This is a discussion on What exactly does "must inform officer" mean? within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; When you're in the same room as the officer? In the same line at McDonald's? Only when in direct conversation? "Excuse me sir, your fly ...
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When you're in the same room as the officer? In the same line at McDonald's? Only when in direct conversation?
"Excuse me sir, your fly is open. Oh by the way, now that I'm talking to you I am required by law to inform you (and raise your adrenaline level) I am carrying a concealed firearm". Hmm, I fail to see any good side to this. In practice, do CCW holders really make such disclosures even in casual interactions?
It means that you must reveal your license status when ever an" official interaction "is performed.
That means that if an officer asks you for I.D. then you must advise him if you are carrying a handgun. It doesn't mean informing because you are standing by him in a restaurant,church,park, or anywhere else. You must only inform if his inquiry is "official".
Get traffic stopped by a cop? Then inform.
It is better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb...
AR. CHL Instr. 07/02 FFL
Maker of cool things to shoot
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Since you're in Texas, here's the definition of "Must Inform" according to Texas statute:
GOVERNMENT CODE**CHAPTER 411. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY OF THE STATE OF TEXASSec. 411.205. REQUIREMENT TO DISPLAY LICENSE. If a license holder is carrying a handgun on or about the license holder's person when a magistrate or a peace officer demands that the license holder display identification, the license holder shall display both the license holder's driver's license or identification certificate issued by the department and the license holder's handgun license.
By the way, "about your person" includes within reach in the interior of a car (console, glove compartment, back seat, etc.). Oddly, in Texas, you don't have to inform the officer of the existence of a firearm in your center console if you DON'T have a CHL.
Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.
- Mike Tyson
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To me it is anytime a officer speaks directly to you when going about the normal duties of his job. Certainly if you are asked for ID you should tell him, and show the permit to him. The few times I have been pulled over both my front windows go down and my hands are clearly up on top of the steering wheel in plain sight. I will usually tell him I am carrying even before he says anything to me. I have been in his shoes many times and walking up on a unkown vehicle with dark tinted windows isn't the best feeling in the world. I simply treat him as I would want to be treated myself. This doesn't mean kissing his rear end, it means being respectful of the man/woman and the job they are paid to do. Simple as that.
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Simple and direct....well put...Originally Posted by NCHornet
I went to a bike dealership that was having a big open house today...two county sheriff's officers were assisting with traffic control...
I had to talk to them to get my truck into the lot as I was picking up a generator...I said nothing to them about carrying, since I started the conversation...
But if I had been stopped by an officer...NCHornet hit the nail on the head...
VCDL Member
"Let us speak courteously, deal fairly, and keep ourselves armed and ready."
Theodore Roosevelt
As the others have said. If the interaction is in the "line of duty" then inform. If informal interaction is taking place, no need to.
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It means you either tell the Officer#1 I have a license to carry and I'm packing,or#2 just pull it out and show him...I wouldn't suggest you ever do option #2
"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country,"
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington , DC .
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Way I've understood it as well.
I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. --- Will Rogers ---
Chief Justice John Roberts : "I don't see how you can read Heller and not take away from it the notion that the Second Amendment...was extremely important to the framers in their view of what liberty meant."
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I needed to do this for the first time two nights ago. We were driving into our golf club for a pre-tournament party with a band, food, and cocktails. Since I planned to drink, I didn't carry. As I wheeled up the driveway, the city police were there to screen people driving into the clubhouse area. I wasn't sure how club management was able to get cops to serve as parking valets, but they did. When I wheeled up, two female officers asked for our names so they could compare them against the guest list.
Even though I knew they wouldn't ask for my ID, I felt this was close enough to the definition to inform. I did. They gave me a quirky look as they saw my hands splayed on the wheel, then thanked me, ticked off my name, and we were on our way.
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As Hotguns and Gruntingfrog have pointed out. In Texas it really is a pretty limited set of circumstances and not simply when you are occupying the same lobby or serving line ect.
And by simply handing your DL and CHL over to the officer you get the information and point across to the officer without the words "I have a gun" coming out of your mouth, since those words should never come out of your mouth as a CHL holder.
When you take your class this should be covered. If you have taken your class already and it wasn't covered, your instructor needs to do a bit better job.
Just remember that shot placement is much more important with what you carry than how big a bang you get with each trigger pull.
www.ddchl.com
Texas CHL Instructor
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NRA Instructor
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In Oklahoma, you must inform on your initial contact with any LEO.
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Try not to stare at their crouch and the scenario you mentioned may be avoided.
Other than that it’s pretty obvious that an official contact is required
"Arms in the hands of individual citizens may be used at individual discretion..in private self defense." John Adams
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I believe there was a recent case in I think Michigan, where a citizen was charged with not immediately informing the officer during a traffic stop that he was carrying and had a permit. The interesting thing is that the time between the initial contact and the citizen telling the officer that he was legally carrying was...40 seconds. The court said that this was not "immediate" and the citizen lost in court.
Best way to win a gun fight? "That's easy, don't show up."
--Wyatt Earp
"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything."
-- Wyatt Earp
Inform them of what? That you're not carrying? Whether your state is "must inform" or not, I don't think informing is ever implied unless a firearm is on hand. It's not a matter of simply being licensed requires informing.
FL requires informing only when asked, but the LEOs I work with seem to prefer to be notified regardless. It avoids the "surprise" aspect.
Retired USAF E-8. Avatar is OldVet from days long gone - 1978. Oh, to be young again...
Paranoia strikes deep, into your heart it will creep. It starts when you're always afraid... "For What It's Worth" Buffalo Springfield
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Answer depends on the state. SC is a "must inform" state but their law is written in a way that only those with an SC CCW license are required to inform an officer. In SC, anyone who can legally own a handgun is allowed to keep it in the car in a spot that's not immediately accessible (in the console, for example). There's a thread on this on the forum...
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