Securing your gun in your vehicle: Amazon Basics Portable Security Case XL with Combination Lock

It seems that hardly a week or two goes by that you don't see or hear news of a gun getting stolen from a vehicle. More often than not, the vehicle was unlocked and the gun was just sitting under a seat, in a center console, or a glove box.

This is not the way to store a gun safely in a vehicle.

While I believe the most secure way to carry a gun for personal protection is concealed and secured on your person in a quality holster, there are times a firearm has to be left in a vehicle and many folks go places throughout their daily activities where guns are prohibited. 

In Ohio, a person with a concealed handgun license can store their loaded handgun in their vehicle at their place of employment and other places they are legally allowed to be as long as "the firearm and ammunition is locked within the trunk, glove box or other enclosed compartment or container within the vehicle".

A full-size pistol with 35 rounds of fun fits easily in the XL model.

While the gals and I have a number of devices and "safes" to secure our guns in which I posted about eight years ago... many folks can't afford a $100-plus gun safe box or $300-plus custom-fit console vault. I purchased an Amazon Basics Portable Security Case XL with Combination Lock about six months ago to try out as an inexpensive way - 20 bucks - to secure a gun in a vehicle.

The Amazon Portable Security case comes in three sizes, with this one being the XL. It easily holds a full-size pistol and spare magazine. I would say that those with red-dot optics on their pistols might need the XXL version.

The stamped steel construction with flat-black powder coat finish seems to be very sturdy for what it is. Now, if I or a thief had ten to fifteen minutes of time with a hammer, medium to large screw drivers, or a small pry bar - yes, I think you could get this security box open. Would a thief doing a quick grab of items in your vehicle be able to pull it open with their bare hands or break or cut the security cable in a couple of minutes - no, I don't believe so. Will a child without the combination get into it easily, no.

No, that's not our combination.

Interestingly, the lock face and knob are plastic and look identical to several other brands of security boxes I've seen in gun stores and big box stores.  So far the lock and knob have held up well through almost daily use for the past six months. The combination lock is easy to reset to the combination of your choice and is easy to manipulate.

Using the security cable is necessary to deter the "quick-gab" thief.

The included security cable is probably far stronger than the security box itself. It has a fixed loop on one end and that allows you to secure it around something in your vehicle like the seat posts so the the quick-grab thief can't run off with it.

It may fit in your glove box or console, but still use the security cable.

I found that in our one vehicle, it fits in the glove box and I can secure the cable to a bolt behind the dashboard. I've tried several locations in our vehicles and the cable is long enough that I can access the security box while it is tethered to the vehicle and inconspicuously secure my handgun without leaving my vehicle.

Everyone should use extra caution whenever they are holstering and un-holstering their gun in their vehicle, but the reality for many is that we can't legally carry our loaded firearms everywhere we go, so securing our gun in our vehicles is a necessity... and as our friend Greg Ellifritz says, "LOCK YOU DAMN DOORS!"

Yes, there are many better... and more expensive... solutions out there. On the other hand, if your budget is tight and you want something that does a decent job of deterring unauthorized persons, especially children and quick-grab thieves, from getting guns stored in your vehicles... you might consider... Securing your gun in your vehicle: Amazon Basics Portable Security Case XL with Combination Lock.