Keeping a pistol in the car all the time

[Johnny_boy]

This thread made me think maybe I should just keep a cheap pistol in the car all the time:
http://www.northwestfirearms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2949&highlight=cars

However, sometimes my spouse drives my car and I am the only one with CPL license. Do you need a CPL to keep the pistol loaded but locked in the car, or you don’t? :huh:I am in Washington state.

If this is allowed, what is a cheap .45 caliber pistol that you recommend to keep it in the car? (It has to be cheap enough that if it gets stolen, I can deal with it financially )

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[raindog]

This thread made me think maybe I should just keep a cheap pistol in the car all the time:
http://www.northwestfirearms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2949&highlight=cars

However, sometimes my spouse drives my car and I am the only one with CPL license. Do you need a CPL to keep the pistol loaded but locked in the car, or you don’t? :huh:I am in Washington state.

If this is allowed, what is a cheap .45 caliber pistol that you recommend to keep it in the car? (It has to be cheap enough that if it gets stolen, I can deal with it financially )

I can't advise on the legal aspect, but "cheap" is not a phrase I want anywhere near a description of a self-defense firearm, unless you mean "fantastic gun I happened to get cheaply".

If you gun is stolen, then I assume your car is stolen, too, so you will be in a financial hurt either way ;-) And regardless, if you ever have to use it, you are going to be a huge world of financial hurt - you'll likely be arrested, face civil suit, etc.

I'd keep a quality firearm rather than anything cheap. I'd rather have a .38 that I can absolutely count on to work than some discount .45.

Just my opinion.

 

[Johnny_boy]

Hey RainDog, very valid point. We should get good quality firearms that are dependable for self defense purpose.

I almost always carry on me, so something that I leave in the car will serve a backup purpose.

The reason why I said "cheap" is becasue I literally want to just leave it in the car all the time wihtout taking it out frequently (becasue I will forget to put it back in). So I don't want to park my $1500 Kimber 1911 in the car. (I want to take that out to a range a couple times a week).

So a good suggestion around quality firearms that happens to be cheap would be good. I am willing to consider "plastic guns" (all my firearms so far have been strictly metal only, but since I am going to leave it in the car, and also since we are in the rainy pacific northwest afterall, I do have to worry about moisture and rust)

 

[Hendo]

In the state of WA only a CPL may "...carry or place a loaded pistol in any vehicle...".
The law goes on to say that the pistol may be in the vehicle when "(c) the licensee is away from the vehicle and the pistol is locked within the vehicle and concealed from view from outside the vehicle."
I can't imagine this being interpreted as your spouse being the only driver/occupant and you being "away" is in actuality really far "away".
I highly recommend getting Dave Workman's Washington State Gun Rights and Responsibilities.
Don't have a gun in WA without it or something comparable.
Hendo (IMHO)

 

[jaredpost]

You could also just take her down to the court house and sign her up for a CC permit so you don't have to worry about it.

 

[LeverBob]

This thread made me think maybe I should just keep a cheap pistol in the car all the time:
http://www.northwestfirearms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2949&highlight=cars

However, sometimes my spouse drives my car and I am the only one with CPL license. Do you need a CPL to keep the pistol loaded but locked in the car, or you don’t? :huh:I am in Washington state.

If this is allowed, what is a cheap .45 caliber pistol that you recommend to keep it in the car? (It has to be cheap enough that if it gets stolen, I can deal with it financially )

Johnny Boy...a ccw means "to be carried upon your person". It is very bad form to leave a gun (any gun) in a car or truck where some light fingered charlie could lift it. Besides, a cheap gun isn't one to consider for concealed carry. Responsibility means you have the character to have one...that includes the behavior to be trusted by society as such.
Buy a really good gun...stay in control of it...It is your best friend.
Just a few thoughts Pard...

LeverBob

 

[Spad]

Johnny Boy, Let us think and remember what a CCW is all about....A FIREARM......Leaving FIREARM in a vehicle is not something you do. ENOUGH SAID. Bill

 

[NK777]

I agree, a CCW should not be left behind in your car unless you absolutely have to because of where you are forbidden from carrying. Even then it should be in a locked and bolted down pistol safe concealed under something. Honestly you really don't want to leave one in your car all the time anyways because it'll rust!

I don't know about Washington but in Oregon... yes you could get your wife in trouble if she doesn't have a CPL and is driving your car with a loaded gun even if it is locked up.

A handgun I like that is chambered in 45 that did not break the bank for me is my Taurus PT145 MIL PRO. It's always functioned flawlessly for me and I think I only paid like $300's for it NIB. Note, this is a Subcompact 45 and as such is more difficult to shoot accurately then a larger gun. Just something you might want to consider because I prefer full size guns but I can't conceal one year round very well.

 

[RVNvet]

To me, a lock-box visible from outside the car says, "If you steal this car, there's something valuable inside me!" Instead, why not use your glove-box, and spend the money you'd pay for the lock-box on upgrading your purchase of a firearm? My suggestion would be a used .38, or .38+P revolver, which you can always count on...there's a bazillion of them on the market for very little $$$. Then, make a copy of the key to your glove box, and put it on a quick-release of some kind on your regular key ring (and your wife's?), just in case you roll up on something and want to be able to get at it quickly, before stopping your vehicle. AND KEEP THAT **** GLOVE-BOX LOCKED AT ALL TIMES!

Some of the old-timers on this forum who also play poker may know of this story, or even been there...

It use to be legal to play poker for money in Vancouver, WA. I played a lot at Onslow's Poker Room. I was a LEO at the time, and always had a 'backup' .38 in my glove-box, along with a set of S&W handcuffs. I never locked the glove-box, so I could get at them quickly. One night I made an arrest in the card room (wanted perp), and handed one of the guys my car keys and had him go out and get my cuffs, while I physically restrained the maggot. Word spread around, and about a week later I left Onslow's late at night to find that someone had broken into my car and stolen the gun and cuffs. I immediately had a vision of one or both of them showing up at a crime scene, and both were traceable back to me. Even just reporting them stolen could have damaged my career. I went to all the card rooms in town, and told all the floor-men and crews that I would pay a reward of $1,000.00 for the return of my property, AND the right hand of the person who had stolen them. As I had hoped, the next day I got a call from Big Larry (?), the floor-man at Onslow's, telling me my gun and cuffs were in a bag in the drawer underneath the cash register. And since no hand was included, I didn't have to pay a reward. Needless to say, after that I've kept my glove-box locked, with an extra key on a quick-release on my keyring.

Max

 

[huntpotter]

Johny Boy, Have your wife go down and get her carry license. It's $30 right? I had my wife get one. She doesn't carry when I'm around. But if I'm gone for the weekend, to a gunshow, I leave her .38 on the nightstand, and she carrys it to the bank and stuff. As far as the car goes. I believe that if you are not the primary driver, at the time, and there is a gun in the car, she would need a permit to carry. It may be open to interpritation, but even if you are in the right, you can still be arrested, and pay a lawyer to proove it. So $30 for a carry license is cheaper than a lawyer.
As far as a good "glove box gun" Get a .38 revolver, stanless, snubnose. You can leave it loaded all the time with no maintenance. If you have a .45 clip loaded for months on end, the spring will get too stressed to reliably push up the next cartridge. With a wheel gun, you can leave it and forget it. It will go bang when you need it. Taurus or Rossi has a .38 stainless snubby you can get for under $300 usually. That is "cheap" as far as my collection goes, ie $1200 kimbers ect.

 

[keitha300wsm]

I normally don't like to leave a gun in my car, but the pf9 would be a good choice. The part I like about the kel tec pf9 is they're around $300, easily concealed and dependable. I'm not very fond of it, if it did get stolen, outside of feeling bad about some puke has a gun, it could easily be replaced.

 

[Wenis]

My wife bought me one of these console vaults for our anniversary. What a keeper. I kept a cheap .380 in there, plus my radar detector. No one knows it's there. My best advice is not to keep valuables out in the open.

 

[NK777]

My wife bought me one of these console vaults for our anniversary. What a keeper. I kept a cheap .380 in there, plus my radar detector. No one knows it's there. My best advice is not to keep valuables out in the open.

That's nice I like it!

 

[eriknemily]

I suggest visiting center of mass. Their safes are inexpensive and good. I have one in each rig. Short of having something more secure than a glove box I wouldn't even consider leaving a firearm in a vehicle.

 

[SVT]

If the gun is to be loaded, then yes you will need a CCW for it. If you aren't in the car, then someone needs to have a CCW on them if the car is pulled over. Don't leave a gun in the car, carry it with you when you travel. I've known several people who have had pistols stolen from their car. I don't know of anyone who needed the gun that was in the car. The gun is much more likely to end up in the bad guys hands if you leave it in the car. Vaults are good if you are going to leave them, but they are worthless if they are locked and you need to get to the gun fast. You will also need to remember to lock it each time you make or stop, or risk loosing the pistol.

 

[Monkeyman]

What a great thread. Lots of good input from all angles.

While Natty makes a good point, it has been my experience (as someone who has been carrying less than a year) that the more comfortable you become with carrying, the less comfortable you will be leaving the gun in the car. As far as carrying onto private property, or other 'forbidden' places, about the only time I leave it in the car is when I'm going to the courthouse (which, unfortunately, has happened enough recently to warrant a slap on the wrist from DMV ), or anywhere I can expect to be wanded or patted down. I have learned to conceal properly, and so I go everywhere with the weapon. Everywhere. Otherwise, why bother to go through the training, the paperwork, the discipline, and lifestyle changes to carry responsibly? How would you feel if the one time in 50 years your life depended on it, you left it in the car?

Being a city kid, I consider it a question of "when" your car gets ransacked or stolen, not "if", and losing a weapon due to negligence is a serious error.

But I gotta say, Wenis, where'd your wife get that console vault??? That is very cool. . .

 

[HappyRoman]

Works for me..

 

[torpedoman]

Inexpensive, reliable, accurate, Pistol = CZ82 in 9mm makarov caliber. get a copy of shotgun news and have your local dealer order one or get your C&R and order it yourself the C&R is only 30 bucks or less that two ffl fees.

 

[Davidthepirate]

I second the reccomendation for the pt145 mil-pro taurus, had one, and it was a damn solid subcompact. A guy from seattle guns.org/net has a Taurus PT140 mil-pro (.40sw) for $300 bucks and he is a reputable seller.

 

[Chee-to]

I don't ascribe to the view that having a Properly Secured handgun in a vehicle is in some way categorically irresponsible.

The person who breaks into a locked car and into a locked box within that car is no different than one who breaks into a locked house and into a locked safe or other secured container within that house. The person who Properly Secures a handgun in a car is no less responsible than one who keeps his firearms Properly Secured in his dwelling. In each case, the owner has fulfilled reasonable expectations of responsible behavior and should in no way feel guilty or culpable for contributing to someone else's moral delinquency.

If properly secured I don't believe it's irresponsible, but it's a lot easier to steal a car than steal a house, and there's a reason many law officers don't leave firearms in vehicles over night, and this is why;
<broken link removed>
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http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=12481
http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvcrime/2009/03/assault-rifle-shotgun-stolen-f.html