Pulled over while carrying

[synoptic]

Just like gun owners, not all LEO's are competant. I would rather tell the officer that I am carrying and him be a little nervous around me (in which case you could always offer to stick it in the trunk), than to have an incompetant cop who I didn't tell and noticed my gun printing or catches a glimpse as I fumble for my wallet and gets scared and shoots me. It sounds far fetched, but you'd be amazed at some of the stories I have heard where I work about what some cops have done in the past.

disclaimer - I don't feel all cops are bad or incompetant, just a select few...

 

[squire]

I chose not to say anything in this instance because the deputy came up to me and talked to me, before he had any of my personal information. The plate on the vehicle was a dealer plate and registered to the dealership, not me. I was very respectful to the deputy, as usual, and I didn't think it was necessary to advise him that I had a weapon in the car. I think the saying "ignorance is bliss" rang true in my scenario.

Had I been in my personal car, he would have known that I had a concealed weapons license before he even stepped out of his car.

 

[Charles S]

synoptic is correct. In Texas it is a requirement of the license to notify a police officer that he has a permit if the license is armed.

I have had very good luck being pulled over when I am armed, I am almost always armed.

When I am pulled over I pull as far to the right as possible to give the police officer room, they are actually quiet nervous about being hit by a motorist during a traffic stop. I remain in the vehicle, I turn the vehicle off, I place the keys on the dash, if it is dark a turn on the lights inside the vehicle, I have my licence, permit and proof of incurrence where I don't have to dig around for them or reach in the glove box. When the officer approaches I have both hands on the steering wheel, at the top so the officer can see I am a nice boy, with the above mentioned items in my hand. When the officer approaches I politely hand him my documentation and announce that I am carrying and where I am carrying.

I have been stopped a total of two times since I received my first permit to carry, and interacted with an officer two more times, one when an officer stopped to assist me and a second when I had stopped to assist a disabled motorist. The time the officer stopped to assist me he chose to disarm me. The other times I was not disarmed. I for one respect what law enforcement officers do, I will go out of my way to make them feel comfortable with an individual who carries a weapon legally.

Charles

 

[JMLV]

If you don't have to DON'T!

I have a friend with a nice ding in his ruger SP101 from a philly cops command to "MF drop it MF drop it MF now!" This after he gave her the permit with his drivers licence (and while looking down the barrel of her 40 caliber glock as well.
He was not permitted to retrive his gun from the road untill the "officer"(I use the word loosly here) left. real professional huh.

 

[MitchSchaft]

It depends on whether or not the CCW license info is tied to BMV/DMV info.

FYI for anyone wantings to know, TN doesn't have that info in their patrol car PC. They can ask the dispatcher and find out, though.

 

[MitchSchaft]

And I agree with JMLV. Courteous or not, it's not their business unless you're asked to get outta the car.

 

[Jedi_7.62]

My philosophy is if the LEO looks young or trigger happy don't tell unless they are likely to see it.

For oldert officers or Leo's who seem more relaxed I think it curious to inform them.

My reasoning Once I was pulled over by a very young looking officer I was carrying IWB next to my wallet. I politely informed the LEO just good sense. I was pulled out of the car like a criminal on the side of the road spread eagle and padded down. (after he removed my gun) During this 2 more units arrive on scene. I'm standing along side the road looking like some crack head getting arrested for who knows what. My weapon was unloaded and placed in my trunk.

They waited and made me leave first so I had to stop at a gas station couple miles away to retrieve my gun.

By the way I gave him my permit the car was clean as I had it for a few years and I purchased the gun new from store.

I've never understood why I was treated this way. My only guess is some rookie scared to death and can't tell good guys from bad guys.

Older officers have been much more curtious and even friendly after being informed.

At least the rookie didn't give me the ticket but he sure embarassed me.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Wow, what does a trigger happy officer look like? I don't think I have ever knowingly seen one.

As for the repeated comments that "we are all on the same side," I wish that were true. I have been some places where the law is the law and as an outsider, I was at their whims. Heck, in East Texas, my brother was given a court appearance via a pay telephone where upon the judge found him guilty of speeding and ordered the fine paid immediately to the deputy or spend one night in jail while paying for his vehicle to be towed and impounded.

As an LEO buddy of mine notes, people often talk themselves into tickets or jail if given enough chance to talk. If you are pulled over for speeding, don't have to tell the officer you are legally armed (by law not required), and if the officer does not ask, then you don't need to tell. I don't mean to suggest any sort of obstruction of justice or officer safety, only that I will let the officer determine whatever information he deems necessary to ask and then comply fully.

Here in Texas, we do have to inform the officer and in my too numerous stops, all have been very cool about concealed carry, very professional.

 

[Jedi_7.62]

Well I'm very happy for you if you have never seen a trigger happy officer but what they look like is defined by how they act and carry themselves.

The fingerless gloves, the big mirrored glasses the cocky strut that says hey I think I'm billy bad ***, oh and most of all weapon half out of holster before they reach your car.

I'm not in the military nor am I a criminal so I do not expect an officer to speak to me as if he is my drill sgt. nor do I expect to be treated as a felon with no justification, especially when I've extended nothing but curtousy and politeness.

This is not intended as an insult to LEO's in any manner. I have great respect for the profesion in general and a couple friends that are LEO's but the ones that act like idiots, (of which I've dealt with a couple) send chills down my spine. I find them reckless unprofesional and dangerous.

For note most officers I've dealt with have been profesional and some even friendly.

When I go to work I must act like a profesional I expect the same of them. If I'm speeding and I am caught fine so be it if I get a ticket I guess I deserve it but I expect to be treated in a profesional manner.

 

[ranger7]

I would guess that in Texas where notifying the LEO that you're carrying is required, the LEOs are a lot more familiar with CCW and tend to not get as excited.

In states where notification is not required, the LEOs have less experience and training about this. It's a coin flip whether you get an excitable one.

Alan

 

[joebogey]

In the 2 or 3 times I've been stopped here in Ky, I have handed my ccw out along with my drivers' licence. These were all routine road blocks where I had time to remove my license before approaching the officer.
Only thing I have ever heard from any of them is "Hey, Watcha carryin?"
None of them have been overly concerned that I'm armed. But I know that there's one out there somewhere just a waitin. LOL

But hey, we're talkin bout Ky here. We're all rednecks, and we're all armed.
Oh yeah, we also like to shoot up into the air a lot.
Gotta keep our image up.

 

[benewton]

My 2 two cents worth from a civilian who's always found with both permit and loaded weapon...

I've been stopped twice while carrying, and, FWIW, both were warrented, given that you think that the posted speed limits made any sense.

I open the window, keep both hands on the wheel, and wait for the demand for the liscense and registration, since I'll have to dig to get the wallet out...

One stop, I handed him the liscense, registration and permit. I was asked if I was carrying, and, then, what and where. Said wait there, and returned with a warning, not a ticket, and the comment "I've never had problems with you people.".

Second stop, I'd moved the permit from the "I can find it" portion of the wallet to elsewhere, and couldn't find it without fumbling, which didn't seem such a good idea as he waited. Took the ticket, and that was that. But I gotta admit that he was a short, out of shape type, and the weapon was covered by a couple of layes of clothing on my right side, so there wasn't any way this side of hell he'd have seen it.

All things considered, my policy, subject to change at any time, is to hand over the permit with the rest of the paper: I can understand his side of the problem.

That said, though, I live in the sticks, at least as far as the northeast is defined, and the cops are local residents, and so are reasonable.