I think the better car-defense tool is a fixed-blade knife or similar instrument. I recently noticed one associate's solution to having a defensive tool handy in his vehicle. He tie-wrapped a very nice but inexpensive Tanto fixed-blade knife into his driver's-door pocket. Because he travels extensively by air, his vehicle spends more time in the long-term airport parking lot than in his home driveway. (And we all know how well patrolled the long-term airport lots are.)

The Pelican container (top left), Waller Security Gun Pouch (top right) and Gun Vault container (bottom right) all have either a provision for locks or come with one. All these, with firearms unloaded and ammo packed separately, should be legal almost anywhere.

Of course, a knife rather than a gun is not a new concept to be sure. I recall as a teenager that one of my friends stuck a dagger into the rear of the visor of his 1949 Packard (not a bad location now for a small, lightweight auto such as a Kel-Tec.)

For me, I've just about discarded the practice of a car or trunk gun, save for the need to disarm when going into courthouses and other no-gun zones. Then I put the gun in a locked container in my car. Otherwise, it's a couple of SureFire lights and Spyderco knives.

Come to think about this, I also have a Glock E tool and a Woodsman's Pal (a modern machete) in my vehicle as well, along with a decent-size first aid kit. You never know what you might have to deal with on a road trip.

I did carry one or two long guns with me for more than a few years when I was in law enforcement, working alone and taking extended road trips. Then I had an M1-A1 Paratrooper .30-caliber carbine and a Winchester Model 12 12-gauge shotgun with 20-inch barrel. (This was back in the day when long guns were not issue items.)

I thought much less of them after having an "ah ha!" moment on one road trip. I had driven out into the boondocks to interview a suspect, and as I pulled up short of the farmhouse to look things over, I got the feeling I should have one of the long guns up front with me. As I went to open the trunk with the ignition key (it worked both locks), I stopped and stared at the key as the thought struck me that I would be much better served by using the key to start the G-car and find a state police barracks to get some backup, which I did.

The interview was uneventful, but during the day-long drive back to the office, I decided that if I had time to get a gun from the trunk, I would leave if at all possible. I continued to take them with me, but I did so knowing that they were more a mental comfort than a practical tool.

Now long gone from law enforcement and any investigations, it takes something along the lines of Y2K to get me packing a trunk gun, my cell phone being much more important. By the way, here in Pennsylvania, as I read the state game laws, it's illegal to have a loaded long gun in a vehicle, and a carry permit does not negate this. Besides, given the time it takes to get out the gun, there's more than enough time to load up.

In closing, I also recognize that some states only permit open carry of a loaded handgun in a vehicle, which to me is the same as hanging a "steal me" sign on it. Here, a locked gun container with the gun also carried in an easy-on/easy-off paddle holster would be good, because while you're handling the gun under cramped and hurried circumstances, it's pretty well contained in a good holster, cutting down the chances of a negligent discharge. Here, the argument for using an inexpensive gun makes sense.