The concept of a “truck gun” – that is a rifle or shotgun stored in one’s vehicle – is one that has really taken off in the past few years. No doubt this has been aided by the proliferation of large-format, AR pistols and similar guns that fit ever-so-well into a vehicle’s cab.

High-quality, safe, and secure storage options haven’t gotten quite as much attention as the guns themselves. This article will discuss some storage considerations and options for truck owners, including Grey Man Tactical’s RMP (Rigid MOLLE Panel), the perfect storage device for firearms and other important accessories.

Concealed Carry In Your Truck

There are a number of reasons you may adopt a “truck gun” and come up with a way to store it. If you are a law enforcement officer, you may have to carry a long gun in your vehicle. Often the storage solution is provided by your department but not always. A police officer might have an unmarked patrol car and issued rifle or personally owned shotgun but could be left to furnish their own storage solution.

Hunters are another category of firearm users, routinely transporting rifles and shotguns in their vehicles. Hunters need a way to secure their firearms between home and hunting camp, or game lands to home or wherever the hunt takes them.

Then there is the fair share of citizens who take their right to self-defense seriously and opt to have a long arm in their pickup truck. Truck guns are popular for those who desire more protection than a concealed carry handgun affords. A truck gun is also a great idea when camping, off-roading, or venturing into the wild for whatever reason.

Top Considerations for Truck Gun Storage

There are several considerations you should keep in mind when deciding how and where to stow your truck gun. Your use case will dictate which of these considerations is most important to you. For example, an LEO with a rifle in his or her car all day every day has different considerations than a hunter taking a couple shotguns out to a duck blind a few times a year. All of these considerations will probably apply to everyone carrying a gun in their vehicle to varying degrees.

Security

Regardless of who you are and what you do, security is a top consideration. We don’t want to lose our firearms, and we certainly don’t want our guns to get in the wrong hands. It would be hard to swallow the idea that your personally owned weapon was used to commit a crime.

“Security” also means secure not only from bad guys but also from unauthorized users. If you have toddlers, school-agers, or teenagers in your vehicle you should take pains to make sure they can’t get to your firearm. Same goes for adults you don’t know. Security is a consideration for all of us; considerations like these should help you determine how high security is on your priority list.

Who has access to your vehicle? Is the gun to remain in the vehicle when it is unoccupied? Where is it unoccupied (i.e. do you work downtown where vehicle break-ins are common?)? These are a few questions you should be asking yourself regarding security.

Safety

Safety is another important consideration. A firearm just tossed in a trunk or floorboard isn’t the safest solution. An unprotected trigger has the potential to be pulled by foreign objects upon hard braking, a tight turn at speed, or a passenger stepping on the gun because they don’t know it’s there. There is also the potential to pull the trigger when blindly reaching for the gun because it may have shifted while traveling. Like security, safety is another consideration that applies to every user, all the time.

Quick Access

If you are a law enforcement officer, this may be one of your top priorities. When a cop rolls out with a long gun something has gone wrong and lives are on the line. The ability to retrieve the gun quickly is pretty important.

Truck gun safes are not going to cut it for this factor. Unlike gun safes, a vehicle gun rack will keep your gun mounted in place and provide easy access when you need it most.

 Organization

A firearm storage solution should offer some organization. You don’t want your rifle piled on top of other stuff or cluttering up your already limited storage space. Your gun can get scratched, your optic can get dirty, and sights come out of adjustment. Organization also lets you know exactly where your gear is, all the time, so you can access it without having to dig around in a slide-out drawer, tool box, or storage box.

Good storage systems should also organize some other gear, too. An ideal rack should be able to hold some extra ammunition, a first aid kit, and whatever other equipment you need to support your truck gun and how you use it.

Customization

The ideal solution shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Not all guns are the same size. Carrying a traditional hunting rifle and a large-format pistol is going to require different mounting solutions. Ammunition storage for each is going to be different. Not every user needs to carry the exact same support equipment. A decent solution will take care of security, safety, quick access, & organization. A great will be customizable, too.