A bag by any other name...still can hold a gun

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geckcgt

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Funny thing that happened to me a few days ago:
So I got a 5.11 select carry bag as a gift a few months ago and was riding with the thing, hydration pack installed and all, and got stopped by the police.

They told me I was under suspicion of possessing a firearm when I wasn't even carrying. They told me they knew what this bag is for, and asked me why I would be so stupid to wear it in public.

(Kept the words, "Gee thanks officer, I guess I'll haul my draco pistol in a jansport from now on" in my head lest I lose my freedom)

Just goes to show that if you make a CC bag popular enough, it isnt concealed carry anymore I guess I was stupid to think I could use a bag for what it is... a bag...
I don't wanna sell the bag (it would be slapping the giftee in the face)
but am now getting a Maxpedition Monsoon instead to avoid problems
Opinions or comments?
 
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I think it would be a good choice to get that new bag if the cops are that jumpy where you live. BTW in what state do you live?
 
I can understand that some cops know what it's for if they frequent the local army and navy store. But seriously? Should it be an issue even if you had a gun providing you are legally concealing?
 
Surprise! Cops read the same magazines, and shop in the same stores/websites that civilian gun enthusiasts shop in. Even things that scream "no gun here!" scream "gun here!" when everyone has caught on and tried using them (ex., the goofy photographer/safari vest as a concealment garment).
 
I prefer a tool bag over a gun branded bag for my trips to the range. My neighborhood has gone downhill in the past 5 years and I would rather have the neighbors think I am carrying tools out of my house rather than gun. Currently I am using one with a big DeWalt's logo. It is heavier built than either my Walles or Dillion bags, and the numerous elastic loops for tools are great for magazines and such.

In the OP's case I think the Maxpedition would attract just as much attention, after all they are marketed at the gun crown as well. I would just stick with the 5.11 and ignore being stopped once in a while.
 
Wow it's a good thing they didn't stop you in front of a bank or they might have speculated you were going to rob the place too.
 
Being summer and light clothes are the norm, I carry my pistol in an over the shoulder bag or in my pocket, sometimes both. I have also carried an uncased rifle bungied to my bike's sissy bar many times from surfing pawn shops. Those days are long gone now because the days of cheap milsurps is over. I have never been approached that way by the police. Sounds like your rights were almost violated.....chris3
 
Cops don't know everything. You don't have to agree with them. Just comply and be polite. As long as you do that you are free to speak your mind. Just because someone has a badge does not give them the right to tell you that you are stupid.
 
merlinfire In what state is it a crime to "possess a firearm"?
Click to expand...
Possession of a firearm is a crime in every state if you are a felon or a person prohibited by state law or if you are carrying concealed without a license (in a state that requires a license for concealed carry)
 
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I get the point that gun gear that even tries to pretend to be something else is easily recognized by anyone who also likes gun gear.

I also get that this can extend to fellow gun enthusiasts, but it could also extend to criminals making your "concealment" gear actually act as a big indicator of carry.

What I don't understand is how the police would have any motivation/cause for stopping you just on the "strength" of their recognition of the type of bag you're carrying?

What state/community did this happen in? What else was going on? Did they tell you that there was anything else going on that made them look for someone that might be on a bike and/or carrying a firearm?
 
If one was to wear a t-shirt with a pot leaf logo on it, is that considered probable cause that you are posession of a controlled substance?

Let's say you did have a gun in the bag. Would it be illegal where you are?
 
"Officer, am I being detained?" Seizure requires reasonable aticulable suspicion that you are, have just, or are about to commit a crime (Terry Stop). If it is legal to carry the bag they have no lawful authority to detain you whatsoever. That’s why you ask this question first. If you complain to his supervisor, the officer will claim it was only a “friendly chat” which is something anyone, including the police, can certainly do. If he says no, then you wish him a nice day and move along. If he says yes (that you are being detained) then ask, “For suspicion of what crime are you detaining me?” If he cannot cite a specific crime, stop talking. Anything you say after that point will not help you sue them later. Wearing a bag, even though it may be odd, quirky, or peculiar, does not rise to the level of ‘reasonable suspicion’ by anyone’s definition.
 
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Geckcgt. I don't know where you live, but I would suspect NY, NJ or IL, maybe MA, but the free states do not opperate that way.

I would be in deep doodoo if they did, I carry my metal detector in a Browing shotgun bag...I carry my Colt on my hip.

Where I live, what that LEO did to you was illegal. We do need to know what state you live in????
 
If you want the kicker, I live in Arlington VA, they probably thought I was another Beltway Sniper or something... but w.e. I don't need a bag to let me CCW, thats what crossbreed holsters are for
 
"They told me I was under suspicion of possessing a firearm when I wasn't even carrying. They told me they knew what this bag is for, and asked me why I would be so stupid to wear it in public."

What happened after that? Did they ask to look in the bag? Did you say yes or no? etc...
 
Where I live, what that LEO did to you was illegal. We do need to know what state you live in????
Click to expand...

Not exactly. If the officer actually said he stopped him for “suspicion of carrying a firearm” due to the bag, then yes, I agree it was illegal. I can’t really tell from the narrative if ‘stopped’ equals ‘detained’, or if the officer merely approached and began a conversation.

Like I said, the police can approach you and engage you in a conversation just like anyone else. Just watch the TV show Cops sometime; they lock people up without any reasonable suspicion because for some reason people believe that they have to engage the cop in a discussion, and talk their way into jail. That’s why I advocate asking, “Am I being detained?” first, for any type of police encounter. If not, walk away.
 
They only stopped (as in talked) me, and yeah, I let them search my bag/my person as I had nothing to hide: if they wanted to smell my gym clothes then so be it.
At the time I thought it was better than poking the bear. When they saw I had nothing, they tried to play the tough guy and gave me a lecture about what I can wear on my person and left =/
 
"They only stopped (as in talked) me, and yeah, I let them search my bag/my person as I had nothing to hide: if they wanted to smell my gym clothes then so be it."

The Bill of Rights seems like a good enough reason not consent to a search of your bag. The fourth amendment wasn't just written for people with something to hide. How about the principle of liberty?
 
I'm trying to imagine how this conversation would have passed down here..

Officer: Son, I suspect you have a gun on you.
Me: Well officer, I suspect you'd be right.
Officer: Just makin' sure. Ya'll have a nice day now.
 
Small correction, Dogtown - in Vermont, your first two conditions apply, but given that you are not a prohibited person, you need no one's permission to carry, open or concealed. It's part of our state constitution.

It does put us in a bit of a spot for reciprocity though.
 
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