Gearhead Jim

Everyone knows that a glove box can be opened with a pry bar or big screwdriver. But what about the C6 glove box in a quick "smash and grab"? What happens if glove box is locked and the crook just pulls hard on the release tab? Does he get it open, or does the tab break off in his hand (like happens to many owners) and he needs to monkey around a bit to get the box open?

JLMounce

It's a plastic lock, it's not going to take somebody very long to get past it.

Rule of thumb, don't leave anything in your car that you don't want stolen. If they want it, they'll get it.

RO55

Gearhead Jim

And the question remains:
If the glove box is locked and someone pulls hard on the tab, does the glove box simply open at that point or does the tab break off in their hand and require a little more work to get into the box?

JLMounce

Yank on it hard enough and it'll likely brake the latch first, opening the glove box. Again, it's plastic. A thief trying to be quick isn't going to be prying on the latch handle, they'll simply shove some sort of pry bar between the dash and the glovebox door.

Any inconvenience caused by a locked glovebox will be seconds at most.

Iconic

I'm thinking the broken window glass will be a bigger problem than the glove box.

BlueOx

Unless you build a substantial metal lock box into your car, anything can be ripped off within 10 minutes, if someone really wants it.

R&L's C6

I'll go outside and give it a try and get back to you.....

VET4LES

Gearhead Jim

Since no one has really answered the question, here's some more details:

I'm retired LEO, but there are still some places I'm not allowed to carry a firearm. That means I must occasionally leave it behind in the car for a short time.

If I know in advance this will happen, I can use a lockbag (PacSafe) and hide in it a trunk cubby.
But sometimes I don't know in advance, and must simply remove it from my person and leave in the front of the car somewhere. I tried using the PacSafe bag and other lockboxes for that; but they are slow, clumsy, and it's really hard to avoid pointing the muzzle at either myself or wife during the process. And if the bag/box isn't securely attached to the car, the whole thing will get swiped anyway.

So the glove box, far from ideal, is beginning to look a little more practical:
Convenient
Muzzle stays in safe direction
IF the tab breaks off when forced, that takes a bit of extra time for the thief to open it.
IF the tab breaks off when forced, that leaves physical evidence that the gun had been somewhat secured and not left laying loose.

As a comparison, last time I was in South Africa, the policy was that if your gun got stolen from your car and the glove box had to be broken open, it was just a simple theft.
If your gun got stolen from your car and there was no physical evidence that it had been locked in some way, even just the glove box, then you went to prison. The U.S. isn't like that yet, but some day...

In our grocery-getters; there is more room to maneuver the gun into a box/bag while being safe, more places to "hide" the box/bag, and easier ways to secure the box/bag to the car. But in a C6, it just doesn't work that way.

JLMounce

THis is the type of stuff you should really include in your first post. But the same information still applies. As a former LEO you should have a decent idea about how criminals and a thief works. While there's certainly some idiots out there, most criminals aren't stupid.

With that said, I would assume if you forced the tab that it would break first. Without actually trying it, I couldn't tell you for sure, nor would I be able to tell you if the glovebox remained closed at that time, or by breaking the handle it would open.

However considering the situation you posted, a thief is probably still going to go straight for a pry-bar. They'll have it to break the window and as soon as they try the lock and it doesn't open, they'll probably go straight to prying on the door. If that alone is not evidence enough that the firearm was at least attempted to be secured, then not carrying in your vette is probably safer.

In Colorado we have pretty conservative gun laws with open carry available most everywhere with the exception of Denver county and some municipalities. However, even with our lax gun laws, carrying in a vehicle remains a source of controversy. As such, even the CC permit holders I know tend not to carry in the car for that reason.

haljensen

You could always change your center console for an '05, they had a lock also. Twice as many locks to break into, might slow them down some. But then you would have to carry another key or find a locksmith to change the '05 lock pins.

R&L's C6

What kind of places do you not carry? From my understanding, other than federal buildings, schools and daycare centers, you can pretty much carry anywhere.

Our C&C instructor told us that you can pretty much ignore the "this business bans guns" signs because most all of them don't have the correct signage (size, shape, wording, placement) to make it legal. Even if all the criteria is met and someone would see your gun, he said at that point, they can ask you to leave but no law is broken if you leave when asked.

cclive

To answer the question, the tab will be broken off and then the guy has to work a little harder.

ButWhatDoIKnow

I keep my gun in my glovebox, but I don't lock it. How can I get to it when I need it? ("Excuse me, killer, while I get my key and unlock my glove compartment.")

I lock my car door, that should be enough. Steal my gun, don't worry, there's more where that came from.

fdxpilot

That pretty much is determined by the state you are in. What you said may apply in MN, but would be inaccurate in TN and MS (the two states I am familiar with.) Depending on which MS permit I have (there are two levels,) I cannot carry in many places, including establishments serving alcohol, schools, and courthouses. Or if I have the Enhanced Permit, I can carry anywhere except jail and police departments, courtrooms in session, Federally prohibited places, and places where criminal activity is ongoing (catchall known as place of nuisance.) I can carry in schools, daycare, bars, stores, etc. You have to know the local laws. Even with reciprocity, you are bound by the laws of the state you are in, so come to MS and you can carry, but have to abide by all the restrictions of the Basic Permit.

Kvothe

Probably going to break because a locked glove box means something good inside right?

Most thieves are going to do a quick look in the center console and under the seats then try the glove box. If it's locked I'm guessing they try prying it open with whatever they broke the window with if they can.

If you really want to "hide" something in the vette the back cubby is a perfect spot. 99% of crooks aren't even going to know they exist. Especially if you have a trunk mat that covers them

Gearhead Jim

Thank You!

Gearhead Jim

For those who have commented about "carrying" a gun in the car, I prohibited that for my officers when I was chief, and have never done it myself. The only time a gun stays in the car without me attached, is if I can't legally keep it with me, and am forced to actually follow such laws.

Although my retired LEO status allows me to ignore 90% of the "no carry" laws in various states, there's still that 10%, mostly regarding government property. Sometimes, I find it prudent to actually obey them.

JimmyLee

If I seriously wanted to hide something, I'd install an aftermarket C6 cargo partition with locking bins. THEN, I'd cover (hide) the bins with loose OEM carpet which matches the interior.