Goofy question: Leaving your firearm in the car

[biglos]

Here's a goofy question.

If you get in a situation that you need to leave your gun in the car and you have no locking glove box or safe but you feel uneasy about leaving your gun.

Would taking removing the slide and the magazine and taking those with you, basically change the law of having a firearm in the car, since all you left was the frame?

Any opinions?? or am I crazy? (Yes I've done this and I'm buying a safe for the car)

 

[arjay]

The safe is a good idea.

 

[robertrwalsh]

Safe is a good idea. IF nothing else put a good quality lock on it (not a cheap-*** freebie gun lock) and put it someplace not obvious, or even lock it to something fairly solid in the car. A gun safe for the car is not an unreasonable idea.

 

[MarkDozier]

"Would taking removing the slide and the magazine and taking those with you, basically change the law of having a firearm in the car, since all you left was the frame?"
It would not change the law. According to ATF the parft with the S/N, usually the frame is the firearm. However it would rendeer the gun useless

 

[bigmoose]

Bad idea. In NY (at least in some counties) they will revoke your concealed carry permit (and you will then not be able to possess your handguns) if you lose a handgun due to theft from it being unattended in a vehicle. If there is a safe in the car and car gets stolen, same thing.

And once a thug gets your frame, he can easily go buy a clip, barrel and slide.

 

[Hamster65]

I bought one of these. It seems sturdy enough and it hides under my seat quite well.

Academy - GunVault NanoVault 200 Handgun Storage Safe

 

[racknrider]

Was watching TriggerTime TV and learned what those cable locks that come with guns are for. You use them to lock your gun to the framework under your seat.

 

[turbo6]

If we are talking about quick trips around town during the day a simple cable lock around the gun locked to the frame of the seat would be OK.

Its doubtful someone who was committing a smash and grab would even notice it, let alone have a pair of bolt cutters and take the time to cut it in broad day light, but you never know these days...

Parking for long periods, at night or in sketchy neighborhoods I would definitely invest in something more secure...

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jimmyj]

In the trunk under the mat or spare tire ??

 

[chief38]

NOT A GOOD IDEA to leave Firearms in any car regardless of HOW you do it!. In the "PR of NY" it is also illegal and would trigger instant revocation of CCW if caught.

In an absolute emergency situation that was unavoidable, the more you could do to render it unusable the better off you would be. IE: removal of magazines, unloading, taking apart, locking, hiding, etc.

 

[jmace57]

I bought one of these. It seems sturdy enough and it hides under my seat quite well.

Academy - GunVault NanoVault 200 Handgun Storage Safe

I have one in each car, and have been well satisfied. A bit less than $40 iirc

 

[feralmerril]

Once in awhile I have wraped a nasty looking greasy rag or handkerchief around the gun and just put it in the door pocket of my truck.

 

[Stu1205]

I put one of these in my vehicle last year.
It is a custom made safe for your vehicles console.
It takes about two minutes to install with a screwdriver.
Console Vault | Buy Direct For Lowest Price + Free Shipping
It comes in handy if I have to briefly leave my gun in the car
when I go to the post office or other place where I am
prohibited from carrying.

Stu

 

[Brian41]

I don't like leaving my gun in a vehicle but have to when going into a post office or other Federal building on business. I do have one of the steel vaults with a cable in my truck and another my brother gave me last Christmas. I once had a cell phone stolen out of my Jeep I thought I had locked but possibly not. It does happen and even in the best of neighborhoods.

 

[cyphertext]

Bad idea. In NY (at least in some counties) they will revoke your concealed carry permit (and you will then not be able to possess your handguns) if you lose a handgun due to theft from it being unattended in a vehicle. If there is a safe in the car and car gets stolen, same thing.

And once a thug gets your frame, he can easily go buy a clip, barrel and slide.

Fortunately for most, NY is not the great example of gun laws to follow. If you carry a firearm regularly, at some point you will find it necessary to leave a firearm in your car. If the firearm is locked in a safe, or locked to the seat, you have done all you can really do.

Not sure why NY would see a firearm stolen from a safe in a car any differently than a firearm stolen from a safe in a home. In both cases, the firearm owner is the victim...

 

[Alpha Sierra]

Just throw it in the glove compartment and lock the car. I don't think any more about it.

 

[smitholdtimer]

Automobile Safe? Not Safe!

As we all know locks are designed to cause honest folks to remain honest, having made that statement I'll relate to you my story.
I bought a lockable box similar to the one pictured although larger, had two handguns and my GPS unit and other valuable to me items stored in the Trunk with a similar cable secured around the hinge of the trunk lid and back to the lockable safe. Next morning everything seemed normal until I went to open the door, it was not locked and the center console had been left open and the Safe had been removed from the trunk by cutting the cable.
My recommendation is to never leave any firearm in your auto since there is no way to absolutely stop a thief who is after your stuff unless you catch them in the act. The laws that require us to have to leave a gun in the car are not well thought out by those who write and pass them.

 

[SMSgt]

Many posts, but if no one else said it--the FRAME is the firearm. You would still have to meet all the legal requirements of having a firearm in the vehicle.

 

[federali]

I've Said it Before

New York City, alone, averages 500 vehicle thefts daily. With those kinds of stats, you have to be insane to leave a gun in the car for any reason.

If you daily activities are such that you may not have a firearm at times such as visiting a post office, school, or your employer forbids them on his site, it's best to leave the gun at home. I know one high school teacher, who, along with a friend, left their handguns in a car in a restricted-access high school parking lot as they planned to go shooting after school. When they came out, they discovered that the car was gone along with its entire contents.

The only exception I would make is if you can keep the car within view.

 

[Jaysq]

Here is a review I wrote on the Club Personal Vault
http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/363708-club-personal-vault.html

I am still very satisfied with it and have also used it in motel rooms that had something permanent that I could attach it to.