If you don’t yet have a gun safe in your vehicle, you might want to consider getting one.

Part of responsible gun ownership is keeping your firearm out of the wrong hands.  The best way to do that outside the home is to carry it on your person.  Unfortunately, gun-free zones like schools and government buildings can be unavoidable, so occasions arise when you must leave your gun in the vehicle.  Using a lockbox ensures that you have taken reasonable caution to prevent unauthorized access to the firearm.

You may also need to cross jurisdictions where your firearm must be kept unloaded and inaccessible.  Although that doesn’t always mean “locked”, a lockbox makes it difficult for anyone to argue in court that the gun was easily accessed.  It also raises the bar on a vehicle search based on something that was “seen” since there is no way something can be seen when it’s in a locked box.

Every safe or vehicle lockbox is a compromise between security, accessibility, cost, and size.  For me, I wanted space to lock up my firearm, with a box of ammo.  Occasionally, I may also put my wallet in there (if I’m at the beach, for example).  I’ve tried a couple of different safes and prefer the SnapSafe XL which measures 10″x7″x2″.  At around $50 it provides a decent level of security and is affordable for almost everyone.  It also comes with a cable that can be used to secure it to a seat or something else that is difficult to remove.  You only need to add a padlock for the complete installation. I’ve tried a couple of solutions and find that THIS safe provides a reasonable amount of security and space while still being small enough to conceal.  For less than $50 I think it’s a great solution.  Here’s an Amazon link if you want to check it out:

XL Automobile Gun Safe

 There are some pretty good reasons to spend $50 on one of these vehicle “safes”.

1. It’s difficult to carry everything of value on your person, at all times.  Maybe you are going for a quick swim and don’t want to carry your wallet with you. Or you are just hanging around camp or a cookout and want a safe place to secure things from children.
2. If you are someone who travels with a firearm in your RV, it is your responsibility to keep it out of the reach of unauthorized hands.  Even if you have a concealed carry permit, some places require that you leave your firearm in your vehicle.  One example is the visitor center inside a National Park.  Although the parks abide by local gun laws and you may be allowed to keep your firearm with you when outside, the restaurants and lodges do NOT (in every case that I’ve come across) allow firearms, concealed or otherwise.  In such cases, you need some method to secure it from unauthorized access.
3. Safekeeping of critical medications, especially opiates (note: make sure the heat of the vehicle will not affect your medications).
4. Storing “emergency” money.  Splitting your cash and cards between a couple of locations is a good practice in case you get robbed or lose your wallet while traveling.

This safe provides a reasonable amount of space and is still small enough to conceal in the vehicle.  For under $40 it provides a very good level of security.  They also have a combination lock model if you prefer.  Just search SnapSafe on Amazon.  At the time of this writing, the SnapSafe box was rated 4.8 out of 5 by 2800 reviewers on Amazon.com.

The Amazon link above is the best price I’ve found, with free shipping.  However, you can also find these at Bass Pro Shops for about $40 as of this date.  If you are not an Amazon Prime member (free shipping) Bass Pro is a good option.  If you do use my link, it won’t cost you any extra and I will get a few cents to keep this site running.

Of course, if a thief has enough time, he can defeat any amount of security.  But for the casual smash and grab, or break-in, a burglar would have a tough time defeating this lockbox.  Unless he brought something to cut the cable (uncommon) or a set of lock picks (not something a criminal wants to be caught with), it is unlikely a thief would have time to open or steal the box.

A fair amount of personal items can be stowed inside.  As an example…

–Hank