Concealed Carry Corner: Carrying In Your Vehicle

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we looked at the second part of some of the biggest carry mistakes people tend to make. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I wanted to look at an interesting debate people will have when it comes to carrying inside your vehicle. For years, people have gone back and forth on whether or not you should take your handgun off your body while you drive. There are arguments for both sides and we will take a deeper dive into it.

Taking Your Gun Off

You may read this on the surface and ask why anyone would take their gun off once they got into their vehicle? It takes extra time when entering and exiting your vehicle since you have to strap your gun on and take it off every time you transition either to or away from your vehicle. The idea behind it is not having to fight with the seatbelt or have it get snagged on anything if you need to draw it quickly in a defensive situation. Most people will put it between the seat and center console or even in the cup holders of their center console. This is pretty typical for longer road trips, but plenty of people do it religiously even for short drives, which doesn't make as much sense as multi-state cross-country trips. The benefits are obviously less fatigue from your holster not rubbing your side the entire trip.

Having the gun separated also allows for faster draw with less worry of snagging the gun on your seatbelt or holster while sitting in an awkward position. Many people don't practice drawing with a seatbelt and think that's the best way to do it, so there's definitely a track of thinking out there that it's better to carry off your body when you get into your vehicle. In a perfect world, this makes sense and there's some logic behind the idea of a faster draw without less stress but it's certainly not perfect by any means. I think it's important to keep in mind that taking your carry gun off isn't a perfect setup for every trip, but it does make sense for longer trips if you're in the car for 4+ hours at a time and just want to cruise but don't want the extra hassle of your gun digging into you for hours on end.

Always Keeping Your Gun On

While it may be tempting to take your gun off and put it between the seat or in the center console, I personally advise against it. In a perfect world, taking your gun off while driving makes sense for an easier draw, but the world is far from perfect and Murphy's law certainly applies here. It's the same reason you won't see me put my keys in the center console either. If you have to bail out of the vehicle or you get into a road rage situation where you end up getting into a crash, the last thing you want to be doing after an accident is looking for your handgun and keys after they've been dislodged and thrown into an unknown spot.

Keeping it on your body allows your gun to be secure no matter what and will always be in a consistent spot. Just a few reps every month or two will allow you to be familiar with drawing your gun from a seated position. There are certain tricks, like turning your hips and straightening out your legs to get easier access to your gun if you carry it on your hip. Even though it may not be as comfortable as taking it off during car rides, carrying your gun on you at all times should be comforting since you know no matter what happens, you'll have your carry gun with you.

Motorcycles Vs Cars

For a car, I tell people to keep their firearms on their body no matter what. I have seen people mounting holsters to their fairings and even handlebars so they can draw with their left hand. On most motorcycles, your right hand is in charge of the throttle as well as the front brake, so it's common for people to actually switch to a left-handed holster so they can draw with their left hand instead. Others mount a holster in front of them in an attempt to make it easier to draw their handgun from either hand if needed.

The major problem with this theory for bikers is the fact that it's typically exposed and visible to everyone that you go past or interact with on the road. Many people will panic and immediately call the police if they see a handgun out in the open. Some are alright with that risk, but personally I don't want the extra attention at all. Even if it's easier, keeping your gun concealed allows you to keep the element of surprise without broadcasting to the world that you are armed by having it out in plain sight. I know some of you may disagree and that's completely ok but at the end of the day, remaining concealed should be your top priority.

Overall Thoughts

I think there's a trend of people wanting to be comfortable all the time when carrying a gun, so they cut corners and take their gun off any chance they get, which isn't a great way to always remain concealed and consistent. While it can be more convenient, I am one of those individuals who believes carrying a gun should take priority over being comfortable. The great Clint Smith once said a gun should be comforting to carry and not comfortable, which I completely agree with.

How do you guys feel about carrying in a vehicle? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.

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