A Modest Proposal: A Truck Gun May Be Unrealistic

[Smoothie]

As for the OP. If I can successfully make it to my vehicle to obtain a more lethal weapon. Why wouldn't I just drive away from the threat?

Roads closed due to bad weather, Gas Shortage, total power grid failure, blocked in by 4 other cars, they disabled your battery to disable your vehicle

Thanks for proving my point about being so myopic that you can't even imagine a scenario a truck gun would be useful. All you can picture is walking out from your home in your driveway and never possibly needing a firearm because you have never needed one before so clearly you will never.

 

[Glorfindel]

Depends on the situation.

a lot of variables.

can i get to this weapon while under fire? If no its basically useless. IMO. if you must break contact with the perp to obtain this secondary weapon why choose to reengage?

 

[Glorfindel]

Roads closed due to bad weather, Gas Shortage, total power grid failure, blocked in by 4 other cars, they disabled your battery to disable your vehicle

Thanks for proving my point about being so myopic that you can't even imagine a scenario a truck gun would be useful. All you can picture is walking out from your home in your driveway and never possibly needing a firearm because you have never needed one before so clearly you will never.

proved your point?

 

[Smoothie]

a lot of variables.

can i get to this weapon while under fire? If no its basically useless. IMO. if you must break contact with the perp to obtain this secondary weapon why choose to reengage?

Because the ONLY reason to carry a weapon is when in an active gunfight? Um....OK.

 

[cmshoot]

As for the OP. If I can successfully make it to my vehicle to obtain a more lethal weapon. Why wouldn't I just drive away from the threat?

Leaving is almost ALWAYS an option, and I teach that to my students during the appropriate classes.

I am often out of town for 1-5 nights at a time. Let's say that during my absence, all Hell has broken loose back home. Wife and kid are locked in the house, with chaos around them. I have to get from the Atlanta Airport area to my home to secure my family. I would feel more comfortable if I had more than just my duty handgun, no matter how many rounds I have for it.

What if you're broken down on a long stretch of unoccupied rural highway, very late at night? In that case, a long gun would make me feel more comfortable.

 

[Inatree]

I don't even know how this is an argument. Everybody that hunts has a long gun of some kind in his truck for 6 months of the year because we constantly ditch work and lie to our wives so we can go hunting.

I do believe Ive had a gun of one kind or another in my truck every day since I was in my early 20s and never once had one stolen.

 

[Bennyboy]

So my take on this thread is that a few different arguments are taking place:

1: We all agree that basic security is common sense and therefore pretty much mandatory. The level of security that we each call adequate is what changes person to person. For me, my gun placed out of sight in my locked vehicle is secure. The risk of it being stolen is calculated by me based on the value of said gun. My home guns are more secure (inside safe which is inside locked home with security system). This also is a calculated risk. I have more security there simply because there is more value to be lost, not because I have any more or less “responsibility”. Which is the next argument:

2: We can have different opinions on how much security is actually needed BUT the idea that security is a responsibility is what we’re arguing about here. My security is based only on what I deem an acceptable risk of value lost if my security fails. I have ZERO responsibility to secure my own property. Saying any different removes at least partial blame from a criminal and places it on the property owner. This is where it becomes somewhat philosophical. It’s NOT legal blame being argued but the idea of “well, you asked for it”. This mentality is what is scary because it’s this exact mentality that fuels gun control measures. That somehow just the presence of firearms is dangerous cause they could fall into the wrong hands or that we can’t be trusted with them.

3. Tactics: some people have a truck gun for greater firepower than their EDC for unknown situations. Other people’s truck gun IS their EDC, just when they can’t carry it. Mine is a combination since I may have more than one at any time: my 10/22 lives in my truck and my M&P stays there at work since carry is prohibited. My LCP goes with me to work and trades places with the M&P when less discreet carry is allowed. My guns could be stolen and I lose them. Calculated. I could interrupt a criminal and my gun be used against me. Calculated. I could not keep a truck gun at all and only my LCP since it can go most everywhere I do. Calculated. I could not own any firearms for fear of losing them or them being used for evil and just count on the police to protect me. Calculated. All are personal choice but regardless, it’s no one else’s F-ing business which I choose.

 

[cmshoot]

I'm not trying to convince anyone of one side of the argument or the other. I have friends on both sides of the fence, and both make very good arguments. I usually have a truck gun, but I don't look down upon folks that do not, or call them names. The same should be true of the reverse.

Not everyone lives in the same area, drives through the same places, or have had the same experiences or training. Different folks will respond differently......go figger.

If you choose to carry one, it's a good idea to take steps to secure it when you're not in your vehicle. That's a no-brainer and no one would argue it. I have worked far more cases of a person having a firearm stolen from their home than I ever worked cases of someone having a firearm stolen from their vehicle. A thief can get to your stuff no matter where it is. Weigh the pros and cons and come to your OWN conclusion. Then apply it and don't worry about what other people do.

 

[Glorfindel]

Leaving is almost ALWAYS an option, and I teach that to my students during the appropriate classes.

I am often out of town for 1-5 nights at a time. Let's say that during my absence, all Hell has broken loose back home. Wife and kid are locked in the house, with chaos around them. I have to get from the Atlanta Airport area to my home to secure my family. I would feel more comfortable if I had more than just my duty handgun, no matter how many rounds I have for it.

What if you're broken down on a long stretch of unoccupied rural highway, very late at night? In that case, a long gun would make me feel more comfortable.

well yea these are good reasons to leave a long gun in your vehicle. my post was mostly to the scenario of I'm already in a fight and if i can safely make it to my vehicle to obtain a greater weapon why wouldn't i just leave. Not every situation allows for that, obviously. but if thats an option its the one im taking.

 

[cmshoot]

well yea these are good reasons to leave a long gun in your vehicle. my post was mostly to the scenario of I'm already in a fight and if i can safely make it to my vehicle to obtain a greater weapon why wouldn't i just leave. Not every situation allows for that, obviously. but if thats an option its the one im taking.

What if your vehicle is pinned in traffic, or disabled?

What if my wife or daughter are pinned down and I'm trying to get them out. While we're popping hypotheticals, I can come up with a scenario where I retreat to my nearby truck to obtain more firepower, then get back into the fight to save my family.

In my case, it doesn't even have to be MY family. It could be the family of anyone here on this site, or elsewhere. It could be YOU, pinned down and out of ammo for your EDC.

I firmly believe that as a LEO, I don't have the option to leave, despite what the courts have said. My students have heard me expound upon this. If there is an Active Threat, and I am able to get involved to stop them, I will. Regardless of how they are armed, regardless of how I am armed. I do not have the option to just leave the situation. Same applies to every LEO; local, State, or Federal. You have two choices in that situation; cowboy up and go solve the problem, or leave the scene, go straight to work, and resign.

Nowhere here have I said that YOU need to have a truck gun. I don't care if you do or don't. Come up with your own conclusions as to what makes sense for YOU. I support your decision either way.