CCW, Security Guard requests license?

[Paco]

I have been wondering, I know if a LEO asks for your CCW license you should show it but what if you are asked by a security guard at the mall or a big box store? Do you produce your license or simply say that you are licensed and there is no requirement to show it, or is there?

I think I may show it so as to not cause this guard to follow me around while the LEO's are on the way and just cause more grief than necessary, what are your thoughts?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Sleepnheat]

I would show it just to avoid a headache.

[CCWINNC]

I would think we need to know why the security guard is asking you for your CCW. If there was an incident I would wait for the police. Otherwise how does the security guard know if you are concealed.

[Paco]

I was thinking along the lines of an accidental printing and a sharp Guard or something along those lines, purely hypothetical.

[Tros]

Private property laws vary from state to state; the Security Officer/Guard/ETC has every legal right to ask to see your permit; you have every legal right not to show it... They also have the legal right to instruct you to leave their property at that very moment of you giving them a reason to think something isn't right...

With that said, whether or not you do have it you will more than likely be asked to leave the property for making the security's job un-needingly harder (Which typically means you were giving the S.O. a lip full); not only that, but if you refuse to show your permit, and they know you're carrying there are two things that come to mind; 1. You aren't good at CCW... 2. When they call the PD, the radio will come across that there is a subject with an unbrandished weapon refusing to work with security, and he refuses to leave (Criminal Trepassing... In other words, PD is going to be in a hurry to the call).

Long story short, you don't have to, but to avoid any sort of issue, it'd be much easier to show them.

[jahwarrior72]

i can tell you how it works in PA. you are under NO obligation to show any sort of ID to store security. they are corporate security, not civil law enforcement. if a security guard asks, or demands, to see your ID, you can tell him where to put his demands. in fact, if a police officer stops you on the street, and demands your ID, you can refuse. you might get hassled, but, under PA state law, LEOs need reasonable suspicion to ask for ID. in other words, walking down the street is not grounds for a Terry stop. again, this is PA; i don't know how it works in TX.

[DarinD]

Using wisdom and showing respect will always get you a lot further. And if you think about it, their job has to suck.

[David in FL]

if a security guard asks, or demands, to see your ID, you can tell him where to put his demands.

At which point they may escort you off the property and ban you from ever returning. I just don't get any enjoyment from screwing with the poor guy just trying to do a tough, thankless job.

Personally, I'd show it to him. No harm, no foul and I'd be glad to know that I'd inadvertantly been printing so I could correct it.

[luvmyglock]

I don't show my ccw to anyone unless they are a police officer. I am not required to by law, so it's just not going to happen.

[David in FL]

I don't show my ccw to anyone unless they are a police officer. I am not required to by law, so it's just not going to happen.

May I ask, why?

[TonyB]

legally......cops ,yes...security,no..although if the guys is respectfull and polite I will.He won't disarm me however...if that's his plan,call the cops.Or if the guy's an a-hole wanna be.....call a cop,I'll wait.I have never been in this situation,and hope never to be.I pocket carry mostly,so unless the guys is rubbing up against me,he can't tell....and if he IS rubbing up against me,he's got more issues than if I'm carrying.

[bluesteel]

I carry everywhere it is legal to do so. How would anyone know you were armed unless you told them so. Don't ask Don't tell

[dogrunner]

One good reason to be apprehensive about showing ID to any security officer is very simply that some of them are in truth real 'wing ding' wannabe's!

Frankly, I'd play it by ear, and it would most strongly depend on the attitude and demeanor of the person requesting....that said...no SO in Florida has ANY right to demand ID. Further, one really doesn't know if that guard is licensed, has had a background check, or for that matter is really very stable...and I have seen and delt with those that were all of those!

I most clearly remember one that pulled an aggravated assault on a couple dropping off metal at a salvage yard after hours, holding them at gun point and telling them that the law "gave him the right to shoot them"! He went to the crossbar immediately. I remember one fool that worked for the now defunct J.M. Fields that accosted me as I was leaving the store with two surplus rifles I'd just purchased screaming at me to "get the bolts open"........He just about turned blue when I badged him and told him in no uncertain terms that he was precisely one sentence away from a very unwelcome ride!...........

Some are just trying to do an honest job, BUT there are, as I said, some real characters that get attracted to that sort of job and they're usually the ones that could not be hired as a LEO.

If the matter becomes an issue, then the best recourse to to request LE at the scene.

[Tros]

...BUT there are, as I said, some real characters that get attracted to that sort of job and they're usually the ones that could not be hired as a LEO...

Sad, but true. That speaks more of the company hiring those types than the person themselves. I can't speak for all private security companies, but I can think of a few that I'd be proud to have around me if I needed private security for any reason. While the job will never be highly respected, you would be amazed how much more respect you'll have to the private security field when you find well trained Security Officers working for a client contract site willing to hire the good guys.

I always had a joy in my last job when it came to training the high-end contracts simply because I didn't have to focus on basic training, and I could focus on how the private security sector differed from law enforcement, and what advantages we had; not only that, but I would also get to learn from past experiences from the S.O.'s when they were employed in law enforcement (Some swat, very interesting people) and rarely, body guards from our high end contracts. Fun times

I sure don't miss training the low-end contracts though; I'd intentially, "over train" security officers in the low-end contracts. Between wanting to impress the clients, and making sure the guys and gals wouldn't tarnish the companies name; it was an uphill battle simply because many were wanting to get into law enforcement (They are fun to train if they are willing to learn) and then THOSE types where you know they won't make it more than six months. I hated dealing with those types...

[Ram Rod]

Personally, even hypothetically--I don't see how we ever got to point A to begin with. If a security guard (a member of the general public such as I in his capacity) is asking to see my ID or permit, then something has gone very wrong or they have x-ray vision. If I passed through some metal detector and they are alerted to me, and I'm legally carrying and approached by them and asked to do so, I will produce my documentation and state I'm armed. Nobody at this point is allowed to ask me to either reveal, or relinquish my firearm unto them until a full fledged law enforcement officer is on the scene with a warrant or probable cause. Once I've made that attempt to cooperate with reasonable demands and they decide to overstep their bounds, I'd be taking future legal action against the individuals and/or the establishment which employs them after filing a formal complaint with the local jurisdiction of law enforcement.