Americans asked for in-car gun storage and Mercedes-Benz delivered

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Eileen Falkenberg-Hull

By Eileen Falkenberg-Hull

Senior Editor, Autos, Travel and Lifestyle

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Thousands of people are asked about features and technology while a new vehicle is in development, but it's not the only feedback automakers consider.

Dealership representatives, fleet managers and customers all play integral roles, relaying their thoughts about current product and hierarchy of needs in future product - including what they wish they had and what they're willing to part with.

During the development of the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz GLC, a company spokesperson told Newsweek U.S. dealer representatives requested that the company provide a safe storage area in the car for handguns. Mercedes-Benz delivered.

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Though you won't find it listed as such on any window sticker, the ability to safely lock the vehicle's glove box, rather than the center console, was strategically chosen to appease dealer body requests, a product development engineer explained during a preview of the battery-electric GLC this summer.

2027 Mercedes-Benz GLC

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A 2024 survey by Pew Research Center found that about four in 10 adults in the U.S. live in a household with at least one gun. Thirty-two percent of those say that they personally own a gun.

The top reason Americans cite for owning a firearm is personal protection (72 percent), by a wide margin. Hunting is the next-highest reason at 32 percent.

Long guns typically used in hunting and sport shooting activities do not fit into the GLC's glove box.

As vehicles have become more highly digitized, many automakers have moved away from glove boxes that require a key to lock. Some have even taken away the manual handle that a user can pull to open the area.

Instead, car companies rely on an electrified locking system that is controlled by the car's infotainment screen, via a tap on an icon that is usually buried screens deep in the system.

Many new car owners take a "set it and forget it" approach to glove boxes thanks to digitized car insurance records, modern gauges that mean it is no longer essential to log fuel mileage by hand and fully digitized user manuals available in the car's infotainment system rather than printed and stored in a bulky book.

U.S. gun laws vary by state. Some states allow for "permitless carry," a designation that means that individuals may own and carry a gun without needing a permit to do so.

Other states require a concealed carry permit, which can be more than paperwork, and require a photograph and fingerprints. These permits often have an expiration date and require renewal. A firearms safety course may be required to receive a permit.

Reciprocity between states is not guaranteed.

Additionally, cities are also allowed to make their own rules for concealed carry of a firearm. Many government buildings, polling stations, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and schools do not allow individuals to carry firearms inside.

Some states have laws that dictate the storage of a firearm within a vehicle. For example, New York State's gun safety website states, "if you leave your gun unattended in a vehicle, it must be unloaded and locked in a fire, impact, and tamper resistant storage depository that is hidden from view," and explains that in the state, a glove box is not considered a proper storage depository.

Military personnel, law enforcement officers and those who carry firearms as part of their official duties are often exempt from concealed carry regulations.