Is A Car Holster A Good Idea?

Is A Car Holster A Good Idea? It Can Be If You Use It Right

Car holsters can be controversial, as they can enable poor choices if not used correctly.

A responsible gun owner does everything in their power to ensure that they are using and carrying firearms safely; a person who does not should not have loaded guns in public.

So let's talk about the proper use of a car holster.

A Car Holster Isn't A Car Safe

If you're going to leave a loaded gun in your vehicle, it needs to be in a car safe. Not the glove box, not the center compartment, in a dedicated car safe.

Leaving guns in cars arms criminals.

The Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey revealed that approximately 1.4 million firearms were stolen during household burglaries and other property crimes between 2005 - 2010. An overwhelming number of these stolen firearms are believed to have been swiped from unattended vehicles.

This also applies to the "truck gun" trope. Leaving an SBR or PCC or whatever in your vehicle is a recipe for getting your car broken into so that a person who should not have any guns now has an SBR, PCC or whatever it is. Loaded guns should not be left in vehicles, period, unless you have a dedicated safe that's hard-mounted to the car body to keep them secure.

A Car Holster Should Only Be Used While You're Driving

The best way to use a car holster if you feel you need to is to holster your pistol while you're driving. In that instance, you are in the car and are therefore the person in control of it.

Before you leave the vehicle, either put the gun in a car safe or in a holster that's on your person.

If you know you're going to be making a lot of stops, consider leaving the gun in the holster on your body. Every time you touch a loaded gun with administrative handling, there is a remote chance of an accidental discharge. It may be remote and you may be very safe and experienced, but it's not 0.

Excessive administrative handling of guns can lead to accidents. Hundreds of accidental gunshots - including fatal ones - occur every year during administrative handling. Police officers have shot fellow officers in police stations due to handling errors, and people have shot siblings and spouses that way. Ergo, unless you know that you're not going to need to touch your gun for a while, consider keeping your gun in a concealed carry holster on you instead of getting it in and out of a car holster.

Car holsters can get a bad rap, and mostly due to people who don't necessarily use them the best way. They can be a great accessory, but like anything else have to be used with care.