Securing gun in car

I have a "GunVault" brand lockbox with quick-entry electronic code combination attached to the back-seat hardware where it sits on the floorboard behind the front passenger seat.
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I have this.

It's not perfect. And it shouldn't be considered "secure" from a theft sense. But I do have enough confidence in it keeping a firearm from a bad guy's immediate use.
 
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HighValleyRanch:

Applies to property owned or leased in its totality by USPS.

Not to those parking lots that USPS offices share in common (malls, e.g.).

Reading the actual codes is confusing if you don't happen to be an attorney. While there's often argument as to which code/law covers this prohibition, there's general agreement that it is in force.

W.
 
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jmr40
I keep it in out of sight in the glovebox or console if I have to leave it in a vehicle. Never been an issue and as long as it is out of sight and the doors are locked I've met my legal and moral obligations. If someone steals it under those conditions they are the criminal, not I. They could just as easily steal the vehicle and run over someone even if there were no gun in there. Either way I'd sleep well at night knowing I'd met my responsibility.

I'm all for gun owners being responsible, but at some point we need to understand who is the criminal and stop beating up ourselves for others criminal activity.
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Absolutely!

shootniron

jmr40...despite what some think...in some states the gunowner has a legal responsibility to secure gun IN or TO the vehicle. Y'all can shirk that responsibility all you want...but that does not change that legal responsibility.

This tells a lot...one of the only gun forums that I have ever seen where members suggest that not abiding by the law, is appropriate.

Y'all can have this place.
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He was not saying not to abide by the law. He said by doing that he is meeting his LEGAL and moral obligations. I fully agree with him.

In my state, the law only requires you to not have the handgun in plain sight and the door locked. If I meet those requirements, why would you criminalize me if a thief breaks in and steals the gun. If your state says it needs to be in a separate lock box, fine; do that.

Would you feel at fault if you left your house and someone broke in and stole your guns? Most states, if any, don't have a requirement that your guns be locked in a safe when you are away from your house. When does it not become your fault? Only after four hours of working on your safe to open the door? What about three hours? What if the only safe you have in a cheap one that a pry bar can pop after 10 seconds? Where is the line? I have the expectation that someone will not steal from me. If they commit the crime, why would you fault me?

No the crime is committed as soon as the door or window in broken and entry is made.

In theory, I could leave a rifle standing on my front porch and I should expect it to be there when I return. Theft is theft. That is the crime, not me leaving a possession on my front porch.
 
Going into a Federal Building requires me to leave my CCW in my vehicle. It is out of sight for no more than 10 minutes. I know that it takes little time for a thief to crash a window in a public parking lot, so I take my chances hiding it deep in my center console. I keep an Excel flow chart of my firearms with serial numbers that I can report any break-in.

A lock-box is secure unless it is locked down, requiring a struggle that would require a thief to work at. But the 10 minutes of my absence give me time to get back to my vehicle and detect any forced entry, check for my hiding place to secure my firearm, re-pocket and travel on.

I would suggest that a "lock box" requires a time to secure a firearm, and a time to retrieve it. My Ford Ranger does not look like a high-end target for break-in.
 
Wow. With all that holstering/unholstering of your firearm, you are dramatically increasing your odds of a discharge.
 
Some guns come with a securing chain and lock (I know XDs do), and so it would be fine to just secure the gun to the seat frame thru the trigger guard with that, correct? Or is under the seat and locked not hidden out of sight enough? Or are the locks not very good quality? I assume if it came with the gun it would work...
 
I leave a cheap $250 Taurus in the glove box when on college property when I'm out and about I carry it.And in a few months I will get a higher end gun to carry all the time and will leave the Taurus exclusively as a car gun and leave it in car at places where ccw is off limits but still have a gun nearby. If it were to get stolen which is very unlikely since I stay away from high crime areas Im out $250 instead of $500.
 
So I went with the console vault mentioned in the original post. Very solid feel, installation took 10 min, bolted to the frame. Let's see how it works in daily use.
 
I would not be comfortable leaving my gun in the console or glove box as I figure that would be the first places a thief would look for anything valuable. Not necessarily looking for a gun but looking for a camera, gps etc and anything of value. In my full size suv there is a big enough space to put it under the dash next to the steering column. If we are in my wife's car I lock it in the trunk behind the spare tire.
 
A while ago, Beretta made a bag with metal bands that you could secure to the seat frame or steering column. I tried to google it, but didn't find anything. Being a soft bag, it could be put in the glove box when not needed.
 
I have the Console Vault and it works well for its intended purpose - which is to serve as a lockbox while you go into buildings (etc.) where your EDC is not allowed.

But it DOES require pulling the gun out of the console vault and re-holstering it after returning to your vehicle, if you intend to have the gun handy while driving or thereafter.

Folks who want to leave a firearm in the vault until such time as they need it may want to consider another option.

Console Vaults are not the most easily accessible of options. The spring-loaded Gun Vault items are more rapidly accessed inside a vehicle, if that's what you intend to do with your firearm.

(signed)

A satisfied console-vault user for the past 5 years...
 
I drive an "old man" Buick. (bench seat, column shifter, no console). I have a flat lock box, secured to the seat mount with a steel cable. It sits on the seat next to me, covered by the armrest. A savvy thief with proper tools could probably cut the cable and make off with the box, but I do it more to protect myself from negligence claims. If my gun is ever stolen, I can at least show that I had it in a secured lock box in a locked car.
 
This one is 11GA steel with a good quality lock. I plan on using it with the mounting bracket along with a 5/16" vinyl coated cable for added security.

IMG_3556.JPG
 
Especially if you are sitting in a car seat trying to re-holster.

I wont do it after trying it once.. Awkward and dangerous.

One of the reasons I went to pocket carry.
 
If your pistol is small enough--like a Kel-Tec 32--try the sunglass holder up by the indoor lights. Noone will think of its being there.
willr
 
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