Carrying your gun in your car is sometimes necessary and can be a smart thing to do in terms of safety. However, to safely carry your gun when you’re driving or to leave it in your car if you’re shopping or going somewhere, you need someplace secure to store it like a vehicle gun safe. An under-seat gun safe is your best option for keeping your gun safe, secure, and out of sight when it’s in your car.
Why Do You Need a Gun Safe?
Practicing smart gun safety and being responsible with your firearm is the primary responsibility of any gun owner. It’s just as important to keep your gun safe when you’re outside your home as it is in your home. This means to be responsible with your gun you need something to keep it secure in your vehicle under your car seat. Using an under-seat gun safe for your concealed firearms is an essential part of safe gun ownership.
You don’t want anyone knowing you have a concealed weapon with you unless they need to know. The point of concealed carry is to deter people when need be, but otherwise, your gun can stay safely stored away on your person or in your vehicle. To do this, you need to have a system in place for storing your gun. These under the seat gun safes prevent people from seeing your gun and deter criminals from breaking into your vehicle to gain access to your gun.
Buying an Under the Seat Gun Safe
There are several things you should consider when shopping for a car gun safe. There are plenty of options out there and you want to make sure you are getting the right one to suit your needs.
What should you consider when shopping for a car gun safe?
Size of the Safe
Obviously, if you’re keeping your gun safe in your vehicle and specifically want it to fit under your seat, you need to make sure it’s small enough. Portable safes are typically small enough to slide under the seat, but you shouldn’t assume that this is always the case. Take stock of the space you’ll be storing your gun and check your safe before making the purchase. Small gun safes can typically be stored in your vehicle, but you want to make sure it’s big enough for the gun and small enough to go under the seat.
Materials Used to Make the Safe
You’ll also want to consider how the safe is constructed and what materials were used to make the safe. You want it to be strong—strong enough to keep people who don’t belong in the safe out of it. Most manufacturers use steel to make the outer layer of the safe, but this means the safe is going to cost more. Of course, a less expensive plastic gun safe isn’t going to do you much good if someone is able to break into it.
How the Safe Locks
A solid safe made of steel is a good idea, but you need to make sure it also has a secure lock. The locking mechanism is one of the most important features of an under the seat safe. Chances are the person trying to steal your gun is going to try to break the lock, either when they are stealing it or later, so you’ll want to make sure that the lock is impenetrable.
There are several different types of locks and some are better than others. What type of lock is best for your situation?
Biometric locks are considered one of the safest options and can be technologically advanced. They use fingerprints scanners to open. Unfortunately, they can also malfunction and create problems for safe use of a gun by the owner.
These locks can be opened quickly if you need to get to your gun fast and there’s no need to use a code or unlock it with a key. However, the locks aren’t always reliable. These safes also require batteries and if a battery runs out of power, you won’t be able to get into the safe until you replace the battery, so make sure you charge the batteries on a regular basis. Up to 20 people can program their fingerprints into a given safe.
Electronic locks are efficient and have improved a great deal over the years, which is making them more and more popular with gun owners. These locks are user-friendly and there’s no need to worry about keys to get the safe unlocked. The downside is you’ll need to remember the number code—something that might be a challenge if you’re facing an emergency. Not to mention you’ll need to get your fingers working well enough to punch in the code. These locks are also battery operated, so you’ll need to make sure there are fresh or charged batteries at all times.
Key locks are a traditional type of lockbox and require a key to open. This means they are reliable, but it also means you need to have the key and be able to use it quickly if you’re faced with an emergency. This can be tough if there’s danger or someone is trying to prevent you from opening the gun safe. Of course, you never need to worry about running out of power or needing to charge batteries when you’re using a traditional key lock.
Padlocks are a popular choice with many safes. They are simple and difficult to penetrate if you aren’t supposed to be unlocking the safe, but you’ll need to be able to focus enough to operate the lock and remember the code when faced with a high-pressure situation. Despite their reliability, many people just aren’t comfortable worrying about getting into their under seat safe when they need to access their gun quickly.
The final style of lock, the mechanical combination lock, is one that can keep your gun secure in your vehicle. The locks are sturdy and reliable, but again, you’ll need to remember a code. And considering a simple three digit lock can have up to 1000 possible codes, you’re going to be under pressure to get it right if you need your gun fast. On the other hand, it would take a burglar forever to guess the code and that’s unlikely to happen in the limited time they’d have to break into the safe.
Our Choices for the Best Under the Seat Gun Safes for Your Car
There are plenty of great options out there, but we’ve narrowed down the choices to a few of our favorites. Here’s our list:
The GunBox
The GunBox is a biometric safe that’s a favorite of many gun and concealed carry owners. It’s large enough to fit most handgun models but small enough to keep under your seat or in your bedside table. You’ll need to purchase an adapter separately if you plan to keep this safe in your vehicle, but it’s well worth it because this is one of the best gun safes on the market. There’s also an adapter that makes it possible to charge the safe’s batteries in the cars, so you never need to worry about running out of a charge. Biometric safes make it possible to access your gun with your fingerprint, locking out anyone who hasn’t had their print programmed into the safe. There’s also an RFID bracelet or ring that can be used to open the safe.
SentrySafe Biometric Quick Access Pistol Safe
This is another biometric safe that we like. Again, a favorite of many, this safe has been around for some time and has had time to build a strong reputation with concealed carry permit holders. It originally had a few bugs, but most have been worked out and the safe works relatively flawlessly now. This is a durable safe that’s a good size, but still small enough to fit under the seat of most vehicle models.
The GunVault MV500-STD Microvault Pistol Safe
GunVault’sMicrovault safe is great if you want a durable, sturdy safe that isn’t as expensive as some of the other options out there.
The safe is accessed by using a number code that you program for more than 12 million potential codes. This makes it one of the safer options in terms of having your gun stolen, but you’ll need to feel confident entering the code if you’re under pressure and facing danger.
This is a great “first safe,” meaning if you are just beginning to concealed carry your weapon and you aren’t sure if you’ll continue to do so, you can start with a safe like this. It’s also a good option if you plan to carry your gun with you on a road trip or for a temporary period of time, but you have no intention of carrying your gun in your vehicle everywhere you go.
GunVault has a good reputation for building reliable safes and this one is no exception. It’s a great safe for anyone, but especially for those who want a budget-friendly option that lacks some of the technology and bells and whistles found on the biometric safes.
GunVault’s Nano Vault with Key Lock
Here’s another safe from GunVault that impressed us. This is a basic version of GunVault’s other under the seat safe. It’s basic and utilizes a key lock to secure the weapon. And while this isn’t the preferred method for many gun owners, the bottom line is this safe works, it’s affordable, and it will keep your gun safe. It’s just not going to provide the easiest access if you’re facing an emergency and need to get to your gun quickly.
The bottom line? Most of the reviews on this gun safe are good because people are judging it by everyday use. When you have a minute or two to use a key to access your gun, it’s not going to pose a problem and the safe will be durable and secure. But if you’re unlucky enough to be someone who needs to access his or her gun in a hurry, you might change your tune about this safe.
The Club LB200 Personal Vault Security Lock Box
This is our second favorite budget-friendly option. It does a pretty good job of keeping your gun safe and will work as long as you aren’t concerned about immediate access. This safe comes from the same company that manufactures The Club vehicle security device that was wildly popular in the 1990s. And like The Club is a good enough option to keep things safe, but it’s not going to be considered by anyone to be a top of the line security option. Think of it this way: you probably wouldn’t have put The Club on a Porsche and the same is true for your gun. It’ll serve as a deterrent, but if you’re willing to spend the money on better security there are definitely better options available.
So, what should you do if you’re in the market for an under the seat gun safe for your car this year? Take your time and make a choice that seems right for you. You’ll want to do some measuring and figure out how much space you have under your car seat. It’s also a good idea to consider a few basic safety issues and make sure that any safe you purchase meets the minimum safety requirements for storing your gun safely. You can always review safe gun storage if need be.
There are plenty of gun safes out there and it might take a bit of trial and error to find one that works for your vehicle. And there’s always a chance you’ll need to upgrade or make changes if you buy a new vehicle or invest in a different firearm. The important thing is to do some research, figure out the worst case scenario you’d need to access your gun, and then shop for a safe that helps you meet these needs and use your gun safe to protect your firearm from non-permitted access.