How do LEO's see CCWer's?

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Glockedout17

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I have had my CCW permit going on 2 years now and haven't came in contact with a LEO since. In a traffic stop, I hear some people say not to tell LEO's your carrying and I hear people saying that's the first thing you should tell them. I wanted to get some feedback from some of you that have had run ins with LEO's and I also wanted to get some feedback from LEO's. Do they see us as a threat or do they consider us law abiding citizens and respect us a bit more? I just always wondered about that.
 
Check your state law. In some states you must tell, in others you are not required to.
 
It really depends on the L.E.O. I know quite a few that encourage ccw Licenses and some that even teach classes when they are off duty. I had a deputy U.S. marshal tell me to carry as often as possible a couple of years ago. On the flip side there are some and certain jurisdictions that it really twists up their nickers. As far as tell them, we don't have to here in Florida unless they ask. Also, our Conceal Weapon and Firearm Licenses aren't linked to our DL or license plate.

For a state you aren't familiar with, this is a good place to start. Click on the State of interest. After that, go to the state's official site for verification.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/
 
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FWEIW, the LEOs that I know and talk to are pretty darn pro-gun. But I mostly run into them in training, so there you go. But even given that, the handful I hang out with socially (outside of shooting) pretty much fit the same mould. The exception--in my admittedly limited experience--may be the big cheese higher ups in larger cities. For example, I really liked meeting Norm Stamper (Seattle, retired) and talking to him as a guy, but he's definitely no Ted Nugent.
 
I work in Probation and everyone at my office is pretty pro gun. Of course, being on probation you can't have any deadly weapons, so my clients have a different set of rules than the person your average LEO deals with. Most LEO's I've dealt with though are pretty pro gun and concealed carry. My CCW instructor was a deputy.
 
My limited experience has been positive, mostly. We'll discard the lone anomaly because he was just that. In several ways...

My state, Ohio, requires notification, so the ball is out of my hands. As a courtesy, I turn on my dome light, keep my hands on the wheel and be polite. Seems to have worked well so far.

Here in Ohio, he only LE group that has come out against CCW, as far as I'm aware, is the elected Chiefs of Police. The rank and file seem pretty cool with it.
 
All I can is in the last three years I have been stopped twice by LEO's while traveling by automobile and have shown them my DL,CHL, and my proof of insurance and both times sent away without financial infraction (definitely guilty on the second stop)
Once was even told by the officer she very much appreciated me letting her know I was concealed carrying.
Ymmv.
 
My experience is that the Leo's who wanted to interview me road-side - one TX trooper and one county mountie - were cool and appreciated my showing my CHL and telling them when asked that yes I was carrying and where my weapon was located. One asked me to step away from the truck and the other just asked me to leave it where it was while we talked.

As with most things, courtesy and honesty go a long way in avoiding hassles.

Just my $.02.
 
I got pulled over a couple weeks back, speeding. I gave him my DL and my CCL, he asked me if I was carrying, I said no. He gave both licenses back and a warning, then said slow down, and have a nice day.
 
You really have no control over how a LEO is going to act about your gun. A pro-gun LEO respectful of lawful carrying citizens isn't going to harass you about your gun (they are probably just as likely to support the 4th amendment as the 2nd amendment). An anti-gun LEO who believes that only Law Enforcement and their political bosses should be protected is going to harass you about your gun (they are more likely to care as little about the 4th amendment as the 2nd amendment). There ain't much you can do to change that.
 
I live in a conservative county in CA that is nearly "shall-issue." Much of the state is hard to impossible to get CCW's. I've had my ccw 12 years and have had some LEO contact in my area. Never a problem, not even uncomfortable.
I had one LEO contact in the San Fransisco bay area and it went very badly.
 
I have two experiences.

1. Michigan (required to tell) I stated I had a permit but no gun. Officer asked why not. encouraged me to carry.

2. Kentucky I stated I had a permit and gun. He asked where gun was. told me to leave it there. gave me a ticket then wanted to talk about holster options.
 
Texas Pulled over by State Trooper outside of Nacodoches for speeding ( guilty but not really my fault ) told trooper, Texas must inform, trooper didn't care. Had to give me a ticket because I was more than 20 miles over the limit. ( If you have ever driven on US 59 north of Houston I am sure you understand )

Alabama Local police want you to carry and the local police allows local instructor to use their new range to teach you how to shoot! Could use their range but about $240 a year to join club and you only have two Saturdays a month to use it, rain or shine.

P.S. At the old furniture store I used to work at a HPD officer that worked security just once in the mid 1980s was originally a NYPD cop that got laid off from the NYPD because of budget problems in NYC back in the 80s. Absolutely did not believe civilians should own handguns at all!
 
People don't fit into groups like that. Police officers are just people who have a job. How they personally feel about CCW is going to vary as much from cop to cop as it does between any person.
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This. The OP is asking the equivalent of "What do Americans think of Candians?"

For many, the answer will be the same; they don't. For the rest, it will vary. I've run into a fairly wide spectrum over the years with most around the neutral range, a couple that seemed overly cautious but professional, and only one that was utterly negative. Still others wanted to chat about guns and shooting.
 
It has gotten me out of some tickets, not some others. Courtesy and mutual safety make me inclined to tell up front, clearly and politely, with my hands visible and calmly on the top of the steering wheel.
 
In a traffic stop I am not required by law to inform an officer that I'm carrying a weapon so I do not. I've heard from several friends who have informed an officer of their weapon during a traffic stop that they were chewed out and told they should never mention they are carrying unless they are asked to get out of the vehicle. I keep my hands on the steering wheel and my wallet on the dash right in front of them during the whole stop. If I'm asked to get out of the vehicle I pull my CPL out of my wallet and with my hands back on the steering wheel calmly state, "I don't mean to alarm you but I'm carrying a concealed weapon. It's an XD45 cocked and locked in an inside the waistband holster on my right side. How would you like me to proceed?" And then I do exactly what they tell me to very slowly. If I were ever questioned by a cop while walking down the street or whatever (it's never happened in my life) I would produce my ID and CPL and say something to the same effect. The BIG thing is that you never ever under any circumstance want a cop to 'find' your gun as a surprise. :what:
 
Here in Ohio, he only LE group that has come out against CCW, as far as I'm aware, is the elected Chiefs of Police. The rank and file seem pretty cool with it.
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The Ohio Highway Patrol was against CCW. They were Voinovich's excuse for opposing it.
 
Deanimator said:
The Ohio Highway Patrol was against CCW. They were Voinovich's excuse for opposing it.
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Good call, I was going to mention that and remember it well. My wife and I would, on a regular basis donate to the Ohio Troopers Coalition. The donations ended when that happened. Took Ohio a long time to pass CCW laws as a result of organizations like that lobbying less than strong governors against CCW.

While an organization may not represent the beliefs of all of its members it is at least a means to convey to people where they stand on issues as a whole.

Ron
 
People don't fit into groups like that. Police officers are just people who have a job. How they personally feel about CCW is going to vary as much from cop to cop as it does between any person.
Click to expand...

This!

I've met a couple of "officers" who were essentially offended that a citizen might go about armed (somehow conveniently forgetting that they are just citizens too). Mostly I've met with positive responses, and a ton of indifference (most real cops have bigger fish to fry).

Be respectful, know the laws of your area, and if something does go south keep this video in mind.

Don't talk to the police
 
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Every officer I have met and now work with are pro CCW. They and I feel that someone who is legally licensed to carry a concealed weapon is a great equalizer against someone who does not care about law using more times than not an illegal firearm.

Shortly after the Aurora shooting I was talking with an officer doing firearm checks at a movie theater. He loved the idea of CCW and wished more people would take advantage of it. Was about a half hour conversation all about the benefits of CCW.
 
Most I've encountered were pro-CC, but I've spoken to a couple who felt it was a huge privilege for a non-LEO to be armed and should be treated as such. They weren't saying they were _totally_ against it, but you could tell they felt the average person should have training requirements, restrictions on where they carry, and that the privilege was not for the masses, just a select few like themselves. That attitude is more common in urban areas, IMHO.
 
Really, really depends on the area. LEO's come from the populace. In a mostly pro-gun area you'll get a lot of pro-gun (and pro-CC) LEO's. In a mostly anti-gun area you'll get the opposite.

Here in SC, I've had mostly positive experiences. At one traffic stop the officer noticed a shot up target in the car and asked about the gun. He made sure of where it was at but after we were done (where I got a warning and no ticket) he chatted for a bit about what type of gun I was shooting and such.

Another time my sister was having a domestic dispute with her boyfriend that had gotten violent. When the officer came out to my parents house (where I was staying for the night too just for support), before he left the officer told me "Look, you can tell that it took me 20-30 minutes to get out here. There's no magic in this. If he shows up tonight make sure you call us but also do what you need to do to keep everyone safe.". He didn't specifically refer to a gun or anything, but he got his point across.

I also know that when applying for my Arizona CWP (was getting an out of state permit for Georgia carry since they don't accept SC), when I went to the local police station to get my prints done they asked what it was for and when I told them it was for a CWP they waived their normal $15 fee.
 
It depends on the individual cop. In Texas your CHL comes up when they run your license plate. Most of the police generals, I refuse to call them chiefs because of their wannabe general's stars, don't like CHL much...chris3
 
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