Gun laws in cars, state by state
Nine states. Nine answers. One steel box.
Less than a dollar a day.
Safes from $464 (about $1.28 a day for a year), or 4 interest-free payments of $116.00. See how it works
or 4 interest-free payments of $116.00
Where you keep a gun in a car depends on the state: six of the nine states below have a rule for a gun left in a car, and most of them ask for a locked container. Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida have no lock-up law for adults. The Golden Gate Elite is a 12-gauge steel car gun safe that locks to your back seat and looks like a booster seat. Firearms go in unloaded.
Where can you keep a gun in a car? Pick your state.
Learn
The law changed at the state line. Your glove box didn’t.
Drive from Phoenix to Denver and you cross into one of these rules. Boston to New York, three. Nobody reads the statute book at the welcome sign, and the motel lot is where the gun spends the night.
- “I recently went on a road trip to a State that is not so friendly to our 2nd amendment.”Glenn, verified buyer
- “My wife and I both carry, but even here in Arizona, there are locations where our firearms must be secured in the car.”Donald R., verified buyer
- “Works as advertised. I carry a firearm and my state says you have to have a secured lock box in your car if you leave the gun in the car.”Ross, verified buyer
Your car has steel anchors. We lock a safe to them.
You might not know they’re there. Every passenger vehicle sold in the US since the 2003 model year has them, by federal standard FMVSS 225. A child seat clicks into them. So does a Boosted Safe.
- Locked to the car.Two steel latches grab the same bars that hold a child seat in a crash. The release is inside the safe.
- Looks like a booster seat.Nobody breaks a window for a booster seat.
- Opens in a second.Fingerprint first. Keypad and key behind it.
Why it's a Boosted Safe
Steel. Fingerprint. Anchors.
Where can you keep a gun in a car in your state?
The short version for each state, the detail that trips people up, and the law itself. The one-sentence answers are in the state cards above. Checked October 2026.
| State | Short version | Detail and the law |
|---|---|---|
| California | Locked, out of sight | A glove box doesn’t count, and the back of an SUV isn’t a trunk. PC 25140 · The California page |
| Colorado | Locked, hard-sided | Out of plain view, in a locked car. In force since Jan 1, 2025. HB24-1348 · The Colorado page |
| Connecticut | Trunk or locked | Trunk, locked safe or locked glove box. An SUV’s cargo area isn’t a trunk. CGS 29-38g · The Connecticut page |
| Delaware | Locked or racked | When the gun is left unattended. In force since Aug 15, 2024. HB 155 · The Delaware page |
| Massachusetts | Locked container | Any firearm not under your control, including one left in the car. c.140 s.131L, s.121 · The Massachusetts page |
| New York | Unloaded, locked, hidden | Ammunition out, in a safe storage depository, out of sight. A glove box doesn’t count. Penal Law 265.45 · The New York page |
| Pennsylvania | No law yet | No car storage law in force. HB 2244 was tabled Sep 8, 2026. HB 2244 · The Pennsylvania page |
| Texas | No lock law | Adults 21+ can keep a handgun in their own vehicle without a license, holstered if in plain view. HB 1927 (2021) · The Texas page |
| Florida | Securely encased | A glove box counts. A loaded gun a child under 16 could reach must be locked. s. 790.25, s. 790.174 · The Florida page |
Checked against each state’s legislature or attorney general site in October 2026. This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Laws change and cities add their own, so check your state’s current law before you rely on it.
Driving through? Federal law has one rule for the trip.
Under 18 U.S.C. 926A you can drive a gun between two places where you’re allowed to have it, as long as it’s unloaded and out of reach. In a car with a trunk, that means the trunk. In an SUV, hatchback or truck without one, a locked container that isn’t the glove box or console. Some states read this narrowly, so plan the whole route, not just the destination.
How bad is it where you’re driving?
reported to police in , 2025.
is closer to the real number. Only about 1 in 4 thefts is ever reported.
That’s roughly one every in .
Bought by the people who protect presidents.
Orders on file from the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, bought through official channels. From police departments and sheriff’s offices in states from Oregon to Florida, fire departments, police K9 academies, the Marines and the Navy. From security firms, investigators, firearms instructors, and the photographers who buy through B&H.
USA Carry
Also on the order file
From the order file. An agency appears here because someone there bought one, through official channels or for their own car. No endorsement is implied.
Law enforcement and firearms pros vouch for it.
“As a retired Police Chief I was looking for something like this for years. I have other portable vault for vehicles… but this takes the cake!”
“The locking and closing mechanism is built for business. Fit and finish absolutely excellent.”
“I love your product! I'm a police officer and I have an unmarked police vehicle.”
“As a retired police officer this safe makes it easy to secure my firearms in a safe manner if not allowed to carry into business.”
“This thing is awesome, weird no one thought of it sooner.”
“I really like the safe. It has a solid build quality which is the most impressive factor in my opinion.”
800+ verified reviews, with photos and video
orders and counting
Real reviews from real customers.
Set up in less than 60 seconds.
No tools. No drilling. No mods. It clicks into the same steel anchors a child seat uses. Fifteen seconds in, fifteen seconds out, and it moves to your next car with you: yours, your spouse’s, a rental.
- So easy your grandma can install it.No grandson required. Helen did it on camera, stopwatch running.
- Rental at the airport?Same anchors. It moves to the next car in under a minute.
Click it inTwo latches grab the child-seat anchors in your back seat.
Add your fingerEnroll a fingerprint in about twenty seconds. Code and key as backup.
Drop the coverNow it’s a booster seat. Nobody steals a booster seat.
What’s riding in your car?
Tap everything a thief would find. Replacement prices, not sentimental ones.
The average BoostedSafe owner locks up about $2,900 of stuff. The safe is $464, once.
Or 4 interest-free payments of $116.00, or $464 once. A smashed side window runs $150 to $450 on top.
Backed by the BoostedSafe Guarantee.
Four promises come in the box with every safe. We’ve kept every one of them across 10,000+ orders.
If a thief damages your safe or somehow beats it, we send you a new one. Free. We already do this. Now we’re bragging about it.
Manufacturer defects are on us for as long as you own it. Not a year. Not five. As long as you own it.
Put it in your car. Live with it. If it isn’t for you, send it back inside 30 days for a refund.
Lost a key, wore out a cover, cooked a battery door? A person in Salt Lake City answers, and we repair or replace it.
Pick your safe. See everything you get.
Three safes, $199 to $464. Every one in 4 interest-free payments.
Mini EliteCertified booster seat
Smallest footprint, best disguise
Opens with your fingerprint
$742 of protection. Only $264.
Mini EliteSmallest footprint, best disguise$264
Break-in replacement guaranteeA thief damages it or beats it, we send a whole new safe.FREE · $264 value
Lifetime warrantyDefects covered for as long as you own it, plus parts and support for life.FREE · $149 value
Steel security cableIncluded with every safe. Loop it through a seat frame for a second tether.FREE · $20 value
Faraday bagFits a 16-inch laptop, an iPad or a phone.FREE · $25 value
Three-layer foam insertPick-and-pluck, egg-crate and a base layer. Shape it around your pistol, camera or laptop.FREE · $20 value
Boosted Safe EliteBest seller
Fits a 16-inch MacBook Pro
Fingerprint, keypad and key
$1,066 of protection. Only $399.
Boosted Safe EliteFits a 16-inch MacBook Pro$399- Break-in replacement guaranteeA thief damages it or beats it, we send a whole new safe.FREE · $399 value
- Lifetime warrantyDefects covered for as long as you own it, plus parts and support for life.FREE · $149 value
- Steel security cableIncluded with every safe. Loop it through a seat frame for a second tether.FREE · $20 value
- Free shipping, in a plain boxOn every order of $299 or more.FREE · $29 value
- Faraday bagFits a 16-inch laptop, an iPad or a phone.FREE · $25 value
Black booster-seat coverThe disguise. Quilted, black, fits like upholstery.FREE · $25 value- Three-layer foam insertPick-and-pluck, egg-crate and a base layer. Shape it around your pistol, camera or laptop.FREE · $20 value
Golden Gate EliteCertified for firearms
12-gauge steel · 37 lb
Fingerprint · CDOJ certified gun safe
$1,196 of protection. Only $464.
Golden Gate Elite12-gauge steel · 37 lb$464- Break-in replacement guaranteeA thief damages it or beats it, we send a whole new safe.FREE · $464 value
- Lifetime warrantyDefects covered for as long as you own it, plus parts and support for life.FREE · $149 value
- Steel security cableIncluded with every safe. Loop it through a seat frame for a second tether.FREE · $20 value
- Free shipping, in a plain boxOn every order of $299 or more.FREE · $29 value
- Faraday bagFits a 16-inch laptop, an iPad or a phone.FREE · $25 value
- Black booster-seat coverThe disguise. Quilted, black, fits like upholstery.FREE · $25 value
- Three-layer foam insertPick-and-pluck, egg-crate and a base layer. Shape it around your pistol, camera or laptop.FREE · $20 value
Two vehicles? Buy any two safes and both are 25% off. Ten or more, 30% off. Mix any models, Golden Gate included. Compare every model
Not convinced? Watch us take a sledgehammer to it.Sledgehammer first. Then everything else the internet suggested.
Every tool below came from a real comment on our ads, typed with total confidence from somewhere very comfortable. We tried all of them on camera.
Go ahead. Pick your tool.
Straight answers.
Where can I keep a gun in my car in New York?
Unloaded with the ammunition out, locked in a safe storage depository, and out of sight from outside the car. A glove box doesn’t count (Penal Law 265.45). Plain-English summary, not legal advice.
Can I leave a gun in my car in California?
A handgun left in an unattended car goes in the locked trunk, or in a locked container out of plain view. A glove box doesn’t count, and an SUV has no trunk under this law (PC 25140). Plain-English summary, not legal advice.
Can I keep a gun in the glove box?
It depends on the state. New York and California say a glove box doesn’t count. Connecticut counts a locked glove box. Florida counts a glove box as “securely encased”. Legal isn’t the same as safe: it’s the first place a thief looks. Not legal advice.
Do I need a lock box for a gun in my car in Texas?
As far as we can find, Texas doesn’t make adults lock up a handgun left in a parked vehicle. A safe is about keeping it from leaving with a thief. Plain-English summary, not legal advice.
Does a Boosted Safe make me legal in my state?
No product can promise that. Each state words its rule differently: some want the trunk, some a locked container out of plain view, some count a locked glove box. Read your state’s law. This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. These laws change, and cities add their own. Check each state’s current law before you rely on it, especially before you drive through.
Which model should I get for firearms?
The Golden Gate Elite. It’s 12-gauge steel, and it’s the Boosted Safe model certified by the California DOJ. The Golden Gate Basic hasn’t been tested yet.
Can I store a loaded firearm in it?
No. Firearms go in unloaded. New York also requires the ammunition out of the gun when it’s left in a vehicle.
What about driving through a state?
Federal law (18 U.S.C. 926A) covers travel between two places you can lawfully have the gun: unloaded and out of reach, in the trunk, or a locked container if there’s no trunk. States apply it differently.
Does it count as a “hard-sided” container in Colorado?
It’s a steel box with a locking lid. Whether it meets Colorado’s wording, including “out of plain view”, is for you and your lawyer.
I live in Pennsylvania. Do I need one?
Pennsylvania doesn’t require one today. Bills were tabled in September 2026. Thieves don’t wait for Harrisburg.
We both carry. Is there a deal on two?
Yes. Buy 2 to 9 safes and every safe in the order is 25% off. Buy 10 or more and every one is 30% off. Mix any models, Golden Gate included. Refurbished safes don’t count, and the deal doesn’t stack with other codes.
Will it fit a rental?
Most passenger vehicles from the 2003 model year on have the anchors. Check yours in a minute.
What if I don’t like it?
Put it in your car and live with it. If it isn’t for you, send it back inside 30 days for a refund. Defects are covered for as long as you own it.
The rules change at the state line. The steel doesn’t.
The Golden Gate Elite. 12-gauge steel, clicked into whatever you’re driving in under a minute. Two of you carry? Buy two safes and both are 25% off.