OK, ok, I don't carry my gun in my glovebox. When I do carry - and it's rare nowadays - I clip the holster to the driver's side door pocket, in front of the speaker. My CCW expired last week and I have to wait another 18 mos. to renew because of a new law they passed since I last renewed, which makes me ineligible for a while longer. So I have to carry openly now, if I do carry and I probably won't.

All the other goodies I am rarely without don't fit in my glovebox, so they go in a tool bag in my trunk. They include just about every handtool you could need and sometimes I have a small floor jack in there too, brake fluid, oil, spare fan belt, spare fuses, wire ties, 101 Projects, gloves, blanket, torque wrench, you name it.

Map of the USA and few Frank, Ella and other good tapes.

Dont drive her on any mean streets in the city and out in the boondocks always out-run the idiots in pick-ups with the "3" sticker in the back window.

As for the gun thing - I really think most of the USA is more dangerous than NYC. I spend a lot of time in Bed-Sty and Harlem and never even considered carrying anything...

Calculator, owner's manual, spare red relay and assorted fuses. Pens, of course. Registration + insurance card.

And (to some dismay)

Beretta 8045 + spare mag. Hydra - shock 165's all the way through. Carried in the glove box since I usually wear clothing that doesn't allow me to conceal that easily, plus it's bulky and bangs around. It's a much neater approach than having it dangling from your belt, and it saves your slacks and seats. Also staying away from known problem areas help. WA state law makes this the best solution.

WA. concealed rules state that the firearm must be non - visible at all times, concealed weapons permit or not. If the any part of the weapon can be literally seen, it's considered brandshing a weapon. If you are pulled over and a gun is found off person but in the vehicle (glovebox) then the burden falls on the driver of the vehicle.

I tend to shy away from places that would require me to have my weapon ready as I drive. I only carry if I'm in a high risk area (ATM machine at night for instance). Otherwise, it's in the car, which is always in a secure garage w/ alarm.

Remember, if in a pinch, the only thing better than a gun is a Porsche which will do as a nice bludgeon. Remember, drive only over the guy in front.

rjp

Not like you have a choice, thanks to your "as needed" permit laws!

rjp

Rich & Joe
 

I am in Real Estate and occasionly have to go places I wouldn't want my wife to walk alone. I 2nd Richard's place. I have made a habit of putting my S&W in the map pocket. It is actually easier access than on my hip when seated. Plus new seats don't allow for the extra stuff around the belt line.
Don't carry often, sometimes feel like a tool with darn thing on. But also don't like the idea of being a helpless victim. I have my CC permit, so just like most of the owners, I am legal and contientous. Just still feels wierd sometimes.

Here in VA, the cops are pretty cool about law-abiding citizens owning guns. I got nailed for speeding in Roanoke a while back and had my .45 on the front seat. I handed the cop my permit with my driver's license and he didn't even look at it before handing it back to me and taking my license back to his car to write me a ticket. I also had a cop at my house taking a report when someone tried to break in (I wasn't home when it happened or they would have been mopping him off my floor). The cop asked me if I was "protected" and sort of made eyes when he said it. We then proceded to chat about our respective SIG's for a while. I used to always carry, but it's just a huge repsonsibility and I'm on my absolute best behavior when I have a gun around me. So I usually leave it at home and then behave like a jerk.;)

Chewing gum, sunglasses, silk square, spare tights, tissues. Leatherman tool (present from Milu).

My husband, daughter and I all have a "porto d'arme" similar to American concealed carry permit. I wouldn't dream of leaving my pistol in the glovebox as I have to use a lot of valet parking. I usually carry in a special handbag which fits comfortably in a door pocket of my Ford (replacing year end with a Mini!!!). I avoid the usual female solution of bag around gearstick or on seat. In Italy that is just asking to have it snatched while waiting at traffic lights.

Me too. I just stay away if there's an issue. It's an awful to think I'd even need this thing.

Concerning cops in Seattle and guns- around here, if you get pulled over and a gun is showing, then it's the screaming and yelling, their Glock's are out, and you're spread eagle. You're automatically a criminal. I speak from experience. You're damn lucky to live in a place that understands what it's really all about. I don't dare leave it in plain view, for fear of what I'd be accused of. Even with my CWP I still haven't figured out how to explain it in the glovebox without raising incident. I do make sure the paperwork sits ABOVE the gun, just in case I get stopped.

rjp

(yes, I think it's that bad)

edit:

also, a good link if you ever feel lazy complacent about ownership: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Snyder/cowards.html

From experience, if you are pulled over in Arizona or Texas, show your CCW permit. You are legally bound to do so if you have a weapon in your possession. 90% of the time they do not give out a ticket to a CCW holder as long as you are just going a bit over the limit...

Agree with most and its not in the glovebox when I am driving, but if I am going into a bank or city hall, we cannot "carry" there and must lock it somewhere, so the glovebox is the only option.

Isabo, I hold a "carry permit" in Germany and there are places in Europe where it felt really good to have some protection with me! We also have small cases that usually look like a organizer case that fits a PPK or .45 very nicely.

Joe

my glovebox?? all my dope, a few guns, some dynamite, 2 rubbers, and my porno. oh, and i forgot...........a stick of really old beef jerky.

In glovebox:
- registration
- maps (why do I have to carry 10+ maps just to cover the Bay Area? Oh for the $$$ to buy a Garmin StreetPilot . . . )
- owner's manual

In door pockets:
- DME relay, red round relay
- a little camera (for UFOs, solar eclipses, and fender-benders)
- my trusty Fisher "Space Pen" (when the car sinks underwater, I can write my final thoughts)
- Swiss Army knife (used to live in my briefcase, but with current airport security it had to find a new home)
- cellphone stuff (car charger and headset)

This excludes the miscellaneous small change, jetsam and flotsam that I periodically clean out.

Carrying a firearm is not a practical option for private citizens in California, AFAIK. Even if it was, I don't know if I'd carry my Glock 19. I think I'm more at risk from housewives in SUVs than from armed criminals, and I suspect the gun would prove of most use to the guy who steals it from my car. Then again, I don't have the option so it's hard to say what I'd do if I did.

registration
proof of insurance
swiss army knife
grenade launcher (for late night ATM visits)
small thermonuclear device (in case anyone looks cross at me)

I'm afraid I just don't understand the need to carry a handgun in the car. I can't believe that everyone's world is *that* unsafe. I've been in east LA, south central, and other "highly dangerous" areas even at night. Not that I felt particularly comfortable, but I never though, "oh crap, I gotta have a gun." And if I don't feel safe, I don't go there. ATM at night? Go to a grocery store or plan ahead. Confrontation? Avoid it or walk away. I guess I'm a wuss but I've never even punched anyone in 41 years...

It's really quite mind boggling...why not just admit that you like guns and don't bother rationalizing that you "need" it for safety? Maybe I'll change my mind when/if something bad happens to me or my family, but for now I'll be gun-free.

btw, fire extinguisher in rear footwell, fuses, belts and tools up front, cell phone wherever.

Are people really that scared or threatened in society that they need to have the "security" of a gun? I'm curious here about folks who carry guns for security vs. sport/target shooting. What happened in life that made you feel so vunerable? Like Todd here I have never been in a situation where I wished I was carrying a gun. I avoid areas where I am at risk and follow some common sense rules when I can't. I believe that most of my fellow citizens are not gangsters or psychos and that the odds of encountering (knock on my wood desk) someone out to harm me is remote indeed.

Do you guys REALLY all carry guns????

Completely, utterly unheard of in this part of the world and I hope it stays that way.

Glovebox: a zillion spare fuses and a DME relay. Of course a map book as well, but being a guy I never need it.

On the gun thing, I do concede to slipping a 4 0r 6 cell Maglite torch under the drivers seat where it wedges in nicely alongside the CD stacker. These are the most common, legally explainable thing to have on your person on a dark night that are still very useful defensive weapons.

No way dude. Anyone who's not comfortable having a gun, has no business having one. But for those of us who choose to arm ourselves for defensive purposes, it's not a matter of just loving guns. It's a matter of having a piece of emergency, life-saving equipment in the car. I love guns, but carrying is just too much of a PITA sometimes. Cars are a LOT more dangerous than guns and no one here is shy about having a fast car. My first rule in life to avoid trouble/confrontation at all costs. But sometimes that doesn't suffice. When my 911 left me stranded in the middle of nowhere last summer (fuel pump died), I would have been rather defenseless had some folks come along and wanted to rob me - and having a woman with me (who can't run as fast as I can) adds a whole another dimension to it. When you need a gun, there is no substitute. I just hope I never need one. I've never punched anyone either. But I did witness a fatal shooting in college. And just this past Fri. night. I walked a friend back to her car on Capitol Hill, and when we got there, her car was inside a police tape perimeter from a shooting 30 min. earlier. Obviously, the perp was not at all deterred by DC's total handgun ban.

That Mag-lite won't get you out of most playground scrapes in Oakland, California.

You don't need that until you change that smoke generator out for the new engine. No threat of carjacking until then.

Dan, I meant to add that I always carry my favorite lawyer's phone number too.;)

But seriously, I took out the glovebox and put in a ten-disk CD changer. My glovebox door lock is without the guts, so I only drive in NoVa funruns when LeSchander is there to keep it safe and secure.:p

That's a pretty bogus analogy Richard. Cars were made for transportation and are a necessary commodity in this country. Guns were made to kill things so comparing cars vs. guns = apples vs. potatoes.