Maybe I don’t understand it, because I grew up outside the US and therefore am not familiar with all that gun stuff/hype over here, but why do you need a firearm accessible and whithin reach while driving?
Because, in America, criminals get three "Hots", a Cot and, most often, Cable TV.
Punishment is not a deterrent, for most Criminals.
While I personally have never felt the need for a weapon, some do, and it is their Right.
Besides, see the above about punishment not really being a deterrent to crime.
Kind of takes the sting out being on the wrong side of Gun Usage.
Reason folks QUIT carrying guns, hundred or so years ago. The Risk far outweighed reward. In 1879 to 1925, there was no 40 years of death row appeals.
You lost that court battle, punishment was swift and final. Not so today, so more people feel comfortable carrying guns again.