If You Leave A Gun In Your Car

[T. MIKE SMITH]

So what do you guys do with your guns when you have to go in say….. the courthouse?

I keep a junk box on the floor between the seats- I lay on that junk and set my Walmart trash bag on top- post office- police/fire station/sheriff's office- you know where there could be an armed person who will shoot you- all the rest I just carry- what's that deal you see sometimes though- circle with a gun and a slash through it? Is that some kind of message about taking out a bad guy, cause this is a place they will most likely be?

 

[XYZ]

I don’t know how it is at your courthouse but ours is manned by retirees. They’re not particularly concerned about what’s going on outside.

 

[T. MIKE SMITH]

I don’t know how it is at your courthouse but ours is manned by retirees. They’re not particularly concerned about what’s going on outside.

Canadian County has some older guys but not all are- they can handle crap ok I believe- no I just don't carry in there- have to camo my piece while left in car.

 

[RockHopper]

In Washington, the court houses must have lockboxes available. During my last divorce, the sheriff's dep's became quite familiar with my edc. It also facilitated waiting in line for security scan. Ya just walked to the front of the line and hollered for the deputy and he'd escort you to the back.

 

[Veritas]

Leaving guns in cars is a pet peeve of mine. A car is not a safe. A safe is a safe and I have 2 of them bolted into my truck. One in the center console for if I have to take my pistol off to go into somewhere like a courthouse or I'm going into my gym to workout. Its accessible from the driver's seat in seconds. The other runs underneath my back seat and holds my long gun, chest rig, and other support items.

It is too easy to secure your firearms and there's a moral responsibility to do so. I admit "secured" doesn't mean impossible to get but using a bolted in safe in the car is a lot better than the equivalent of putting your wallet in your shoe at the beach.

Also don't get me started on magnetic car "holsters"....

 

[bubbaturbo]

Without comparing it to leaving a gun in a vehicle, is a gun in a bedside drawer in your home "secure" and have you met your moral responsibilities?

 

[RockHopper]

Lots of good points made in this thread. One thing is for sure. Owning/carrying guns is a complicated responsibility that requires nothing less than sober consideration.

 

[Dale00]

Favorite vehicle types for thieves to break out window in search of guns: Pickups, SUVs

 

[Veritas]

Without comparing it to leaving a gun in a vehicle, is a gun in a bedside drawer in your home "secure" and have you met your moral responsibilities?

I guess it depends on how secure your home is and acknowledgment of the fact that for most of us far fewer people come within a mile of our home then the number of people that come within 12 inches of our car and a parking lot. In Other words your home is much less a target of opportunity for most would be thieves. I know you said not to compare it to a car, but I think there is a difference to be pointed out.

I have small children though, so every single one of my firearms is secured in a safe in my home. The one at my bedside grants me easy access and each night the gun comes off my hip and goes in there and each morning when I get dressed, it goes back on my hip. I actually have a total of four safes in my home so I am never far from firearms if the one I am wearing at all times doesn’t seem to be enough.

So in this case, I would say I’m not a hypocrite, insisting on a safe in the car, but not in the home.

 

[Tinytim]

Those deputies are capable, I’ve carried in there before, good thing I knew them, they held my lil boom stick and let me pick it up upon departure.