locking up the gun

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:56 pm

As many of you know, I teach in a Houston area middle school. Since I can't have my gun on my body (and under my control) during the school day, I plan on leaving it in my vehicle. Although it is highly unlikely that a student will break into my car (hasn't happened to anyone in my six years there), I don't care to take the chance. I bought a cable lock a few days ago. I attach the gun to the metal parts of the underside of my seat with the cable lock. Although this lessens the chance that the criminally-minded will get my gun away from my vehicle, it poses a rather inconvenient problem for me.
In order to get my gun back on my hip, I have to go through the following steps:
1) unlock and open back passenger door.
2) reach under seat, make sure gun is pointed in a safe direction and that the cable is BEHIND the trigger.
3) unlock (via combination) the cable.
4) put gun underneath a blanket/towel or in my lunch kit without anyone noticing.
5) get in front seat of car with doors locked.
6) transfer gun to hip without anyone noticing.

Fortunately, the teacher parking lot isn't a hang-out spot. However, there have got to be better ways to do this. I drive a Nissan Sentra, so a mounted safe isn't wise, unless its put in the trunk (and then I don't know where I would mount it). I don't want an exposed safe, as I think it produces a "forbidden fruit" mentality in the adolescent.

Post by **Crossfire** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:31 pm

Venus -
Which Houston area district are you in? My daughter is a middle school teacher in Waller ISD.

Cosmo 9 · Post by **Cosmo 9** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:31 pm

Venus, although I don't have a solution for your problem I don't think anything in the trigger housing is a good idea. What if you can't get the lock open for some reason and have to drive home with a loaded gun sliding around and a cable on the trigger. I'm not flaming it's just the first thing I thought of.

bauerdj · Post by **bauerdj** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:36 pm

Also not flaming but I would unload the gun before I left it in the car.

Dave B.

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:38 pm

lwatson, I'm not going to say where I teach. (Don't take it the wrong way.)
But I'm not anywhere close to Waller.
You folks have made some good points.
Any recommendations?
Unloading/reloading requires more steps, as I keep a round in the chamber. (I do keep the gun on safety.)

Post by **Crossfire** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:12 pm

Sorry, Venus, didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.

Is there a way to lock your gun in the glove box? Something you could screw a cable to in there? Seems like that might offer quicker access than the back seat.

jbirds1210 · Post by **jbirds1210** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:25 pm

http://www.center-of-mass.com/

Lock this box to the rail of your seat and slide it under......very simple and discreet. The cable is easiy removed and the box can be used to check your gun in luggage or to store it in a relatives house that might give childrent access to your firearm. My wife and I each have one of these boxes in our vehicle (keyed alike) and they are worth their weight in gold. Good luck.
Jason

txinvestigator · Post by **txinvestigator** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:09 am

bauerdj wrote:Also not flaming but I would unload the gun before I left it in the car.

Dave B.

How come? What would you do with the ammo?

cyphur · Post by **cyphur** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:42 am

I'm facing a similar issue Venus, I work for higher education myself(network admin though) and need to lock it up during the day.

I'll probably go with a center of mass lock box, or if I can be sure that a console safe would work, I may go with that instead, as there is no need to do anything but lift the console up and disarm, and it also serves as a safe spot to keep a gun on long trips.

Paladin · Post by **Paladin** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 10:57 am

jbirds1210 wrote:http://www.center-of-mass.com/

Lock this box to the rail of your seat and slide it under......very simple and discreet.

+1

Cosmo 9 · Post by **Cosmo 9** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:32 pm

Thanks for the link Jason. I'm waiting for 2nd car to get home to see what sizes to get. You can't beat the price.

barres · Post by **barres** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:33 pm

Sunshade for the windshield and those suction-cup side window shades will make it less likely that someone could see what was going on in the vehicle. That might even make it possible/feasible to set the firearm on the front seat instead of carrying it around wrapped in a towel or whatever.

There is a clamshell-like gun lock called the lifejacket that you could put your gun into and then lock the whole thing in the glove compartment. Lifejacket locks. I've heard of people bolting these to the frame of the vehicle in the trunk. Maybe it could be done in the glove box, too?

I know my car (a Hyundai Elantra) does not have enough room for an under-seat lockbox that would be accessable while seated in the car. I doubt your Sentra is much, if any, bigger. Good luck finding the best way for you to carry concealed.

And thanks for being a teacher. We need more people who, like you, are dedicated to helping the next generations.

kw5kw · Post by **kw5kw** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:48 pm

Mrs Pax,

What make/model of vehicle do you drive?

Do you have any "hidden" spots under a rear seat as my Avalanche has or the Impala has?

Russ

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:40 pm

You folks have given me some good advice already. I drive a Nissan Sentra, so the boxes that you slide under the seat won't work for me. I can't get much under those seats. (I do find pens and quarters every so often.)
That lifejacket looks promising. I think I might take one of my rattier looking lunchkits, put my gun in there & lock it in the trunk until I get a good solution.
If you think of more, please post!

kw5kw · Post by **kw5kw** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:58 am

Check out this link...
http://www.chevrolet.com/pop/impala/200 ... old_en.jsp

Pay close attention to the first seat flip, nice storage compartment.

Use the "stock" cable lock that comes with the Glock's and the XD's (and others) and just lock it to the seat frame, and then flip the seat back up into "normal" position and you're home free.

My new '07 IMPALA LTZ has just arrived (I watched it get unloaded off hte convoy truck (I also work at the dealership.).). Ordered 6/14/06 and got here 8/15/06. Now all they have to do is to clean it up, inspect it, and fill it with gas.

All I gotta do is come up with the down payment ...

Russ