# Looking at gun safes for cars



## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

My commute's 67 miles a day & I can't carry a gun into my workplace but I can keep one in the car. Always worried that someone might steal it though so I didn't. Well, just a few weeks ago someone stole the garage door remote out of my car. Didn't know it until I got home & it wasn't in the glove box. It was there for 5 years. Creepy feeling waiting for my wife to get home with her garage door opener so I can walk in & see if anyone's home that I don't know. Unarmed. I guess they thought 33.5 miles was too far to bother, all was good. I couldn't try the other doors because I have these metal poles that go from under the door knob to the floor to prevent opening from the outside while we're away. Anyway I did some searches & found a few small safes that should work. They bolt to the floor after drilling some holes & there's room under the passenger seat for one so I'll always have a gun with me wherever I go. Anyway I unplugged the garage door opener that night & installed a kit with new remotes that have a random dual frequency so it's never the same signal & harder to duplicate. Then I clipped the wires off the old receiver so it wouldn't work with the old remote & plugged the opener back in. I can only wonder what I might have encountered that day had I lived 2 miles from my workplace. No car alarm either, maybe that's next.


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## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

I've thought about this for myself, but I am somewhat curious as to why you would think someone would who stole your garage door opener out of your car (I'm assuming while you were at work some 30 miles away) would know where you live. I've had a gun stolen from a vehicle, yet it was in my driveway and I had forgotten to lock the door to my truck (lesson learned). I would imagine the reason for stealing a garage door opener would just be to irritate the hell out of you b/c they didn't find what they were looking for (something to turn a quick buck) or you somehow inadvertently misplaced it somehow. Anyway, that's just my mind rambling on and on analyzing what could have really happened, but the idea of a gun safe for the vehicle isn't bad. 

If your gun is stolen, your insurance will replace it unless you have a big deductible, in which case you're self insuring. If someone steals your vehicle, then you're out not only the vehicle, but the gun and the safe. So it begs the question why waste the money on a safe. Still, there is the chance they would just bust in, look around to see what they can find, like a gun, and be off with that leaving the car sitting open. Oh well, decisions I guess. Still, not a bad idea depending on how expensive the safes are. But, if you have someone after your house bad enough to stake you out, follow you to work, steal your garage door opener, go back to your house and rob you blind, perhaps you have bigger problems than what a gun car safe will solve. And if they are wanting you dead...well, if someone wants you dead they won't go through the trouble to steal your garage door opener to kill you in your home. They will just come in when you least expect it and kill you in your sleep. Or wait until you're on your way to work and whack you...seriously bruh, maybe you're taking it all a bit far, unless you live in Ferguson, MO. In which case, you may not want to go to work. Or just move.


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

Likely it was just a prank. On the other hand my home address can be found with my license plate number. Or so I've heard, not really sure.


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## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

Well, I guess my point is if someone is willing to go to those links to get to you, you're into something you shouldn't be into, or you're like Will Smith's character in Enemy of the State. LOL!!!


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

You may think nothing else was taken, *BUT* if you have a GPS in your car, they DO have your home address. They got it from the GPS. I suggest to friends that are getting one or whose car came with one to set "home" as the address of the local Police station. (theoretically, they should be better able to deal with a break in)

Gun safes: I have two pistol safes. One Sentry safe that opens with key only and can be bolted or used w/ 4 foot cable.
The other is the (more expensive) Browning Pistol safe (PV500). Holds one auto and several mags. requires 6 digit combination with 4 push buttons. Has a key backup that works the bolts mechanically, so even if the batteries die, you can open the safe. Also has two battery contacts on the outside that you can touch an 9 volt battery to to enable you to open the safe in the event of battery failure. You only get two unique keys and cannot get replacement keys.

Before buying a pistol safe, look around and see what catches your eye. *THEN* go to Amazon and find the safe there. Go to the ratings an look at how many one and two star ratings there are, go thru those ratings and see WHY folks didn't like them. saved me from some potential bad buys. (button operated safe pops open if you slide it along the floor, buttons that rapidly break or wear out. batteries only last a month, pull off the front decal to use the backup key and you can use a paperclip to open the safe instead).
The idea of biometrics is good, but they have a long way to go. 
YOMV


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

U


Babbalou1956 said:


> My commute's 67 miles a day & I can't carry a gun into my workplace but I can keep one in the car. Always worried that someone might steal it though so I didn't. Well, just a few weeks ago someone stole the garage door remote out of my car. Didn't know it until I got home & it wasn't in the glove box. It was there for 5 years. Creepy feeling waiting for my wife to get home with her garage door opener so I can walk in & see if anyone's home that I don't know. Unarmed. I guess they thought 33.5 miles was too far to bother, all was good. I couldn't try the other doors because I have these metal poles that go from under the door knob to the floor to prevent opening from the outside while we're away. Anyway I did some searches & found a few small safes that should work. They bolt to the floor after drilling some holes & there's room under the passenger seat for one so I'll always have a gun with me wherever I go. Anyway I unplugged the garage door opener that night & installed a kit with new remotes that have a random dual frequency so it's never the same signal & harder to duplicate. Then I clipped the wires off the old receiver so it wouldn't work with the old remote & plugged the opener back in. I can only wonder what I might have encountered that day had I lived 2 miles from my workplace. No car alarm either, maybe that's next.


A quality car alarm may be a good idea. 
Are you parked in a area where , in case the alarm sounded, there are people or security who would react to the alarm or just ignore the noise.


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

Good info, thanks. I hadn't thought of that. I don't have GPS but my wife's car has it so I'll reset "home" on it. So far I've been lucky, it's been 4 years since my driver's side window was busted out but people in my crew who work the night shift get break ins & vandalism all the time, one reason I came back on day shift. It's a rough part of the city. I pulled up the zip code in "Spotcrime dot com" & it shows lots of recent burglaries & assaults there. I'll take a look at those safes that you mentioned when I get back from work today.


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

pic said:


> U
> 
> A quality car alarm may be a good idea.
> Are you parked in a area where , in case the alarm sounded, there are people or security who would react to the alarm or just ignore the noise.


I don't think they would hear it, it's a 10 story indoor parking building & by the time I get to work the bottom 5 floors are taken but there's always someone coming or going to the elevator that would hear it & I hope they'd either look or mention it to the attendants on the bottom floor if they heard an alarm.


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

Take a look at gunsafes.com. There is a fort knox safe that doesn't require keys or batteries or more than a second to open. I have had a drawer version of the same one for 20 some years. It works. it is easy to secure to your car, or what ever you want to bolt it to and it's under $200. The model# is pb-5
Goldwing


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

N


Babbalou1956 said:


> My commute's 67 miles a day & I can't carry a gun into my workplace but I can keep one in the car. Always worried that someone might steal it though so I didn't. Well, just a few weeks ago someone stole the garage door remote out of my car. Didn't know it until I got home & it wasn't in the glove box. It was there for 5 years. Creepy feeling waiting for my wife to get home with her garage door opener so I can walk in & see if anyone's home that I don't know. Unarmed. I guess they thought 33.5 miles was too far to bother, all was good. I couldn't try the other doors because I have these metal poles that go from under the door knob to the floor to prevent opening from the outside while we're away. Anyway I did some searches & found a few small safes that should work. They bolt to the floor after drilling some holes & there's room under the passenger seat for one so I'll always have a gun with me wherever I go. Anyway I unplugged the garage door opener that night & installed a kit with new remotes that have a random dual frequency so it's never the same signal & harder to duplicate. Then I clipped the wires off the old receiver so it wouldn't work with the old remote & plugged the opener back in. I can only wonder what I might have encountered that day had I lived 2 miles from my workplace. No car alarm either, maybe that's next.


I don't think gun safes for automobiles are built strong enough. Plus if they notice a car safe, ah ha that's a payday.
If you definitely can't carry into work, then maybe utilize some very effective pepper spray for your walk to and from your vehicle. 
An option is to hide a handgun in your trunk, but do not retrieve it in the parking area, in case you are noticed by a thief who is watching you. Or you could hide a handgun inside the vehicle in a very clever spot. But never accessing or stashing the gun in your parking area in case of getting noticed by the wrong person
The pepper spray is sometimes more applicable then a handgun in certain situations.

This is strictly my personal advice through my own experiences,thanks
:smt1099


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## DirtyDog (Oct 16, 2014)

BackyardCowboy said:


> You may think nothing else was taken, *BUT* if you have a GPS in your car, they DO have your home address. They got it from the GPS. I suggest to friends that are getting one or whose car came with one to set "home" as the address of the local Police station. (theoretically, they should be better able to deal with a break in)


They did? Can you explain to us ignorant people how they could do this without the KEYS? I mean... if they had the keys, they'd have just taken the car, right? 
And if they were carrying an external power supply and the tools to hack the GPS without the keys (not to mention the time needed to disassemble and reassemble it all, so you don't notice)... well.. then they're from the CIA, and they already know your address. And your shoe size. :rofl:



Babbalou1956 said:


> Good info, thanks. I hadn't thought of that. I don't have GPS but my wife's car has it so I'll reset "home" on it.


Don't bother.


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

DirtyDog said:


> They did? Can you explain to us ignorant people how they could do this without the KEYS? I mean... if they had the keys, they'd have just taken the car, right?
> And if they were carrying an external power supply and the tools to hack the GPS without the keys (not to mention the time needed to disassemble and reassemble it all, so you don't notice)... well.. then they're from the CIA, and they already know your address. And your shoe size. :rofl:
> 
> My Tom Tom has an internal battery so it works independent of the car keys. Good point about changing the home address though. As far as gun safes not being strong enough for cars, I guess I didn't realize that they made them specifically for cars. The one I have is the correct size for a full sized auto with room enough for a holstered gun and an extra mag or two. I doubt that even if a BG found it he would (or could) take the time to try to get it open with the risk of being caught increasing the longer he is in my vehicle.
> Goldwing


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

You may want to look at the under seat gun safes from a company like Galls they use either key or concealed release button, like used in some patrol cars


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## DirtyDog (Oct 16, 2014)

goldwing said:


> My Tom Tom has an internal battery so it works independent of the car keys.


People still use those? Do you have a Walkman too?


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

Rhetorical question? Yes, it works well in any of my vehicles, and also on my motorcycle.
Goldwing


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

If I can open your auto safe with a utility bar and a 3 lb'er the gun might be in jeopardy.

If you're gonna lock the gun in the safe for a brief period , it's not a bad idea. IMHO 

In a situation when you're at work for 8 + hours, a car safe would serve as an excellent diversion, while keeping your handgun in a different hiding place. Again IMHO.

Did I say "if I can open" lol. 

For the record, I've never been arrested in my life. Never handcuffed either.
:smt033


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

For the record, I've never been arrested in my life. Never handcuffed either.
:smt033[/QUOTE]

YET


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

DirtyDog said:


> People still use those? Do you have a Walkman too?


Are you having a bad day today Dirty Dog? Or are you somehow irritated by me being involved in the conversation? Whatever the case, high school is long over. If you want to get into childish squabbles pick another target.
Goldwing


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## DirtyDog (Oct 16, 2014)

Lighten up. See the smily face? Have any idea what those mean?
It means "don't take this seriously". 
So... Are you having a bad day?


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

DirtyDog said:


> They did? Can you explain to us ignorant people how they could do this without the KEYS? I mean... if they had the keys, they'd have just taken the car, right?


You may be correct for factory installed ones, but there are quite a few after market that plug into a lighter or power supply that could be compromised. 
there have been instances where a hole has been punched in the door that allows them to bypass the lock and gain entry, but if nothings taken, the owner may just think someone punched a hole in the door w/o gaining entry. 
Just rather not make it easy for any badguys.

http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/20639714/hole-punch-car-thieves-hit-southern-ms

Hard to say if there are documented break ins where they have proven the home address was taken from the GPS, but hey, keep yourself safe.
JMO


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## faststang90 (Apr 8, 2013)

i put a safe in my truck just to be safe if i have to leave my gun in my truck its locked up. i did the combo lock so i dont have to look for keys

Console Vault, Truck and SUV Auto Console Safe by Console Vault


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## DirtyDog (Oct 16, 2014)

If only that would fit in a Corvette...


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