A vehicle break in seems WAY more likely than "something big" in Austin.
Use your EDC to get you out of the "big" something and get out of dodge so you can get to your rifle.That's also my fear is damaging a perfectly good firearm but I do feel my EDE isn't always going to keep me safe in the event something big happens
While I like the idea of a long gun in a vehicle "just because", I've been broke into 3 times in my life, all of which nowhere considered a rough neighborhood. I don't drive anything too flashy either (97 civic twice, 98 Tacoma once). I had a stereo yanked out of the civic once, put an alarm in it, and they yanked my wheels post alarm installation. The people who got in the truck got about 4$ in pennies. That makes me not keep anything in a vehicle I don't mind walking... I'd get a discrete carry case and carry my "tennis racket" around with me when I thought I'd want it. That might sound paranoid of thieves, but that's my experience..
+1. For the person saying that they wouldn't trust a gun that they could let get beat up, why not? My truck gun is a mossy 500 cutdown, the action functions fine. Just a little worse for wear on the outside, won't impress anyone with it, but that's not its purpose.I'd rather have access to a truck gun and not need ot, than to need it...