Transportation in Your Vehichle

I have kind of run into a "where do I put it?" problem too. I have been carrying my gun on my hip since i got it but noticed a while back that with my seat belt on there is no way to draw it. So if I was being car jacked i'd have to undo the sea tbelt first then draw. i drive a late model chevy pickup with no center console and even if i could reach the glove box it wouldn't fit. Anybody have any ideas?
 
Business said:
I have kind of run into a "where do I put it?" problem too. I have been carrying my gun on my hip since i got it but noticed a while back that with my seat belt on there is no way to draw it. So if I was being car jacked i'd have to undo the sea tbelt first then draw. i drive a late model chevy pickup with no center console and even if i could reach the glove box it wouldn't fit. Anybody have any ideas?
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Did I ever show you this:

http://www.truckvault.com/store/

Kind pricy but perfect for your truck

In regards to the OP when I get in the car, due to discomfort, I usually transfer my sidearm to a coat pocket. I used to clip my Fobus holster to the door pocket on the driver side door, but that holster is too bluky so I don't use it anymore.
 
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To the OP, two recommendations from me.

If you're going to carry like that, I'd suggest putting it between your seat and the center console as opposed to the passenger seat, for a few reasons. It'll make the seat pinch the gun a little tighter in case of a crash, it's closer to you (which might make the "direct control" argument easier to claim to a cop), and your body would cover much of the gun.

Secondly, if you're carrying and you get pulled over, the very last thing you want to do is be messing with that gun, especially if it's already in the open. This could easily get you shot by a nervous cop.

chetD said:
whatever works.... [smile]
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This is my feeling. Having a gun available is better than none at all. It doesn't appear to be dangerous, and while I wouldn't want to do it regularly, if it works for you (and if it's legal) then I'd say go for it.

You've heard all the other arguments, it will probably go flying in a crash, people might see it and run, but having it immediately available could save your life.

As for me, I carry normally when in the car, which is IWB, and this only changes if I'm travelling in a way that requires me to disarm or move it to the glove compartment (going to airports, long interstate drives, etc.).
 
I'd have to go along with the shoulder holster crowd. It keeps the weapon handy,and concealed, with no chance of accidentally forgetting it in the car. Besides, like the song says, "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"!!
 
Unless I'm missing something or misunderstaning, all the posts about preferences, what works and doesn't, and options for securing the holster, are moot.

Since he's an attorney, I'm going to take Scrivener's word for the fact that off body carry (glove box, etc.) in MA is illegal.

OR is the issue of 'direct control' as open and ambiguous as so many other things?
 
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Titan said:
Since he's an attorney, I'm going to take Scrivener's word for the fact that off body carry (glove box, etc.) in MA is illegal.

OR is the issue of 'direct control' as open and ambiguous as so many other things?
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Carrying off-body may be unwise but it is not illegal, nor did I see any post where Scrivener said that off-body carry is illegal.

A woman can carry a gun in her purse (which is off body carry), PROVIDED that purse (and thus the gun) is under her direct control. Unfortunately, "direct control" is not defined and is open to interpretation.
 
M1911 said:
Carrying off-body may be unwise but it is not illegal, nor did I see any post where Scrivener said that off-body carry is illegal.

A woman can carry a gun in her purse (which is off body carry), PROVIDED that purse (and thus the gun) is under her direct control. Unfortunately, "direct control" is not defined and is open to interpretation.
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Check Scrivener's post ( #54 ).
Chuck
 
TheWookie said:
I get your overall point, but I'm not a Special Agent man in hot pursuit of a scumbag. People really game things way too much around here and try to compare apples with oranges.
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Road rager hits you and your car is off the road, now you're off the road and your gun is nowhere to be found, and the road rager is now pummeling the f**k out of your window with a tire iron. News at 11.

Unlikely to happen but retention should always be a consideration. Also have fun telling the cops that you had a gun but now it is missing after a violent accident when it goes flying out a busted up window. (Yes, guns have actually been lost this way.) Not so much a problem in free states, but in MA a missing gun that's loaded (in an MV) means you didn't have it under your direct control. Have fun with that.

-Mike
 
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I drive for a living. If I can drive hundreds of miles a day with it in a holster, you can probably find something comfy for your commute. Don't be stupid...you do, after all, live in MA.
 
Titan said:
OR is the issue of 'direct control' as open and ambiguous as so many other things?
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It's a gray area.

drgrant said:
Road rager hits you and your car is off the road, now you're off the road and your gun is nowhere to be found, and the road rager is now pummeling the f**k out of your window with a tire iron. News at 11.

Unlikely to happen but retention should always be a consideration. Also have fun telling the cops that you had a gun but now it is missing after a violent accident when it goes flying out a busted up window. (Yes, guns have actually been lost this way.) Not so much a problem in free states, but in MA a missing gun that's loaded (in an MV) means you didn't have it under your direct control. Have fun with that.

-Mike
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There's a member here who posted awhile back about getting in a motorcycle accident and losing his gun. I'll PM him to see if he wants to chime in, since my 17 searches for his post couldn't find it. [laugh]
 
fbirdquik6 said:
Ankle holsters are great if you spend alot of time in the car.
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I'm surprised it took until pg 7 for someone to recommend an ankle holster! Great access while driving or sitting, and also its easy to move a gun from ankle holster to waist level holster before getting out of the car, if thats something you're inclined to do.
 
Two words: Fanny Pack!

Nick_Yates__CEO_of_Fanny_Pack_day.jpg


[rofl][rofl][rofl]
 
Unwise != illegal

chuckster said:
Check Scrivener's post ( #54 ).
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I read his post carefully. Let's do it again, together.

In response to ashdump's post about putting it in the glovebox, Scriv posted:
Scrivener said:
VERY poor location at any time and illegal in MA.
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1) He says the glovebox is a "poor location." That is a value judgment, not a statement about its legality.
2) He says "illegal in MA." That clearly is a legal opinion, that putting a gun in the glovebox is illegal. Why is it illegal? He doesn't say here, but that has been discussed elsewhere, and it concerns the definition of a container and direct control.

On your person is where it should be while driving.
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3) This is again a value judgment, not a statement about its legality. He did not say that it is illegal to have it off-body. He said that on your person is where it should be, not that the only legal place is on your person.

So, explain to me where Scriv said that off-body carry is illegal? He didn't, because it isn't. What he said in another thread is:

Scrivener said:
1. Not all glove boxes lock;

2. The transport statute requires a locked container OR locked trunk.

3. While a glove box is considered within the "wingspan" of a driver for search and seizure, it is NOT for "direct control," which is on the body or immediately adjacent to it. A shelf in front of the PASSENGER seat does not suffice.

It's also a damn stupid place to put a gun for a number of other reasons, notwithstanding the fact that it is lawful in some other states.
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Off-body carry is legal as long as the gun is always in your direct control. Read MGL Chapter 140 Section 131c again:

Section 131C. (a) No person carrying a loaded firearm under a Class A license issued under section 131 or 131F shall carry the same in a vehicle unless such firearm while carried therein is under the direct control of such person.
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This does not say that off-body carry is illegal, it does not say it must be on your person, just that it must be under your "direct control." There is, unfortunately, no definition of "direct control." That, combined with the other disadvantages of off-body carry (you are more likely to put it down and forget it, etc.), makes it clear to me that off-body carry is not recommended. But that doesn't make it illegal.

On your person is clearly under your direct control. Ten feet away is likely not under your direct control. In between is a matter of some uncertainty. So the conservative approach (and one that I practice) is that the safest course of action is for it to be on your person. But that doesn't necessarily imply that putting your gun in your purse and your purse in the center console while you drive is illegal. You might argue that it is unwise, but that is not the same as arguing that it is illegal.
 
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I HATE having to use a shoulder rig or having my gun basically inaccessible when I'm driving (which is essentially what it is in the case of a gun holstered at your waist).

In Washington (where it's legal) I sewed a holster into my door pocket. Since I prefer a waist carry most times, I could unholster when I got into the car, put the gun in the door holster and both have it quickly available if needed and not jamming me in the ribs. But AFAIK that practice is illegal as all get-out in the NE.
 
Maybe I am the only one here who can still draw a pistol from the 4 oclock position while seated in my car.
 
Jose said:
Maybe I am the only one here who can still draw a pistol from the 4 oclock position while seated in my car.
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I would be interested in some more info on this, if you don't want to post here could you pm me. I wear mine at 4:00 but it's pretty hard to get to with the seatbelt on.
 
Jose said:
Maybe I am the only one here who can still draw a pistol from the 4 oclock position while seated in my car.
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I can, it's just a little more complicated. That being said, if the car I'm in is in gear, it's already in condition 0. Cars are good weapons too, let's not forget. [grin]

-Mike
 

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