Purpose of The Car Gun?

[GardoneVT]

In the arena of non-uniformed ,John Q Public use,where is the advantage in keeping a specific weapon in a car versus using a carried firearm?

It's a no snark,no BS question I pose out of legit curiosity. I've never seen the personal need to do this, so I seek the wisdom of the folks who employ this practice.

[Peally]

I have one simply because of the odd employment situation I'm in that prohibits carry on-site, but also happens to have a killer private range 10 minutes away. That handgun is a car gun by default.

[okie john]

In the arena of non-uniformed ,John Q Public use,where is the advantage in keeping a specific weapon in a car versus using a carried firearm?

It's a no snark,no BS question I pose out of legit curiosity. I've never seen the personal need to do this, so I seek the wisdom of the folks who employ this practice.

I would never keep a gun in a car, but I live in a place where you don't leave a pencil in a car if you ever want to see it again.

I think a lot of people want a car gun because they haven't thought it through, they just like the idea of having a weapon handy while they're driving. And even if it doesn't get stolen, most people get something cheap and unreliable that's completely different from their EDC, then they keep it someplace stupid like the glove box or under the seat. Then, if the flag flies, they can't find it, it's filled up with Big Mac residue, and it's completely unfamiliar.


Okie John

[Lester Polfus]

I've thought about this one a bunch. I've never come up with a way to have the gun both secure from being stolen while car is unoccupied, but accessible enough to be good for something.

Also, in most situations I can think of, if I can make it to my car, I can leave, while driving a weapon that weighs a couple tons...

[Nephrology]

I, personally, have no need/interest in a firearm that I keep in my car, beyond temporary storage of my carry pistol.

[deputyG23]

A small part of me wants to install some sort of locking rack or box in my POV trunk to secure a non-black long gun, such as a Winchester 94 or pump shotty for those times when it is perceived that nothing but a long gun will do. When the entire perceived problem is thought through with a real danger of being perceived by responders as a bad guy with said long gun, the idea goes away. Any "car gun" is on my body somewhere while in the car and leaves the car when I do, unless there is a legal prohibition preventing me from having the firearm where I am going. Range guns are removed and secured after every range outing.

[LockedBreech]

I have a dedicated car gun, something I decided on after considering a number of factors. I'll try to lay it out.

1.) Roughly 90% of the time, my car is either in a locked garage or clearly visible through a large window at my workplace. It is rare for my car to be unobserved or isolated.

2.) I live in a very low-crime area. I realize crime can happen at any time, to anybody, regardless of statistics, but the fact remains that my odds of being victimized where I live are considerably lower than the national average.

3.) I travel an above-average amount, both in my work capacity and my personal life, and my concealed carry license enjoys reciprocity with 32 states.

4.) Having an unholstered but manual-safety equipped firearm in the glovebox I believe to be faster, generally, than an on-body carry situation, which would be uncomfortable and unfeasible with professional dress on a regular basis, especially with a full-size firearm. To avoid any sort of clutter-in-the-trigger-guard situation, my glovebox contains ONLY my gun, my car manual, and a flashlight. For street clothes or a different person/vehicle, that may not be true, but I'm 6'5", 240 pounds, and I do not have a lot of spare seat room even in my relatively roomy car.

5.) My glovebox gun is a Beretta PX4 Type F Fullsize .40 S&W. While I carry 9mm exclusively and use 9mm for home defense exclusively, I remain persuaded based on DocGKR's duty handgun selection writing that .40 S&W maintains a slight edge in auto glass and vehicle body penetration. That may eventually be untrue with the next-gen carry ammo like Gold Dot G2, but for now I consider .40 to be valuable in the specific context of 180-grain bonded loads and car carry. Not really a response to the OP, but a justification of my specific in-car gun and how I have it tailored to in-car use.

Basically, I consider my personal risk low and potential benefit high. If I didn't have a garage or eyes on my car almost always, or if car burglary was common here, I would not risk it.

Edit: I forgot one of the biggest reasons.

6.) Guns are insanely, incredibly common where I live. Not saying that's a bad thing, I like it, but they're honestly easier to get here than Sudafed. Everyone has ten friends with ten guns. My gun getting in circulation doesn't change much, practically every vehicle has a firearm in it and almost everyone conceal-carries. It's not an area where my gun represents an especially valuable commodity to a criminal, he probably has one or more already.

Even with these reasons, it may be that the prevailing wisdom of the P-F community will persuade me that I'm making a bad decision, in which case I keep an open mind. I have certainly been wrong before.

[SLG]

Referencing the stolen gun thread, i carry several guns in my work car at all times. They are all locked up per sop, and range from very fast to access, to very slow to access. These are the tools of my trade, and my employer understands that even with good locks and an alarm, guns can and will be stolen from time to time.

On my own time, i refuse to leave a gun in my personal cars. The trade offmis absolutely not worth it to me. I carry every moment I have clothing on, and any car i get into will have at least the gun on me available. The risk, and consequences, of n having a personal gun stolen from my personal vehicle is just not worth it.

In the other thread, some people seemed to think that an agent who loses a work gun in the course of his work should somehow be punished for it. No state that I'm aware of, that allows a gun to be kept in a car, will punish a civilian for having that gun stolen. I dont care, i dont want to be the guy whose stolen gun gets used in a crime. I think that absent serious rural living, like I used to, or that Malamute or GJM might today, a gun in a car is a bad idea, that is mostly shtf fantasy. The only reason i excuse the extreme rural living, is that self sufficency, especially in regards to big animals, is a real thing out there. I have had to,put down more than a couple of large, injured animals over the years, and a handgun is not always the right tool.

Others obviously will disagree, and thats fine. If you can live with the consequences of what a stolen gun can do, have at it. I can't, or at least, not for the trade off here.

[41magfan]

Eliminating the possibility of having my own gun used against me is reason enough for me to avoid the practice. Secondly, unsecured firearms stolen from cars/trucks guns are a primary source of weaponry for criminals in my part of the world.

[HCM]

In a civilian / personal context there are legitimate reasons for temporarily storing a gun in a car with proper precautions such as entering a legally prohibited place but a permanent "car gun" is a bad idea.

To me "secured" means in a lockbox or hard case attached to the vehicle or an unloaded gun attached to the vehicle by means of a cable lock, handcuffs, chain etc.

I believe GVT is referring to permanent car guns.

The justification for permanent cars gun usually derives from a combination of laziness and dunning-kruger.

Here in Texas car guns are a "thing" due to the heat and culture / past practice. Prior to TX CHL legislation, TX law contained exceptions which allowed the carry of guns in cars.

Unsecured firearms stolen from vehicles guns are the #1 source of crime guns in my experience.

People do not understand criminal violence happens quickly and it is unlikely you will have time to return to your vehicle and retrieve a weapon. Even in a parking lot robbery scenario you are most likely to be targeted while returning to your vehicle. Again it is unlikely you will have time to enter you vehicle and access a gun in a glove box.