Gun in locked car

hey

sorry, i seem to come up with just questions. but i am a firm believer the only dumb question is the one not asked.

this is one that has nagged me for a while and i haven't been able to pin it down. knowing that we are to carry our firearms open and in plain sight in the vehicle, when we are in it. what about when we are not in it? there are times i must leave my firearm in the vehicle be it my handgun or long gun. i would not want to leave it where some one would be tempted to steal it. would it be concealed if it is stuck under or behind the seat.
again the a.g. did mention that a person would not want to put an expense gun in view. funny thing is, they seemed to hint that NC laws are very vague. duh

so what is y'all's opinion?

If you aren't in the vehicle, the gun should be locked in the trunk, or at least stored out of sight in your vehicle as you described. When you return, bring the weapon back into plain sight and you should be fine, just don't forget that part (well, you can leave it locked in your trunk with no issues).

If I have to leave any of my guns in the car, i make sure they can't be seen, period. If people don't see something they want, then they probably won't break into your car (unless they want the car). If a cop walks by, he can't go shifting through my stuff unless he has RAS - if he can't see the gun, then he doesn't have RAS.

I put blankets on top of my long guns, and put trash on top of my 1911, or put it in the glove compartment when I leave. When I come back, the first thing I do is uncover/recover the gun from its hiding spot.

papa bear said:

hey

sorry, i seem to come up with just questions. but i am a firm believer the only dumb question is the one not asked.

this is one that has nagged me for a while and i haven't been able to pin it down. knowing that we are to carry our firearms open and in plain sight in the vehicle, when we are in it. what about when we are not in it? there are times i must leave my firearm in the vehicle be it my handgun or long gun. i would not want to leave it where some one would be tempted to steal it. would it be concealed if it is stuck under or behind the seat.
again the a.g. did mention that a person would not want to put an expense gun in view. funny thing is, they seemed to hint that NC laws are very vague. duh

so what is y'all's opinion?

Click to expand...

Papa bear. go to grnc.org and order a copy of Thomas Faulk's book "Firearms Law of NC. It's very easy to read.

According to State v. Gainey, the firearm has to be "on" or "about" someone's body. If you're not in the car (about it) it's not concealed. The firearm has to be under convenient control and within easy reach to be concealed.
Page 119 in edition 1 and page 172 in the second and third editions.

I don't like "hiding" my gun in the car. For an experienced (or not so experienced) crook, there is no real safe "hiding place" in a car. I once had someone throw a brick thru my driver side window just to take the 50 cents or so left lying in the console.
I got one of those metal lockboxes from walmart like you keep your cash in at a yardsale and bolted it behind the seat and secured the bolts with the strongest lok-tite then lined it with the rubber-like shelf liner for your kitchen shelves.
At least if they take my gun from my lockbox, they're gonna have to have bring some pretty big hardware, which is unlikely in a crime of opportunity.
If I have to run into a victim zone somewhere (post office, etc.) I just lock it in there and feel pretty sure it isn't going anywhere unless they take the whole truck. I figure my $1000 Sig is worth the $15 investment.