First off i live in a very NFA friendly state, and one that your vehicle is considered an extension of your home.
With that said, I’ve read or heard (cant remember which) that if you leave an NFA item in your vehicle. Simply locking the vehicle is not considered legally “securing” the gun, and that it needs to be in a safe in the vehicle if you are going to park it which sounds absurd to me. Especially knowing how incredibly easy gun safes are to break into.
I can’t find ANY actual legal literature on the specific matter as to if it is a go or no go, so I’m turning to you guys??
Yes, common gun safes are easy to defeat. But one can use a layered defense, such as placement centrally within the house, strong doors, strong locks, a good alarm with glass break detectors/motion detectors/cameras, a seismic sensor on the safe. This will significantly increase the security of the contents. A car on the other hand is very easily defeated. I would never leave an SBR in my car overnight. If you will leave it in your car while out and about, at work, etc, I would recommend picking up one of the pet tracker GPS modules and install it into a pistol grip with good storage space. Make sure the batteries are changed at appropriate intervals. If your SBR walks off from your vehicle, you can immediately track it.
Anybody that leaves a gun in a car is an idiot, let alone an NFA firearm.
Do you really want to explain to the ATF what an idiotic decision that was made and your gun is stolen? You are legally bound to report a missing/stolen NFA firearm, unlike a regular firearm.
What if some low life uses it to murder somone? You can be held liable. Unlike an FFL, an individual is not immune from a civil lawsuit.
While I dont make a habit of leaving my SBR(or any gun for that matter) in my trunk for extended periods, overnight, etc… I do have it with me occasionally and have never really thought twice about it from a legal stand point. I tend to have a 16" ar with me on more occasions though since I tend to venture out of state a bit here and there and dont want to get in trouble for bringing an SBR and a can out of state without paperwork.
Why not? I travel for work in a 5hr radius of where I live. In and out of businesses all day. Travel overnight 1-2 days a week. I like having it in hand incase I have an opportunity to hit up a range after work while on the road. I know MANY people who keep a rifle in their vehicle?
Oh and an SBR is not automatically “expensive” my truck gun is less than $1100 total value, and besides if it gets stolen that’s what insurance is for.
We can’t carry an uncased long gun in this state anyway, but I see no legality differences or security requirements (Federal nor state) for storing Title II weapons as opposed to Title I. Likewise, storage requirements at home.
As to security of storage of one’s firearms, there’s a wide variety of opinions. I find that, for me, in my situation, a couple of Stack-Ons to keep the kids out meets my needs just fine.
Don’t store firearms in vehicles that will be unattended for extended periods of time, esp overnight. Storing them for shorter periods of time may not be a good idea either depending on location. It’s a cost:benefit.
Always report the theft of a firearm. They are recovered more often than you might think, though sometimes many years later. I believe NFA requires the report.
The loss of an NFA item may or may not be any greater than any other, depending on what you paid and went through to get it. Still, you’ve made effort that can’t be recovered.
For traveling with an SBR or any temporary storage, a discreet/clandestine method is the way to go such as the Eagle, Noveske, and other backpacks.
Add me to the list of people who don’t believe in leaving firearms in unattended vehicles.
If nothing else, look at the backlog in processing NFA forms and the possibility that they will get more restrictive and difficult for some people. Imagine what a pain it would be to replace any stolen NFA items.
I often travel for work as well and I also often bring my SBR with me for both ranges I might come across and defensive purposes. My suppressed SBR is carried through the most public places (think hotel lobbies, gyms, etc.) in a tennis racket bag. If I am going into a restaurant, I try to park and sit where I can see the car. If I am leaving the hotel, I bring it with me. I always keep it in the trunk when I have to leave it in the car for a short period of time. I NEVER leave it in the car for extended periods of time, such as overnight.
As for the legal aspect of it, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be hard for the ATF to say that you acted carelessly by leaving a NFA item in a car for an extended period of time. Not only is it pretty dumb but it only takes once for a criminal to figure out that its in there and its gone. No matter how little the cost, its not worth it to me to have the trouble.
Leaving an NFA firearm in a car is idiotic in my book. If you’re comfortable with it then sure but I sure wouldn’t want to explain to the ATF why my NFA item wasn’t secured in a safe.