Weapons on-hand? Trunk Mounts?

[CrazyIvan]

A lot of us take pride in having a CCW permit and having that handgun on us available to defend ourselves.

But, has anyone considered a SHTF scenario going down while your not at home? I doubt your handgun with between 7 and 20 rounds and short range is going to have much effect in this situation.

I've been looking at trunk-mounts that I can put in my car trunk which will hold my M4-style rifle and thinking about keeping an ample amount of ammo in the trunk.

this would at least afford me the firepower to confidently make my way home, or some other nearby location.

Just as a reference, I work in the suburbs opposite a heavily populated urban area from where I live. I live on the opposite edge of that heavily populated urban area. So if I am at work and something goes down, I want to be able to make it home safely. It is a 16-mile trek if I need to do it on foot (though I'd probably grab a bike from a local store to do that) or in the vehicle. I have a CCW and carry a P3-AT with 6+1 rounds as well as an extra mag. That gives me 13 rounds. Now there are places along the way I could get additional ammo, but why take that chance when I could make my way directly home?

So, anyway...has anyone who lives in the city thought about carrying their rifle in their vehicle, mounted or otherwise, for easy access always wherever they may be?

Here are a few products I was looking at:

SIRENNET.COM - Tufloc Trunk Mount Gun Rack

Universal Trunk Mount AR-15 Rack - VP218 : Galls

[damage855]

The problem with that say something does happen and you are running home with you backpack and rifle what are the people in the nieghborhood and police gonna think? I would opt for a mor low profile aproach. have a take down rifle in your bag or some other way to look less menacing. running around with a rifle just after SHTF could get you shot. just my 2cents.

[CrazyIvan]

Well I would probably wait until dark to do it if i had to go on foot. But your comment is certainly worth thinking about. Perhaps have a bag to carry the rifle in if you need to go on foot? Heck, could even affix a piece of clothing around it with an access hole to the handle.

[andrew cochran]

If you don't mind it being a .22 Get a Henry Survival rifle, and put it in your back pack.

[damage855]

In that situation I think you would be better with a good pistol and plenty of mags/ammo. it is an urban area so long shots wont be neccasary and you will be trying to get home as quick as possible. but if you still fell you need/want a long gun just keep my other post in mind and try to blend in a little and not look like a crazed man with a gun that will at the least get the police called on you.

[mos19k]

We use the term SHTF rather freely, myself included, it covers such a broad scope of possible scenarios. Katrina was a SHTF scenario, so is a national EMP attack. Both of these fall under SHTF but would have a different effect both on our reaction and to the reaction from authority. If we're talking about a localized SHTF, then police and the general infrastructure of society would still be intact. If this is the case then you sure wouldn't want to be caught running around with a rifle playing urban Rambo. On the other hand if we're looking at a national or world catastrophe, most likely the entire governmental structure has collapsed and total chaos may be about to hit the streets. Here I would agree, I would want more firepower to help get me to my destination.

The problem lies with how do you know? How in the heat of the moment will you be able to tell the difference between a local and a global catastrophe? In some cases you won't be able to. It's like being in a forest fire, you can't tell if the entire forest is burning or just the trees around you. So how do you prepare for the just in case possibility of the worse case scenario? To me the answer is to not be a target, don't be seen. If you have to carry a rifle carry it in something non threatening like a guitar case.

[CrazyIvan]

I guess I am just siding with the idea better to be prepared than not...

[SwedeSteve]

^+1! My weapon of choice used to be a SKS for my truck. It is now an AK pistol with a 75 rd drum in a backpack.

[GlockMeister]

What happens if your vehicles were to ever get stolen with that M4 style rifle in there. Then it gets used to kill someone? Or if you were to have that M4 style weapon in there and you get into an accident. The cops find it and you're in possibly in trouble? Not sure on that one, or, your vehicle gets towed and the tow truck driver finds a nice little M4 style present in the trunk. Guarantee you he'll be saying, OOOOOOOOO, Christmas all over again! lol

You might do better to find a storage place near where you work that you could get to in a moments notice? Maybe a small one. no need for a garage sized one. Not sure if there is such a devil, but better then in your trunk.

[mos19k]

Originally Posted by GlockMeister

What happens if your vehicles were to ever get stolen with that M4 style rifle in there. Then it gets used to kill someone? Or if you were to have that M4 style weapon in there and you get into an accident. The cops find it and you're in possibly in trouble? Not sure on that one, or, your vehicle gets towed and the tow truck driver finds a nice little M4 style present in the trunk. Guarantee you he'll be saying, OOOOOOOOO, Christmas all over again! lol

You might do better to find a storage place near where you work that you could get to in a moments notice? Maybe a small one. no need for a garage sized one. Not sure if there is such a devil, but better then in your trunk.

I can only speak for my state, in Florida it's perfectly legal to carry a weapon in your trunk, of course the weapon itself must be legal. As to the weapon being stolen, yes this is a possibility but then are you saying you don't keep a BOB in your car for the same reason? No plan is perfect or fool proof, no matter how you decide to approach it, it will have flaws. Keeping your supplies at a nearby storage is feasible but in a true emergency will you have time to go there? In my case having something in my car isn't a problem, I know it's safe. Where you work perhaps it is a higher risk. I wish their was a simple blanket answer but everyone's situation is different and they must evaluate the risk.

[CrazyIvan]

These are all good thoughts. In Colorado, you can carry a rifle anywhere in your car, concealed or not, loaded magazine inserted, but no round in the chamber if you want to.

Luckily, the my life and industry I work in affords me the ability to park generally in locations which are secure. My apt. complex has a gated parking lot, the company I work for is in an office on the 3rd floor overlooking the parking lot, which is not in the path of many people as it is a dead end from the road, and I rarely go anywhere where my car may be towed.

At the most, I may just buy a $550 AK, take the chance of it being stolen, remove the firing pin but keep it with me and just hope for the best.

[SwedeSteve]

If you are worried about having your car stolen, then walk! I mean there is a certain level of risk associated with every day life. I take my backpack with me, I don't leave it in the truck all the time. Here in Alaska, we have very few gun laws. There are a lot more people with guns than without. If you drive a vehicle with a locking trunk, then it makes more sense to stow it there. If you are going to be away from your vehicle, remove the bolt and take it with you. Or with an AK variant, remove the operating rod.