Your interactions with law enforcement while carrying...

Status
Not open for further replies.
I got pulled over early one morning and decided to inform the officer that I was armed by showing him my permit. He ask me where my weapon was . So I told him he said just leave it there. He went back to his car to run my drivers license. Came back to my vehicle, gave me my license back then asked me what type and caliber gun I was carrying and we had a nice discussion as to what our favorite type of guns were. He thanked me, advised me to drive safely and to have a good day. No ticket ,no problem's.
One time I was trying to shoot about a 6ft. rattlesnake in my back pasture with a .22 pistol and my neighbor call the local sheriffs office and told them I as shooting at the highway. When the deputy arrived he asked me what I was shooting at. So I walked him around to see the snake. Once he saw the snake he immediately got on his radio and called some other deputies to come out and see the snake. Turns out the snake was still moving around a little and the deputies ask me to go back in the house and get my gun and finished him off. It was funny as none of them had ever seen a rattlesnake that big. Every time it moved they would scatter and step back. We had a good time waiting for their wild life officer to arrive and declare the snake dead and haul it away. I didn't even have to dig a hole and bury it. My neighbor doesn't know it but she did me a favor, didn't have to dig a hole and I got some new friends.
 
Years ago I was a LEO in the Chicago area. As someone who saw things from "the other side" I can tell you that there are unfortunately police officers with bad attitudes. The majority of LEO's, however, are good men and women who have made a commitment to put themselves into harms way in order to protect you and your loved ones. The ones with an attitude are going to be jerks, and that's unfortunate. I've been pulled over by them. As the majority of LEO's aren't that way, how you interact with them will determine what type of experience you'll have. Be polite and do what they ask and you'll have no issues. Keep in mind that they don't know you, and they simply want to go home to their families at the end of their shift. Watch the attached video, and the next time you're pulled over keep in mind that there's a better than average chance that the LEO you're talking to would do for you what this officer told this group of people he'd do.

https://www.policeone.com/police-he...ing-evacuees-Ill-take-a-bullet-before-you-do/
 
I think humility is the key. I don't have anything to prove to anyone. I'll abide by state law (inform if asked, no duty to proactively inform) and be as polite and kind as I can regardless of how I am treated. If I'm mistreated by an agent of the state, which I assess as highly unlikely in my area, then I will continue to be as polite and kind as I can be and consider legal action after I've gotten through the immediate crisis. If I'm yelled at a bit, well, I do my best not to do things to get me yelled at, and to be understanding of other people having bad days, since I've had them, too.

But by and large local law enforcement are fine. I know some of them and have ridden with them. They're decent folks just like most of the other people in this town.
 
At checkpoints if asked I tell them I have a carry permit first words out of my mouth and where the firearm is located. So far, nothing from officers with that approach. I have had security system go off at my home and my mother-in-laws home when she was out of town and met officers there armed. One time they asked for ID and both times seemed happy to have someone with them to clear the houses, as they were literally in the middle of nowhere with backup 30 mins away.
 
I walked over to the local 7-11 once to get some beer. I was open carrying a CZ P-07. On the way out of the parking lot, a police cruiser pulled up next to me and the officer said "Excuse me". I leaned over to look at him in the cruiser. He asked what I was carrying and I told him. He asked if I liked it and I told I did very much. Then he told me about his new Glock long slide that he bought and that he couldn't wait to get it to the range. Then he looked in his mirror and realized that he was blocking the exit of the strip mall. It seems people are very reluctant to honk at a cop when he's talking to someone. :D
 
I've gotten pulled over twice.

Once it turns out that my license plate has a duplicate for a red truck of the exact same make and model (different year though) in East Texas where the driver quit paying on his vehicle or something. Texas isn't supposed to give out two of the same plate from what he said,

I handed him my CHL and he said .. "If you keep yours where it is, I'll keep mine where it is".

I just said okay, that sounds good and we got onto the mistaken identity part of it and asked me how long I'd had the truck (several years beyond when that other plate was issued, he said he'd make a note of it and send it on). The end.

The next time (I forget why I got pulled over) it was pretty much the same deal, just a shrug and the sentence basically meaning "Okay, no big deal. Just don't try anything stupid".

He did want to know why I had an AR in the truck (he'd asked what was in the rifle case). I told him I was taking it to the station (in uniform) to go hog hunting the next day. That was the end of it.
 
Jeff H said:
I've always wondered what would happen in that situation. Do you say something to the cop or not. You really don't have a duty to inform if you're not carrying.




I haven't been pulled over since I've gotten my license to carry (9-10 years or so) but I have had the police run my plates and decide not to pull me over. I can only assume him knowing I have my carry permit was reason enough not to pull me over for whatever dumb reason (he tailgated me for 2-3 miles for some reason. Guess I did something to make him suspicious.)
Click to expand...
The LEO don't get much training on CCW law's. I was pulled over by an Ohio officer for doing 50mph in a 35mph before I passed the 50mph sign. He was a hothead because it was snowing and I am one of those who have a truck and think I'm invincible because I have a truck in the snow". I told him the sign 50ft ahead says 50mph and that's what I was doing! He replies its not 50mph until I pass the sign. While he is standing at the window the dispatcher tells him I have a ccw and the argument was on! I was threatened with arrest, tickets, screamed and yelled at! I tried 10 times to explain to him unless I had it on my person (I just left work and the gun was at home) I had no duty to notify and had he not came to my window berating me for doing the speed limit I would have told him. I also told him I wanted a deputy because we were in a township when he pulled me over and contact his supervisor. He told me I was lucky I didn't get a ticket and called me a punk and walked away. I emailed the chief and asked why his city officer pulled me over in a township (township owns 1 mile between city limit) and why I was disrespected and threatened with arrest and screamed at I needed to read law. His chief said he was wrong about the law and asked I come into the office for a mediation. I declined and 3 days later at my place of employment in the township the city officer was sitting next to my truck. I called the dept. and they said he wanted to apologize and talk it over.

A few years later I was on my way to my state peace officer recertification and was pulled over twice because I was running late and if I was late I would be sent home. One officer walked up to the passenger side and saw the S&W case and asked with excitement is that an M&P? I said yes! He asked how I like it and says he wants one and I said hey, I'm sorry I got to go! He didn't write me and all was good.

About a year after that I was pulled over coming down a hill that's 25mph (speed trap) The officer walked up and began talking and I said ccw and he was really cool about it. No ticket either.

8 months or so later I was traveling through town behind a semi and didn't see the red-light change due to the height of the trailer, so I went for it. I looked in the mirror and it was a police SUV. He followed me for 2 miles and pulled me over. He said "did you see that redlight"? I said yes, but I didn't want to get rear ended by slamming on the breaks, so I went for it. He says "oh, I just had to call you out on it because I was in Alabama and did the same thing and the cop gave me a ticket and I'm a cop"! He asked for my license and saw the CCW license and asked what it was. I said CCW and I do not carry my firearm anymore. He says "man! You need to tell me before I start talking to you"! I said sir, I don't have the firearm on me and haven't carried it for probably 6 months. I was told unless I have it on my person or in the vehicle I don't have to notify. He says "you are correct, but let me tell you something son. You walk up to a vehicle and you don't know who your speaking with and all of a sudden you find out they have a firearm. It doesn't make you feel too good". He says "promise me something. Carrying or not carrying just tell us you have the license so we don't find out later. He says pull that crap in Lorain and they will drag you out of the car". I said Ha! They pulled me over on the bridge a few months ago and I had to tell him to stop, so I could tell him I had it.

I got into a really bad traffic crash that involved a hit and run and 3 cars. Ohio Highway Patrol arrived and due to it being mid January asked the older gentleman who was a witness to sit in the cruiser. 10min goes by and the trooper finds out the man has a 1911 on a shoulder holster and is sitting in the cruiser with him. As soon as the first trooper pulled up I walked up to the car and he says "I will be with you in a moment". I said sir, I have a ccw and a fullsize handgun on my right hip. He says "do you plan on taking those coveralls off"? I said no sir! He says "then we are okay then". I asked if he wanted me to disarm, so I wasn't standing around a bunch of cops or people with a gun and he said nope! 3 more trooper arrived and I told all 3 and all 3 were cool about it. After the investigation one thanked me for telling him right way and told me about the older man in the cruiser. He didn't cite the man because he said "its a stressful situation and the man forgot".

Another situation the cop pulled me over because my registration was expired. I said ccw, no gun though. He said okay, thanks for letting me know and said the sticker appeared to have fallen off. He let me go and thanked me again for letting him know i had a ccw.

I now tell them carrying or not. Its not that hard to say a few words!
 
Last edited:
Two. Scene of an accident and speeding. The first saw my card in the wallet when I got my license out, ask if I had it on me, I answered yes, he said, "Keep it holstered." Second, State Patrol, never asked. WI does not need to notify.
 
This is probably my worst and best LEO encounter while ccw.

My best friend and I worked as Armored truck curriers and got off early on a Saturday and he asked if I wanted to ride with him and his cousin or nephew to basspro shops 2hrs away and to drop off the kids girl friend. I said sure and seeing how my buddy drove the truck all day he asked me to drive his car. We arrive at the girls fathers house which is the most run down mobile home park I have ever saw and we pull down a dead end street. Dad is sitting on the patio with a bunch of beer bottles and starts yelling at the girl calling her W, B, S. He then orders the nephew out of the car and my buddy tells him to stay in the car we are leaving. Nephew decides to get out of the car and talk to the father who is drunk and angry and shakes the kids hand and says, "you see that right there? I know your F my daughter and that's what you will get"! I look at the side table sticking off the BBQ grill and its a handgun. Both of us yell at the kid to get back in the car and the drunk says who the F are you and grabs the gun. My buddy/work partner disarmed and locked his in the trunk prior to leaving on the trip and I still had mine on my hip but covered by a hoodie. I identified myself as armed and ordered him to put the gun down. He was standing there with it in his hand and the kid ran back to the car, got in and we took off. I parked at the main gate and called 911 and the entire PD shift arrived. I told the dispatcher who I was and that I was unloading the gun and placing it in the trunk! She patched me through to the shift SGT who said "my guys are coming in hot so make sure your not armed". They arrived and I ID as an armored truck guard and metro housing security officer and the firearm was in the trunk. I was waiting to be put on my face at gunpoint but they were all really cool about it. No one searched me, asked to see anything but an ID and CCW permit. They ended up going to the house and the drunk answered the door armed and was arrested. To this day I am very surprised they did not pull guns on me and order me to the ground.
 
Over ten years ago I had two encounters:
  1. I inadvertently uncovered in a coffee shop. The cops were called. As expected I had a valid CHL and no criminal record. At that point, one of the cops went off the reservation and started running his mouth about how my gun had to be concealed. I told him that it didn't matter because open carry is lawful in Ohio. He then threatened to arrest me for "inducing panic", which was asinine on numerous levels, not the least of which being that that charge requires an underlying offense. After the cops departed, I sent a letter to the chief informing him that if he didn't hold of his officers, he was heading for a lawsuit he was GUARANTEED to lose.
  2. I was pulled over coming out of a weirdly marked mall entrance (you literally can't drive straight into the opposite two way street, the only such situation I've encountered in the entire United States). I was unarmed. The cop tried to get me to notify when UNARMED. He even ADMITTED that it's not required by law. I told him I'd "take it under advisement". I will NEVER notify when not armed. I obey the law, not whims.
Other than getting rear-ended on I-90 on election day 2012 (I was unarmed and DIDN'T notify), I've had no interaction with the cops since.
 
Jeff Burgess said:
I’ve never had a ticket, I do so out of courtesy To them and there job.
Click to expand...

I hear you. I just wonder that with all the incidents cited above of officers who get antsy and argumentative when dealing with a lawfully armed citizen if you're better off just not saying anything. Plus I imagine there's a difference between being pulled over by a rural county sheriff vs. BPD down in Woodlawn.

By the way, you don't have a brother named Rick do you?
 
A long time ago, while parked on off the road at night, flashing red lights came on behind my car. A loud voice told me to step out of the car. When I opened the door of my ‘69 Malibu, my Ruger NM Blackhawk could be seen next to the seat. The Office then asked my girlfriend (now Ex-wife) to exit the car, while she complained about putting clothes on first. Once she was out of the car the Officer asked for my DL. I told him that it was no the front seat with my other gun.
He got our names and DOB’s and ran them to make sure we were not wanted, then told us to get a motel room and sent us on our way. As we drove off we couldn’t look at each other without laughing.
 
Been pulled over numerous times by OK and TX troopers, deputies and local police: Usually for inoperable something or the other or a failure to put the current registration sticker on the license plate.

Showed my concealed carry permit along with drivers license. Most thanked me and made no comment about the firearm.

One OK deputy pulled me over because the trailer lights were inoperable. He saw my AR-15 leaning against the drivers seat. i had noticed his firearm was worn on his left side. Deputy asked about the rifle and i explained it a lefty. The deputy asked if he could examine the rifle and i said yes. His comment: "I'm going to buy one."

Many years ago a MD deputy and close friend was killed while answering a domestic violence call.
 
On the way to work in the dark one morning. Come upon a hit, but still alive, deer in the middle of the roadway. Carry gun in a holster next to the seat. Tell my wife to hit the four ways as I get out. Grab the pistol, and walk back toward the deer, on the road with all four legs under her. I can shh the headlights of a car approaching, half a mile off. I walked up, dispatched the deer, put the gun in my jacket pocket, and the lights come on in the cruiser. County Sheriff gets out, walking toward me. At this point, I had been flagging with my arms since I'm between the oncoming car, now identified as a cruiser, and the dead deer still in the roadway. So both hands out, palms facing the deputy, who walks up and asks me if this is the deer he got a call about. Told him I did not call, but I had dispatched the deer and was about to move it off the roadway. Couldn't believe he hadn't seen the muzzle flash. Tell him I have pistol, left front jacket pocket, a permit for it, left rear hip pocket, and asks if he wants to see it. His response was a classic. He says, "What for? You told me you have a gun.. You told me where it is. You told me you have a permit, and you told me where that is." Looking around me, he continues, "You obviously know how to use it....nope, he says, I think we're done here, unless you want the deer." "No sir, I would but I'm heading to work, and my wife wouldn't appreciate another passenger." He laughs, shakes my hand, and thanks me. Says it's the end of his shift, and I just saved him from discharging his own weapon followed by 2 hours of paperwork.
He said the county has a list of folks that would take the deer for meat, so someone ate well...
 
I was driving a Propane Truck and got my random stop by DOT. My ccw had expired. The cop started asking me questions about all the paperwork on the truck. He was an absolute prick about it.
Then after that he asked where my gun was. I told him that my license was expired and that I wasn't carrying.
Of course he knew about my CCW when he ran my license. He also knew it had expired.

I am sure if I had a ccw license and forgot to tell him he would slapped me in cuffs and arrested me.

I started carrying a piece of paper on the top of my Drivers License now that says CCW just to remind me to always inform the officer I am carrying.
 
I must be a pretty sedate driver because my only interaction with law enforcement while armed has been with park rangers and fish and game while I am hunting. I am always polite and chatty and I unload as soon as I see them. We are usually a long way from anywhere and I have no wish to worry them. Never a problem and I appreciate what they do. At my favorite park I make a point of dropping off some honey out of my hives just to show them they are appreciated.
 
Half a fistbump interactions none bad, a couple amusing ones though.

Drove through a License check coming off the highway on the way to the range. Wallet was in the gear bag in the back seat of the truck. Informed the officer hey I've got a couple rifle and unfortunately my docs are underneath them all. He smiled and said he didn't feel anyone who would admit to having a his words "heap of rifles" was what they were looking for that day.

Another that was amusing was hit pulled for dead tail light. Had a glock 17 in an iwb holster. Was driving home from work wearing typical riding gear - tall boots, breeches, polo shirt. Told the officer "hey carrying a gun, have a permit. It's on my belt".
He kinda cocked his head and stared at me and finally asked what it was, "glock 17 gen 4"

His next question was how the hell are you carrying in that outfit? Where?! I can't even see it?!

Spent a couple minutes chatting holsters, pretty nice guy.
 
My state does not have an inform clause when interacting with LEO. As such I have never disclosed to an officer I was armed. Although working 2 years in the sheriff's office, some officers have commented to me "Still carrying that so and so?" Whatever I showed them after work on a particular day.

My wife on the other hand will announce I have a firearm to officers rather loudly if she is the one driving. "Here is my license and he has a gun."
 
Old Dog said:
Some here sure seem to get pulled over a lot ...
Click to expand...

I want to be careful how I say this because my intent is not to be rude or insulting but you seem to have a blind spot when it comes to cops. I'd say half of the responses here are noncommittal or positive but the negative ones seem to have really upset you.

I'm sorry but there are ******* cops out there. There are also cops out there who don't think citizens should be priveleged to carry arms and use their authority to make life miserable for any armed citizen they encounter.

There's a poster on the S&W forum who has posted numerous tImes that he used to carry illegally out of his home state (prior to the Law Enforcement Special Priveleges Act) and then said it was OK because he was a cop.

You don't have to like it but you do have to acknowledge that it exists and that we're not just "cop bashing" when we correctly recount negative encounters
 
Last edited:
Working as an armed security guard I routinely interacted with cops while armed. The majority of them were professional and none of the them made an issue of my gun.

I was checking the electrical substation at the base of the Manitou Incline one morning and had a meter maid go ballistic on me because I was parked in a spot that was reserved for authorized utilities vehicles. I showed her my utilities contractor I.D. and informed her that I was an authorized vehicle and saw the disappointment in her face because she couldn't write me a ticket.

I haven't pulled over in over 10 years and I've only ever been asked that one time but that one time was enough. Colorado doesn't require me to inform and since I have no idea what kind of cop I'm dealing with I don't unless specifically asked
 
A lady friend has a teen age son, some years back. He drove a junker and was always getting pulled over for one thing or another,,,,,,,One time his car died, wanted to borrow his mom’s,,,advised her “no,,,don’t do it” but you know moms, she loaned it to him for two weeks, he managed to get stopped on during those two weeks...
then, sure enough, mom started getting stopped for almost no reason, never got a ticket, but made her wonder.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Pulled over today for first time while carrying.
2 3
Replies
60
Views
3K
saltforkgunman
S
C
  • Locked
First LEO interaction while packing
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
Templar223
T
D
  • Locked
CCW and Law Enforcement
Replies
8
Views
659
slicksleeve
slicksleeve
H
  • Locked
Funny interaction with a sheriff
2 3 4
Replies
86
Views
6K
Robert
Robert
U
  • Locked
got pulled over while carrying
2
Replies
46
Views
3K
Sistema1927
Sistema1927
Back
Top