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Some of you have touched on this issue: how do you safely and responsibly carry a long gun in the car (protect it from theft) when you have to park and leave it?
I have been thinking about carrying a long gun in my trunk at all times, mostly for the "what if disaster strikes while I am away from home / at work" and for trips. I am concerned about thieves getting their hands on my weapon not so much because of the cost (I wouldn't have something super-valuable there) but because of the responsibility issues (legal and ethical). So I'm thinking: there must be a way to secure a long gun in the trunk in a semi-hidden way that would at least be undetected by the casual thief who pops the trunk looking for tools, purse, leather jacket, etc.
I'm thinking the area on the "ceiling" of the trunk, under the shelf where the speakers in the back window are mounted. There's exposed sheet metal there, there's space, and, if I could get some carpeting that matches the rest of the inside of the trunk, I could cover the area pretty convincingly to a casual inspection.
The trick is the hardware securing question. I envision something either really bare bones -- like a couple of big padlocks that go through the action + around the barrel -- or something more enclosing, like a lockbox or a drawer that slides out. A combo lock (Simplex) would be perfect.
Has anybody heard of something that already exists? I found one of the drawer-type things made for a Crown Vic, but it was $500 and I drive a Hyundai Sonata (smaller than Crown Vic). Any ideas for something that I could buy and repurpose for the job? Like some pre-existing heavy duty steel box in the right size or shape, that would fit up there in a trunk?
As for the weapon, I'm still deciding between:
Rem 870/Mossberg 500 with folding stock, if necessary for stowage
Keltec SU-16
Marlin lever action
Ruger PC
(the last 2 I'm tending away from because of overpenetration issues from handgun ammo in long gun, but if I had to go to court later for defending myself, the political correctness factor of the lever action or the SG would be useful).
If I went with a folder (SU-16 or 18" shotgun) it might be good to have a container so that I could travel with the weapon away from the car (breakdown, or into a building) without looking like I was carrying a long gun. That container might be the locking device (steel briefcase that locks to trunk?) or just a nondescript carrier (backpack).
Anyway, I'd love to hear some ideas.
I have been thinking about carrying a long gun in my trunk at all times, mostly for the "what if disaster strikes while I am away from home / at work" and for trips. I am concerned about thieves getting their hands on my weapon not so much because of the cost (I wouldn't have something super-valuable there) but because of the responsibility issues (legal and ethical). So I'm thinking: there must be a way to secure a long gun in the trunk in a semi-hidden way that would at least be undetected by the casual thief who pops the trunk looking for tools, purse, leather jacket, etc.
I'm thinking the area on the "ceiling" of the trunk, under the shelf where the speakers in the back window are mounted. There's exposed sheet metal there, there's space, and, if I could get some carpeting that matches the rest of the inside of the trunk, I could cover the area pretty convincingly to a casual inspection.
The trick is the hardware securing question. I envision something either really bare bones -- like a couple of big padlocks that go through the action + around the barrel -- or something more enclosing, like a lockbox or a drawer that slides out. A combo lock (Simplex) would be perfect.
Has anybody heard of something that already exists? I found one of the drawer-type things made for a Crown Vic, but it was $500 and I drive a Hyundai Sonata (smaller than Crown Vic). Any ideas for something that I could buy and repurpose for the job? Like some pre-existing heavy duty steel box in the right size or shape, that would fit up there in a trunk?
As for the weapon, I'm still deciding between:
Rem 870/Mossberg 500 with folding stock, if necessary for stowage
Keltec SU-16
Marlin lever action
Ruger PC
(the last 2 I'm tending away from because of overpenetration issues from handgun ammo in long gun, but if I had to go to court later for defending myself, the political correctness factor of the lever action or the SG would be useful).
If I went with a folder (SU-16 or 18" shotgun) it might be good to have a container so that I could travel with the weapon away from the car (breakdown, or into a building) without looking like I was carrying a long gun. That container might be the locking device (steel briefcase that locks to trunk?) or just a nondescript carrier (backpack).
Anyway, I'd love to hear some ideas.
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