Traveling with a weapon where to leave it?

[calex1976]

We will be driving from Mobile, AL. to Ft Lauderdale, FL. this January to go on the Freedom. This will be a 11 hour drive from late night to late in the morning. I rarely travel with out a handgun, but I am not sure what to do with it while on the cruise. We will be leaving the car at a hotel and not to thrilled about leaving it in my car and I doubt they will have a safe to keep it in at the hotel. Before any one goes on a anti-gun rant please understand I this is a legal handgun, I am licensed in Alabama as well as Florida, and I am very experienced with guns.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I was wondering about the Amtrak station lockers(still not to happy with the idea of it in a locker). Any help would be appreciated.

[LHT28]

I know nothing about guns but maybe the local police station would hold it for you

 

 

just a thought

[CruiserBruce]

How about at home. No real need to bring it.

[rvsullivan]

I always travel with two. I double lock them in the trunk. Portable gun safe in a locked trunk. Never a problem unless they steal the car. I'm with you, never leave home without them. They go everywhere with me, grocery shopping, movies, everywhere. They can't help you if you don't have them!!:D

[calex1976]

How about at home. No real need to bring it.

I prefer not to be a victim, so I carry a weapon. Too many car jackings and robberies to go defenseless.

[sail7seas]

Leave it properly secured at home.

IMO

[cherylandtk]

I know you are accustomed to carrying them, and it would be 'odd' for you to be without them. But your choices are to leave them at home for the eleven hour drive or take the chance on the double locking in the car. Either way will be uncomfortable for you, but you just have to decide which is the least uncomfortable in your opinion.

[calex1976]

I always travel with two. I double lock them in the trunk. Portable gun safe in a locked trunk. Never a problem unless they steal the car. I'm with you, never leave home without them. They go everywhere with me, grocery shopping, movies, everywhere. They can't help you if you don't have them!!:D

 

Great idea, looks like I will be getting a trunk safe. I will feel much better about it being double locked. Could not imagine driving that far without any protection. I've needed it twice locally so road trips without it are out of the question. Thanks again.

[cb at sea]

It won't be allowed on the ship, so you will have to find another option.

[tip]

How about at home. No real need to bring it.

 

A good answer!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

A good answer!

Leave it at home....

[Langley Cruisers]

It won't be allowed on the ship, so you will have to find another option.

 

He knows that.

 

 

Great idea, looks like I will be getting a trunk safe. I will feel much better about it being double locked.

 

Sounds like your best option.

 

Have a great cruise on Freedom. :)

[PennyAgain]

I agree about one's feelings about driving unarmed when one is used to that protection.

 

Many years ago I attended a meeting with an exhibition area that included a great deal of security equipment for camera equipment. I ended up (after some weeks of thinking about it) buying a very sturdy lock up that goes inside one of our cars. Suitable for expensive camera equipment or whatever you might want to lock up.

 

It is in the car but can't be seen through a window or even by someone who can get a look inside the trunk.

 

Of course if someone takes the whole car, then the lock up is gone.

 

I never access the lock up in a public area or even in the parking area at work as I don't want anyone knowing where it is or how it works.

 

I put my purse in it when going to farm sales or any sort of shopping (I have my handy money and credit cards in a security wallet that I wear).

 

Pick a reliable company for the installation, for sure!

[helen haywood]

If a gun safe will make you feel safer then go that way, but my husband never travels without his gun and we've never had a problem simply locked away in our SUV. This is at Tampa, Miami, Port Canaveral and Ft. Lauderdale. At the pier or at park n cruise lots or hotels. You will be fine.

[calex1976]

If a gun safe will make you feel safer then go that way, but my husband never travels without his gun and we've never had a problem simply locked away in our SUV. This is at Tampa, Miami, Port Canaveral and Ft. Lauderdale. At the pier or at park n cruise lots or hotels. You will be fine.

I have been planning on getting a vault at some time anyway. So I guess I might as well get one now. I have left mine in the car a few times, but I always have the constant worry of it being stolen. To every one with helpful ideas thank you. To the others that see no reason to protect yourselves or your loved ones please do not respond to this thread.

[g-didi]

How about contacting reputable gun stores in the area and asking if they will store it for a small fee?

[greatam]

In addition to local gun shops (who will often store weapons), take a look at a reputable pawn shop. I know it sounds like a wacky idea, but any time both of us are going to be gone from our home for an extended period, we take the most valuable of our guns to the pawn shop. To get full protection from fire, theft, etc, you actually have to pawn them (take a low value so it doesn't cost you much). But some of the less valuable of the valuable, the pawn shop will merely "store" the guns for a fee. Good pawn shops have extensive security, guns safes that are built into the floors and very often, someone on duty all night.

 

For a week cruise, probably too much hassle, but we never leave our valuable guns in our house in the gun vaults if we are gone for more than a month.

[Deckhandoug]

I have a less valuable carry piece I take when we need to leave it secured in the car for long periods, it's an inexpensive snubby we are both comfortable with but won't break the bank if the vehicle gets stolen or they can find it after breaking into it.

 

Handguns are like fire extinguishers and life jackets, when one needs one, one wants one very badly.

[euro cruiser]

Or maybe a local shooting range will store it for a fee?

[PennyAgain]

I spoke with my husband about the car safe. He said that if a person is handy with tools, it might be a DIY project depending on what you drive.

 

The value of having it for us is high especially about obvious valuables but also about things that we just don't want to loose or to get into the wrong hands such as the car's paperwork.

 

An amazing amount of personal information is on that paperwork!

 

Before we made our decision, we laid out things that we might want to store with some idea of saving space for future camera purchases. We played around with the stuff for quite a while. We ended up with a container that will hold several long camera lenses, the cameras, my purse and etc and whatever else needs to be locked up. If you want to do photography and stop for a meal along the way, we feel much better about locking the car and going inside a restaurant to eat.

 

We also have a name for the lock up that is in no way an alert for anyone who might here us talking.

 

We are both glad that we have it if only to lock up my purse or spare cash.

[janetz]

I prefer not to be a victim, so I carry a weapon. Too many car jackings and robberies to go defenseless.

 

 

Not to insult, but are you a Red Neck? They never travel without their guns. ;) I have 32 relatives in Alabama and I would say 4 of them are.

[rvsullivan]

Not to insult, but are you a Red Neck? They never travel without their guns. ;) I have 32 relatives in Alabama and I would say 4 of them are.

 

I have homes in both MA and Texas, so rednecks live in MA also. Concealed carry is very easy in most of MA now too. Don't need to be a redneck to be protected.

[zacc]

I don't have my list of states that honor my Florida permit in front of me. Just wanted to remind you to check and make sure all the states you plan to drive through are covered! Assuming of course that it will be concealed.

[jebuell]

I drive a Toyota Yaris and my car has a hidden compartment where the spare tired usually goes. Inside that I've installed a safe. It's where I store valuables (I'm a photographer so I often have camera gear with me) as well as my mace nad knife when I have to leave them in the car. The compartment is easy enough to find, but the safe itself is bolted into it. It would take some time and a lot of energy to get into it once found!

 

PS- The spare tire goes on top of the compartment. I don't drive without that!

[janetz]

I have homes in both MA and Texas, so rednecks live in MA also. Concealed carry is very easy in most of MA now too. Don't need to be a redneck to be protected.

 

 

It was a joke...:p