Best Truck Gun Holster for Your Vehicle

If you’re a concealed carry permit holder and you spend a lot of time in your truck or car, it’s a good idea to have a concealed holster for your vehicle.

A truck gun holster allows you to keep your gun with you without having to wear it—something that can be uncomfortable on longer drives. It also avoids laying your gun on the seat next to you or keeping it in the console, neither of which is ideal.

There are a few things you’ll want to look for a truck gun holster, including the ability to get to the gun when needed and the ability to keep it out of sight. The goals, as always, are safety and responsibility, and there are plenty of options on the market that help you achieve these goals.

Finding the best truck gun holster takes a little bit of work to ensure you are getting the best option for you, but first, it’s important to understand a few things about carrying while you’re in your vehicle.

Is It Legal to Carry My Gun in My Truck?

The answer to this depends on a few factors, including where you live, what type of gun it is, whether you intend to keep it loaded, and whether or not you have a concealed carry permit.

It also matters where you going—even if concealed carry is legal in your state, you’ll need to be aware of the laws if you are crossing state lines. And, keep in mind, just because you have a concealed carry permit in your state to legally carry, it might not be honored in other states. Some states offer the option of applying for a non-resident concealed carry permit. So, if you intend to spend any time where you’re headed, you might want to consider this option.

If you want to carry your gun openly you can do so in your vehicle. The federal Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA) allows you to carry a gun with you as long as you are doing so legally.

State laws, on the other hand, can make things difficult. You are required to obey the gun laws of a given state at all times. You’ll need to conduct a little research to make sure you are abiding by gun laws if you are doing any long distance traveling. It’s better to know in advance than learn the hard way, and as a responsible gun owner, you’re required to know the laws where you are when you’re carrying, even if those laws are different than your home state.

What Happens If You are Pulled Over with a Gun in Your Vehicle?

Assuming you’re carrying legally, there are a few things you can do to make a traffic stop easier if you’re carrying a gun.

Even if you aren’t breaking any laws, you’ll want to be respectful of the officer and make them as comfortable as possible. It’s easy to understand why a law enforcement officer might be concerned if you’re carrying a gun, so the more transparent you can be about the situation the better.

Your best bet is to use common sense in this situation. Follow the officer’s direction to pull over and make sure your hands are visible on the steering wheel as they approach your vehicle. Await instructions to roll down your window and turn off the engine. Do not dig through the glove compartment or do anything else in anticipation of what’s about to come. You might think you’re being helpful but you’re making matters worse.

Once the officer has greeted you, tell them you are carrying a concealed handgun. You can tell them its location and let them know what you’ll need to do to get them the paperwork they need. So, for instance, if you have the gun in your glove box, you’ll want to let them know your concealed carry weapon is in the glove box, along with your license and registration. This is one of the reasons it’s a good idea to have a gun holster for your vehicle – you won’t need to go near it unless the officer commands you to do so.

You might be asked about your concealed carry permit, which is a law in some states. Some experienced carriers tend to show it with their license and registration even if they are not asked.

Avoiding Problems by Using a Truck Gun Holster

It’s easy to understand why a concealed carry permit holder might make a law enforcement officer nervous during a traffic stop, but as long as you behave responsibly and are honest about the situation, you’ll likely be fine.

One of the best ways to avoid a problem during a traffic stop and to ensure your gun is secure but at the ready when traveling is to invest in a truck gun holster. This is an affordable way to be as safe as possible when traveling with your gun.

What are some of the best truck gun holsters on the market?

Lirisy Gun Magnet Mount | Rubber Coated Magnetic Gun Holster

Retails for about $

Peace Keeper Concealed Car Seat Quick-release Nylon Handgun Holster Small

Retails for about $

Ride Ready Car Holster

Retails for about $

General Tips for Buying a Truck Gun Holster

Now that you know why you need a truck gun holster and you’ve seen a few of your options, you can consider those options to choose the one that’s best for you.

Just as you would when buying a body holster, there are a few important things to consider. For instance:

How Much Do You Need to Spend to Get a Quality Truck Gun Holster?

There are great options available in all price ranges. You want to get something that’s good quality, but there’s no reason to overspend on anything that has “bells and whistles” you don’t need. You’re looking for something that is long-lasting, durable and does the job.

The function is your number one priority with a truck holster, but you want something that isn’t going to rip apart after a few uses. Look for something that’s durable plastic or nylon, or thicker leather. Much of what you spend will depend on the style holster you choose, but there’s no reason why you can’t find something for less than $ that will do the job.

As with anything, you’ll get what you pay for, which luckily won’t need to be that much.

Retention and Reaction

These are two of the main priorities when selecting a body holster and truck holsters are no different.

You’ll want a holster that is secure and that allows ease of access. Retention needs to be a balance of security and allowing you to access your gun with ease. After all, there’s no sense carrying it with you if you aren’t able to use it when the situation demands.

Securing your gun is important, but so is accessing it. Unfortunately, these two things sometimes work against each other, so you want to look for balance. Investing in a holster already means you’re sacrificing a bit of security for a reaction because you’re not containing our gun in the locked glove compartment.

The bottom line? You need to decide what works for you. Are you willing to make your gun harder to access in order to keep it out of the hands of a criminal? Or would you rather sacrifice a bit of security so you know you can get to the gun when needed?

There’s always some risk involved, but there’s also no reason why you can carry safely with your gun in a vehicle holster so it’s to access, but you’ll need to consider how you can make it as secure as possible.

Another consideration when it comes to retention is whether you want something that is active or passive. Passive retention must be manually engaged, which means you’ll need to push a button or move a latch to access the gun from the holster.

Only recently were active retention holsters for the body introduced to the market. Even law enforcement officers were carrying passive retention holsters. This created a number of challenges, to say the least. Now, with active systems, if your gun comes out of the holster you’ll be able to push it back and get it locked into place without pushing or pulling anything. This newer technology makes everyone safer and allows you to carry safely on your body or in your vehicle.

Another consideration that’s typically more important when wearing your gun than when carrying it in your vehicle is the holsters ability to retain the right shape. If re-holstering your gun quickly is important, you’ll want to look for a holster that holds its shape when you remove the gun. Some of them collapse—especially those made of leather or nylon, which means you might be struggling to re-holster. At the very least you’ll need to use two hands and there’s a good chance you’ll be breaking a few gun safety rules when doing so.

This might seem minor for a vehicle holster and for some people it is, but there are circumstances under which you’d need to re-holster your gun quickly and have both hands available. It’s going to happen more for body holster situations, but it’s still possible it could happen with car or truck holsters.

The main point is you’re aware of the issue. It doesn’t hurt to avoid it, even if it would never become a problem. Remember, function and safety are what you’re going for with the holster, so even if you like the look of one, you need to consider those other factors first.

Is One Brand Better than the Other?

Only on an individual basis. There are good brands out there that are well known and good brands that aren’t nearly as popular. Both can be good, but one just happens to get more attention.

And as far as one brand being better than another, it might not be so across the board. A brand could be considered the absolute best, but if it doesn’t have a product that works for you it doesn’t matter what it’s considered. You need to consider your needs and your personal preference, and not worry much about the brand name.

Now, this isn’t to say that quality doesn’t count because it absolutely does. You want a high-quality holster (that’s also a good value), but this doesn’t mean it needs to be the brand everyone else seems to be using. Some people even like to buy one holster that’s from a popular brand and another one from a lesser known brand that seems to fit their needs and compare them. There’s nothing wrong with having options and because gun holsters for vehicles are affordable, you can try out a few until you find the one that is just right for you and your gun.