Vehicle Carry: On-Body vs. Console, and How to Draw Seated
Should your carry gun stay on your body once you're behind the wheel, or is it fine to stash it in the console for a long drive? TFB's Concealed Carry Corner digs into both sides of that debate.
Snapshot
The piece weighs the case for taking your handgun off-body during drives against keeping it holstered the whole time. The author, writing as "fridgeoperator," argues that on-body carry wins out for consistency and retention, while acknowledging off-body storage has real appeal on long road trips.
Key points
- Off-body appeal: Stowing the gun between the seat or in the console avoids seatbelt snags and holster fatigue, which the author says can make sense on trips of four-plus hours.
- Retention risk: The author warns that a crash or sudden bailout can dislodge a gun left loose in the cabin, leaving you searching for it along with your keys.
- Seated draw practice: The piece recommends periodic reps practicing a seated draw, including hip rotation and leg positioning, to make on-body carry workable in the car.
- Motorcycles differ: For bikes, some riders mount holsters to fairings or handlebars or switch to a left-hand draw since the right hand works the throttle and brake, but the author flags the exposure risk of a visible gun.
- Priority on concealment: The author's overall stance, echoing Clint Smith, is that a carry gun should be comforting, not necessarily comfortable, favoring consistency over convenience.
Quick take
The underlying tactical point holds regardless of which method you pick: your gun should be secured, accessible, and under your control at all times, not loose and subject to becoming a projectile or getting lost in a crash. Whatever your setup, test the seated draw before you need it for real.
Read the full story: thefirearmblog.com