Cheaper gun.. like a SW Sigma or such..

A "just in case" deal.. unloaded/locked with a mag in the box..

IF i was going to do it.. that's what I would do.. if...

[CK_32]

Do you live in a rural or congested area?

What reasoning do you need a truck rifle?

Do you have a way to properly lock and secure it out of sight?

Even if you have a good reason, will using it be justified or a good idea?

Why do you need or want one?

Will it actually be accessible/available during your vision of needing the rifle?

After answering those questions you should be able to answer that your self.

[evlblkrfl]

You will never see a post about me having a weapon stolen. Just wont happen. UNLESS my alarm and my safe fail. Leaving weapons in my car out of sight is NEVER an option. Not even in my driveway.Anybody that leaves an unsecured firearm in a public area almost deserves to have it stolen. Almost.Dummies. A locked case in a locked car dont mean squat. Might as well just give the bad guys your "toys". Think.

[kaligaran]

@evlblkrfl - I'm not advocating one way or the other. But it's interesting that you would suggest locking a firearm in a vehicle is 'leaving an unsecured firearm in a public area'.

OP - If you do keep something in your vehicle, hide it and lock it away best you can. Put it somewhere an opportunistic criminal wouldn't look or would have a hard time getting to. Such as locked up under your spare tire.
And of course, don't leave anything in your vehicle that would make an opportunistic criminal want to break in to start with.

[MXRider]

I almost always have an LMT M4 in my truck. It's my beater rifle and I wouldn't be that pissed if it were to come up stolen. But I've never had an issue with theft I'd say the chances are relatively low.

I also live in a pretty rural area in Virginia and it's a very different place compared to CA.

[L84CABO]

You will never see a post about me having a weapon stolen. Just wont happen. UNLESS my alarm and my safe fail. Leaving weapons in my car out of sight is NEVER an option. Not even in my driveway.Anybody that leaves an unsecured firearm in a public area almost deserves to have it stolen. Almost.Dummies. A locked case in a locked car dont mean squat. Might as well just give the bad guys your "toys". Think.

Have you considered that we live in California where it's damn near impossible for most of us to get a LTC permit? Keeping a weapon in the car is about the only option many people have left if they want some form of protection while they're out...albeit a far cry from ideal.

[rideordie]

If you can secure the lockbox/safe to the car that would be a plus and I wouldnt leave a $3000 1911 or ar build in there. Maybe a cheap pump shotgun or revolver.

[TrailerparkTrash]

Do you live in a rural or congested area?

What reasoning do you need a truck rifle?

Do you have a way to properly lock and secure it out of sight?

Even if you have a good reason, will using it be justified or a good idea?

Why do you need or want one?

Will it actually be accessible/available during your vision of needing the rifle?

After answering those questions you should be able to answer that your self.
^^^ This. Excellent point. ;)

[smle-man]

I yearn for the days when folks rode around with a rifle and shotgun in the rear window pickup truck rack. Long in the past I guess. No one stole them either, or not frequently enough that it was ever mentioned. The past is a different world.

[kaligaran]

I yearn for the days when folks rode around with a rifle and shotgun in the rear window pickup truck rack. Long in the past I guess. No one stole them either, or not frequently enough that it was ever mentioned. The past is a different world.

Still plenty of places where that is the case. ;)

[Anthracis]

***

[drclark]

I look at the issue this way. In most situations that would require a weapon, if you have time to make it back to your car and retrieve a gun that is stored in a manner that is legal and secured in a manner that discourages theft (e.g. unloaded, locked in the trunk, etc), you likely have the ability to get in the car, start the engine and leave.

For a gun to be useful for self defense, it needs to be readily available and loaded which would not be consistent with being a law abiding citizen which in that case, carrying the gun on your person is probably a better option.

I could see having a method to secure a gun in the car if I had a ccw and needed to go somewhere where a gun is prohibited (e.g. a courthouse or airport)

[geoint]

Still plenty of places where that is the case. ;)

No theres not. I just spent 3 years living in bum**** Texas and even there, people arent stupid enough to advertize how unsecured and valuable their guns are and how easily they can be taken.


*** I apologize if the wording of that implies that Texans are stupid. I actually love Texas (just not Ft Hood) and the people who keep Texas a free state. Obviously in the bigger cities, you have more crime but my in-laws are all from very rural TX and they have the common sense to keep their truck guns out of site in the back seat.

Edit: I should have said most people. Obviously theres still a few retards out there who do leave their things out in the open/unsecured.

[kaligaran]

No theres not. I just spent 3 years living in bum**** Texas and even there, people arent stupid enough to advertize how unsecured and valuable their guns are and how easily they can be taken.


I guess in your first post you meant leaving guns in plain view while out of sight or at the mall/theater/etc.
Yes, I agree there.

I just meant there's still places where people travel with them in their vehicles in open view. I still see that a good bit in my home state.

[mikenewgun87]

Do it man! I was debating on what cheap truck gun to put into my Taco. Plus i have a metal storage box in the back...

[Click Boom]

I'd make a small compartment somewhere that is very simple and easy to get to.

You should be able to deploy it in 3 seconds or less.

For example, maybe a subcompact pistol sized compartment hidden behind a false airbag in the steering wheel. Or behind the ac panel. Make it pop on and off by making it attach and remove with heavy duty velcro.

Another idea is to attach a big magnet found in Home Depot under the seat or dash and place the pistol on it. By the slide if polymer. Maybe by the steering column under dash.

You get the idea. Good luck.

******disclaimer******
The above recommendation is merely a hypothetical situation. Be sure to check the laws and regulations in your city/state/municipality and adhere and abide by those laws. I am not an attorney and if you have doubts about any laws, contact an attorney in your area who can help you. :D


http://media.giphy.com/media/3ZRsipv0ygPKM/giphy.gif

[T6pilot]

Wasn't their a Burt Reynolds movie where he had a shotgun wrapped in plastic taped to the frame of his car. Doesn't seem to bad a idea

[AceGirlsHusband]

I would never leave anything in my vehicle that I couldn't live with being stolen. As for a firearm... never. Parking a firearm in a vehicle overnight is begging for a veh burg. Just my 2 cents.