Carrying Firearms in a Vehicle

Here's another important video from the Personal Defense Network. for carrying a firearm when we know we're gonna be spending a lot of time inside of the vehicle, maybe very different from when we're expecting to be outside of that vehicle in our workplace or in some other public environment. For example, I quite often like to carry with a pocket holster. Carrying this J-Frame revolver inside of a pocket holster is really convenient and relatively fast in terms of drawing when I'm in a standing position from this holster which is designed to stay inside the pocket, when I pull the firearm out. However if I were seated inside of a car with a seatbelt on you can imagine how difficult it might be to get under that seatbelt, around the seatbelt, down into my pocket and snake this firearm out of this pocket holster under those kinds of circumstances, of course in a dynamic critical incident when I really need it, it's not the way I wanna go. So let's look at a couple of other considerations when it comes to carrying a firearm inside of a vehicle. Our standard five o'clock carry position either inside the waistband or in this leather holster or outside of the waistband in this location obviously isn't gonna be perfect either while it's a great place for concealment if we're wearing a jacket or even an untucked shirt it keeps the firearm close to the body. It's one of the reasons this is one of the most popular ways to carry any firearm outside of a vehicle. When we think about being inside the vehicle again we've got the seatbelt, we've got bucket seats, we've got our body weight pressing down on the gun. Not only is this going to be uncomfortable it's also gonna be pretty cumbersome, pretty slow to present the firearm from. So while a perfect carry situation for most people standing and moving around in the environment, if we know we're gonna be on that long road trip we know we're gonna be seated inside the car for a long period of time. Probably not the most comfortable and definitely not the fastest, smoothest, presentation option that we might have. One of the first specific vehicle carry techniques we wanna look at is cross draw. Now while this holster may look exactly like the other holster in terms of it being a thumb break holster, of course this is nylon instead of leather. We notice that it has a paddle attachment. Paddle attachment is great 'cause we can take it on and off as we get in and out of the vehicle. This could be a dedicated rig that we use only while we're gonna be seated for an extended period of time. And of course, this could work very well in another seated position, not just in the vehicle. But one of the nice things about this is it actually puts the firearm in a much more comfortable position. If I were gonna be sitting down driving all day I've got my seatbelt on behind the firearm. Obviously nothing is gonna get in the way of me reaching to this firearm and being able to draw it smoothly while in a seated position. Now, there are a lot of disadvantages to the cross draw situation. When we're talking about moving around in public no matter how far over we put it it still tends to poke out from the body quite a bit. It's harder to conceal. It makes it very easy for someone coming at us and grabbing us accidentally or on purpose getting their hands on the firearm being able to use it against us. So there's some reasons why cross draw Isn't very popular. Isn't very common in terms of everyday carry but there are some other reasons why it makes a great presentation option from inside of a vehicle. So again, seated cross draw may be a great option. Particularly inside of that car when you're gonna be there for an extended period of time. Another method of carry that has gone back and forth in terms of popularity is the shoulder holster. And again, shoulder holster is a great option for when you're inside of a vehicle. Obviously it's not gonna be interfered within any way by the actual seatbelt. When we have the shoulder holster on all of the weight is supported on our upper body. And depending on your seat shape the size of your body the type of car you're in you may or may not feel any pressure in here from the seat, actually pushing the firearm up. You can adjust the straps put it into a lot of different positions. Of course you've got your spare magazine, maybe a flashlight something like that on the opposite side. And naturally you'd wanna wear some type of concealment garment over this situation. When you are seated inside of a car. Presentation is gonna be very easy, very straightforward. Again, the seatbelt won't interfere if you're still inside the vehicle. If your seatbelt's coming off and you're getting out of the vehicle again this is very convenient, very efficient for any type of seated position, extended seated type situation you're gonna be in. When we're sitting inside of a car, the shoulder holster is certainly one option that we wanna seriously consider. Another option that we might wanna look at is the Fanny pack. Or any type of off body carry. While a Fanny pack is great in that we can start the day leaving our home with the Fanny pack, actually on our person. When we get into the vehicle, if we feel like the seatbelt's gonna get in the way if we're going to be seated for an extended period of time if it's uncomfortable to wear the Fanny pack in a seated position, we can simply take it off and place it in the seat next to us. Now that may be controversial for some people. Some people may not like the idea of having the firearm off their body out of their control. Of course, we've heard situations inside of law enforcement or even personal defense situations where that loose firearm inside the car. When you come to the screeching halt, when someone bumps into your car, during a moment of excitement, falls to the floorboards and is hard to find hard to get ahold of. But with the Fanny pack we could also use these straps to secure this package completely to the seat next to us. Now it's in a known place. It's in a fixed spot. We know we can reach over and open that Fanny pack up, revealing our firearm inside deploy the firearm while we're seated in the seat next to us. Of course, we could just wear the Fanny pack in a standard position here. Again, left-handed presentation is the way this one happens to be set up. We need to keep in mind that left-handers are actually gonna have an easier time in some cases, inside of a vehicle, if they are gonna be carrying on their strong side where they normally would carry over here because they don't have to worry as much about the seatbelt. So this is one time when you're gonna have an advantage. Of course, someone attacking you from the driver's side that's gonna be a very awkward presentation style. Some people have discussed the idea of practicing an offhand draw, being able to practice drawing and presenting a firearm with both hands from inside of a vehicle. And as always, my recommendation is if you can't handle the firearm very well with your off hand, try to use your strong hand whenever possible. And learn how to manipulate those angles. Extreme close quarters shooting is an important consideration when you're inside of a vehicle. Drawing and presenting from something like a Fanny pack right-handed left-handed on your body is going to be a close quarter situation. When we start talking about off body carry whether it's inside of this Fanny pack, or maybe inside of a portfolio that has a dedicated holster area a briefcase where you've mounted a holster or just a pocket inside of a briefcase it holds your firearm, protects the trigger guard, whatever it is you've decided to do in this passenger compartment, think about how you're going to deploy the firearm. Now probably the best way to manage off body carry inside of a vehicle is to have a holster actually mounted inside of your vehicle. To have it mounted to a secure, hard point on the console under the dash, maybe the center console, maybe even the side or underneath of your seat is a great way to carry a firearm in a secure way. Where you know the firearms always going to be there regardless of the circumstances in which you have to present it. An accident coming to a fast stop maybe starting to move and get to a secure place. But when you can get that firearm into your hand just in case you get trapped under those circumstances having a holster hard mounted inside your vehicle is gonna be a great option and a great way to go. This kit here is actually available from Blackhawk is a disc that can be mounted securely to that dash. We simply go through any of these holes into a screwed on position into the vehicle. Again, maybe under the dash. And when we get into the vehicle, we can take this holster which has another disc on it, which maybe was mounted on our hip underneath the concealment garment when we were out of the vehicle. We simply hit these two wings, open it up, twist, remove and with the firearm still inside we can then attach it securely into this disc, locking it in and knowing that that's not gonna go anywhere. And now the firearm will actually be mounted underneath the dash. If we have an emergency if we have a critical incident, we need our firearm. We simply reach in depress the circuit button release the firearm and come out into our ready position or get into our ready position, or get into a shooting position if we need to immediately. When we get ready to leave the vehicle, once again we open these wings, we turn, we release. We put this back onto the other disc, which is mounted to our holster Mount. Click in, and now we're secure. We can go about our business, go into our workplace go into our home, move about in a public environment. And again, go back and forth very easily. So whether we're talking about a dedicated holster mounted inside the vehicle, or this type of situation where the gun stays in the holster which is a great option, take a look at how that's gonna look. You can picture this firearm being attached to my hip moving around underneath of my concealment garment in the real world. I can open that up when I'm in my vehicle or getting into my vehicle in a secure area this is mounted inside the vehicle. Now I can come to this position where the firearm doesn't have to come out of the holster. I don't have to worry about exposing the trigger guard. Of course we know anytime the firearm comes out of the holster, that's when an accident can happen. In this situation the holster is still attached to the firearm. We simply take and attach the entire holster to this puck twist lock. And now it's secure inside of the vehicle. If I need the firearm, I can present very nicely very easily from this holster very quickly. I know exactly where it's gonna be. It's actually hard mounted inside of the car. Considerations for carrying a firearm while inside of a vehicle are really important. Especially if you spend a lot of time in a vehicle. Understanding that the best way to carry in a public environment in your workspace or in your home may not be the same as the best way to carry while you're inside your vehicle is also important. Experiment with some different ideas. Practice with your firearm dry, practice with a plastic gun, or, you know what just put your holster on, sit in your car put your seatbelt on it and imagine what it would take to get that firearm out. We know that visualization and going through the motions when you're actually training is a great way to learn a great way to experiment. And you can probably figure out very quickly whether or not the way you normally carry moving through your everyday life is a viable way to carry while you're inside of a vehicle. If it's not adjust you're carry style when you're gonna be taking those long road trips find a way that works both ways would be great. Out of the vehicle and in the vehicle. If you need dedicated situations for inside the vehicle a dedicated situation for outside the vehicle maybe that's the best way to go. When it comes to responsible firearms ownership, responsible carrying of the firearm. only you can know only you can decide what works best for you. There is no easy answer. The variety of ways that you can carry a firearm are only expanded when you add the option of keeping something inside of a vehicle or mounting it to a vehicle. Go through these different options figure out which one works best for you. Check out more videos just like this one at the Personal Defense Network.