GoLambo
Member
Atfer disscussing with Oleg about one of my run-ins with the police a couple of months ago, I've deceided to bring it up here (as it's semi gun related, or at least carry related) in the hopes someone can shed light on the legalities of openly carrying in Arizona.
The story starts as so. Around 5 months ago I decided I would try openly carrying a Machete on my belt in Mesa to test the waters of public reaction (I was also and still am using it to clear brush in my yard). I had walked from my house to walmart, into walmart, and in general just around the neighoorhood with not so much as a hastle or a second look. Later that day a friend had called me up asking if I had wanted to hang out with him and some friends overnight and help him with his shift at Dunkin Dounts. Being 19 years old in todays socity im quite used to pulling all nighters so I figured what the hell, besides, it would be more experience to see how people reacted deeper into town. From 1am to 6am I sat and had iced coffee, chatted with the late night regulars, and filled serveral hundred dounts (those machines are FUN, even though I'm pretty sure the whole shebang was against company policy, I don't think they would argue with free help. At least the manager didn't).
At 6AM I finnished up helping said friend and went outside to sit by the parking lot curb to wait for him to get off his shift. At about 7am I noticed a police crusier pulling up into the parking lot, I waved and he pulled up to about 50 feet away, and did not park in the lines. I knew something was up. He exited the vehicle and demanded that I remove my weapon, lay it on the ground and walk to the other side of the curb. Not really ready to argue the point I did as I was told and put my hands in the air. He searched me and my friends for more weapons and had us sit on the curb. About a minute later 4 more cars showed up and the questioned started flying.
"Why do you need that?", "You should leave that kind of thing to the police", etc. I asked one officer why all this was happing, and they wouldnt reveal who, what, or why they where called in. According to another of the officers, what I was doing was perfectly legal as my weapon was not concealed, however it was frowend uppon. After running ID's on everyone there, they told me that if they ever saw me carrying that "thing" again, they would stop me just as they had that day. And then they sent me on my way.
So my question is this. Can the police stop you for simply having a weapon on your person? Is having a weapon probable cause? And how should I have handled the police in this situation? Is open carry ever worth it? I'm 19, so right now I cannot get a CCW, I CAN however, open carry a pistol. I've been debating this for a while because of a lot of bad things i've seen happen in my life, and a lot of narrowly averted situations. But if im going to get stopped by the cops every day, is it really going to be worth it?
The story starts as so. Around 5 months ago I decided I would try openly carrying a Machete on my belt in Mesa to test the waters of public reaction (I was also and still am using it to clear brush in my yard). I had walked from my house to walmart, into walmart, and in general just around the neighoorhood with not so much as a hastle or a second look. Later that day a friend had called me up asking if I had wanted to hang out with him and some friends overnight and help him with his shift at Dunkin Dounts. Being 19 years old in todays socity im quite used to pulling all nighters so I figured what the hell, besides, it would be more experience to see how people reacted deeper into town. From 1am to 6am I sat and had iced coffee, chatted with the late night regulars, and filled serveral hundred dounts (those machines are FUN, even though I'm pretty sure the whole shebang was against company policy, I don't think they would argue with free help. At least the manager didn't).
At 6AM I finnished up helping said friend and went outside to sit by the parking lot curb to wait for him to get off his shift. At about 7am I noticed a police crusier pulling up into the parking lot, I waved and he pulled up to about 50 feet away, and did not park in the lines. I knew something was up. He exited the vehicle and demanded that I remove my weapon, lay it on the ground and walk to the other side of the curb. Not really ready to argue the point I did as I was told and put my hands in the air. He searched me and my friends for more weapons and had us sit on the curb. About a minute later 4 more cars showed up and the questioned started flying.
"Why do you need that?", "You should leave that kind of thing to the police", etc. I asked one officer why all this was happing, and they wouldnt reveal who, what, or why they where called in. According to another of the officers, what I was doing was perfectly legal as my weapon was not concealed, however it was frowend uppon. After running ID's on everyone there, they told me that if they ever saw me carrying that "thing" again, they would stop me just as they had that day. And then they sent me on my way.
So my question is this. Can the police stop you for simply having a weapon on your person? Is having a weapon probable cause? And how should I have handled the police in this situation? Is open carry ever worth it? I'm 19, so right now I cannot get a CCW, I CAN however, open carry a pistol. I've been debating this for a while because of a lot of bad things i've seen happen in my life, and a lot of narrowly averted situations. But if im going to get stopped by the cops every day, is it really going to be worth it?
