This is why I carry on my person when driving. I use a high-ride, canted OWB holster with a cover garment (untucked work shirt), and haven't found a car yet that makes my gun inaccessible while seated and the safety belt fastened. For the times when I am traveling in my car somewhere that I cannot carry (such as a school) and will not have a discreet place to disarm, I move my gun to the front pocket of my backpack (which travels pretty much everywhere with me) before I go and place it on the seat next to me, with the pocket closed (concealing the gun) but unzipped (so that it is immediately accessible). Once I arrive, I zip up the pocket and place the backpack in the trunk (which cannot be opened from the inside of the car - only with a key) and proceed on foot to my destination. Traveling to these same places in my van is less of an issue, as the sheer size and height of the vehicle, as well as the window tinting and curtains make disarming (which includes taking off my belt to remove the mag carrier and holster) very easy to do discreetly before exiting. I have a GunVault safe bolted underneath the driver's seat in the van for storage.kdom wrote:Why push the envelope? Well, there are a couple of reasons.
1) I was the target of an attempted car jacking years ago, so I know first hand how quickly things can go "south" on you, even with good situational awareness. (Yes, I was armed and saw them coming from their very first move, and yes, presenting my weapon stopped the BG's in their tracks...)
2) With the C-O-M lock box in the console, there's not enough room for the gun and the box, unless the gun is IN the box. The time it takes to open the console, then open the COM box (even with it already unlocked), and to retrieve the gun is too long - if it had taken me that long when my incident happened, statement 1) would have included the word "victim" rather than the word "attempted"...
Ideally, I want the gun accessible quickly to either hand, without having to significantly alter my position in the vehicle - I want to be able to keep watching whatever is making me retrieve the gun. (ie, no turning to reach behind the seat, no climbing across for the glove compartment etc.) I'm thinking maybe something like the underdash holster mounted under the steering column , but fitted with a color matched cloth "cover" to would be the best set up - quick to access, but not a something that will stand out to the casual observer looking through an open door. This would also be technically concealed, unlike an uncovered holster.
-KD
I am not a big fan of console carry, as there are multiple steps required to draw from this option, which may make a considerable difference in deploy time in an emergency.
cut me off the other day and I had to go to 100% brake. Pistol stayed right where it was. Another nice thing is that you can undo the seat belt and carry the pack around or strap it onto your belt.