You need to secure it. Get a console vault. It only takes half of the console space.

I wouldn’t trust a gun magnet, because it doesn’t cover the trigger.

 

Yep. I have to do all I can to not blow my lid when I take vehicle B&E reports where firearms are stolen. What's even worse is that many of them leave their cars unlocked. Absolutely infuriates me because those are the ones that kill folks. I'm going to assume the OP isn't looking to leave his gun in the car when he's not in it, but you're more likely to risk it when you have a "secret" hiding spot.

 

The goal is to secure it or have it at the ready? The center console accomplishes neither. Carry it on you while driving. Even those mounts under the steering wheel can cause issues if you want to get at it in a hurry. You could combine one of those mounts with a backup firearm on your person though.

 

Exactly. "Oh, it'll be OK, I'm just running into the store for a minute"... and you return to find glass on the ground and your weapon and other valuables gone. Which, of course, is a double fail - you weren't properly armed while running your errand, *and* you left a weapon in an easily theivable spot.

I'd have a hard time living with myself if one of my weapons got stolen (well, when I had them, before that tragic boating accident 🤷‍♂️) and was used to hurt an innocent.

 

You lost yours in a boating accident too? Us former gun owners really need to stay off the water!!!

 

It's pretty easy to draw from an ankle holster while driving.

 

Not sure what the goal is, but if you are set on driving with your pistol unholstered, I think one of those magnets may be your best bet. When I used to carry at 4 o'clock, I had a holster that mounted to the panel below the steering column. I could never get comfortable driving with my pistol holstered at 4 o'clock, but now I carry in an appendix rig and it is both accessible and comfortable to drive with on my body. Keeping your pistol holstered on your body is always going to be best. There is some inherent risk with unholstering and reholstering every time you enter and exit your vehicle and the minor inconvenience will more than likely cause you to leave it in your truck every now and again when you feel like you're just running in somewhere real quick.

 

I've had a CC permit for decades, but only once I actually carried it on my body, when a lot of reported incidents happened at the River Walk in SA. I've always carried it in my vehicles just in case, especially when I used to travel at night. In recent years, I even forget I have it in the truck. Had to make a U-turn at the border once, when I saw the no-gun sign, and was reminded I had the freaking gun in the truck. Geez. But having it in a vault would basically serve no purpose, as it would be unusable if you need it. And thieves would still get the vault and open it somehow in the comfort of their own shack later on. The whole purpose of having it inside the vehicle is that it's reachable if necessary. In my situation, I don't drive much, my truck is always garaged, and when I go somewhere with it, I park it just to get food, or in front of the bank, or similar. So extremely unlikely somebody will be there waiting for me. I think those getting their trucks broken into have a pattern, either leaving truck outside, always parking at the same place (work place), or maybe in a crowded mall parking lot in the holiday season, where something is going to be stored inside. Otherwise, I doubt thieves are that stupid just to break into a truck without seeing anything inside, just to see if they get lucky. But maybe I'm wrong.

 

I put my holstered gun in the slot on the console when I get in and take it with me when I get out. It doesn't stay in the truck when I'm not in it. If I'm traveling, I'll slip it in the slot at the bottom of the door but still NEVER leave it in the truck.

 

My compact 9 fits just fine in the pocket that runs along the outside of the center console right at my right knee. Take it out and holster it whenever I leave the vehicle. Easy to reach if I need it. I put a small towel in there to keep it from banging around.