Missouri Man Starts Mobile Gun Storage Truck Company
OutdoorHub Reporters 11.11.15
Ever find yourself unexpectedly about to enter a gun-free zone while carrying? Instead of transporting your firearm all the way back home, one entrepreneur wondered whether it would be easier if there were safe and reliable mobile gun storage options for such situations. That is the idea behind Justin Hulsey’s company, Weapon Safe Armory, which revolves around the concept of mobile gun storage in armored trucks.
The idea may seem outlandish, but Hulsey said it first came to him when he heard that a man was robbed and shot in downtown St. Louis after a Cardinals game. Since many public places, like Busch Stadium, do not allow firearms, those who practice concealed carry have to decide between going there unarmed, leaving their gun locked in a car where it may be stolen, or just staying home. Hulsey said that mobile gun storage trucks give gun owners a fourth option.
“Take CCW permit holders and give them at least the service to be able to store their weapons,” Hulsey told KMOV.
Parked outside stadiums and other gun-free zones, mobile storage trucks will allow customers to deposit their firearms, attend the event, and then later retrieve them. Hulsey said the trucks will be secure and armored, and guarded by trained personnel. As a veteran, Hulsey intends to hire staff with previous military or law enforcement experience.
“These are guys with logistics experience who know how to distribute hundreds of weapons in 30 minutes,” Hulsey told the St. Louis Dispatch. “We want to know how can we, as prior military, make St. Louis safer.”
City officials have remained relatively silent on the matter. Both St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and Police Commissioner Sam Dotson said they have no official position on Hulsey’s proposition.
“However, as I’ve said many times before, more guns are never the answer,” Dotson said. “We need to get to the root of the problem by focusing on outcomes in the court system that keep our community safe.”
A spokesman from the NFL did say that the organization does not approve of firearms being stored near its stadiums.
Hulsey said that he is unsure of the legality of his idea and is still waiting for the official word from city and state authorities.
“I want to work with the city, I want to work with the state. But if I keep getting resistance, where they’re tell me that they don’t know if I can do it or I can’t do it, then I’ll just have to keep going,” he told River Front Times.
Hulsey intends on beginning services next January and will be offering storage for both firearms and other valuables that people do not want to leave in cars, such as laptops. Hulsey stated that he had a firearm stolen out of a vehicle several years ago and that not only is it preventable, it is also very common. According to police, stolen guns are commonly used in other crimes as well. If everything is successful, Weapon Safe Armory is believed to be the first company to offer this service.
“Vehicle break-ins are a nuisance in urban areas, primarily where many people spend time enjoying sporting events, festivals and fairs. Are you 100% comfortable in only placing your valuables ‘out of sight’? I’m not. How much is absolute peace of mind worth, knowing your valuables are 100% safe and secure from theft?” Hulsey wrote on Facebook.
You can watch an interview with him below:
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
