Concealed carry....kind of a long story

[J Bowen]

First off in NC you must inform any officer you speak
with that you are carrying. I knew of this law but did
not realize how serious NC LE was about the law until
I had a run in with a LEO.
I was driving through a bad part of town at night
to go downtown to play guitar at a restaurant.
I have a permit to carry and always have my firearm beside
me while driving except for this one night I put my gun in the trunk
of my car since I wasnt going to carry in the restaurant.
So I drove past a patrol car and noticed it pulled out behind me
as I passed and followed me. I knew I wasnt speeding but felt
I was getting ready to get pulled over and I was right.
Two officers approached my car with flashlights on. I had my window
down, permit, license, and registration ready to give the officer.
He asked if I knew why I was being pulled and I said no. He said one
of your headlights is out. I was in the process of trying to tell him
I had a permit and was handing him my permit card when he cut me off and said I noticed when I ran your tags that you have a concealed permit. Then asked me if I had a gun on me. I said yes but it wasnt actually on me and that the gun was in the trunk. Im sure he thought I was lying because he asked me to step out of the car and he was going to search me. I said ok that's fine but I do have a knife in my pocket.
The other officer was shinning his flashlight in my car visually searching
through the window never actually opening the door to search while
I was outside the car.
He patted me down and didnt ask to see the knife then said get the
light fixed and always tell us when you have a permit. I said ok thanks. Im sure he would have given me a ticket if in fact I did have my gun on me. I know they were just doing their job but be sure if the inform law is the same in your state that you tell a officer immediately you have a permit and are carrying.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[archer51]

While I inform whether required or not, an officer has to needs you time to inform as well. Common sense needs to work in both directions. Personally I figure if I get pulled over I'm getting a ticket. If the LEO decides to cut me slack for any reason fine, but I definitely don't expect it of them.

[StevePVB]

I don't know that I'd leap to the conclusion you would get a ticket if you had the gun on you. Maybe he decided the fact that you were respectful, weren't speeding, and had passed the background check meant you were basically a decent, law-abiding citizen.

[grady]

Blurt it out if you have to. No need giving LEO a reason to ticket you.

If the LEO goes on a ramble before you have a chance to inform, interrupt him.

[dukalmighty]

Blurt it out if you have to. No need giving LEO a reason to ticket you.

If the LEO goes on a ramble before you have a chance to inform, interrupt him.

Yell out I have a concealed handgun license ...Don't yell out I have a gun and a license,basically same thing,but they may not hear the license part above the gunfire

[Rugergirl]

If I am stopped, I will have my drivers license and CPL, CPL on top, ready to hand the officer before he gets to my window whick will already be down, radio off, and my hands where he can see them.
As soon as is possible I will verbally inform the officer that I have a CPL, I am carrying and where my "firearm" is located, followed by the words "what would you like me to do?"
I am showing my respect for the law and the LEO himself and leaving the rest of how the stop proceeds up to him. If he says just leave it there, fine, if he wants to disarm me and hold the gun until the stop is finished that's fine too. His stop, his call.

[AKsrule]

First off in NC you must inform any officer you speak
with that you are carrying. I knew of this law but did
not realize how serious NC LE was about the law until
I had a run in with a LEO.
I was driving through a bad part of town at night
to go downtown to play guitar at a restaurant.
I have a permit to carry and always have my firearm beside
me while driving except for this one night I put my gun in the trunk
of my car since I wasnt going to carry in the restaurant.
So I drove past a patrol car and noticed it pulled out behind me
as I passed and followed me. I knew I wasnt speeding but felt
I was getting ready to get pulled over and I was right.
Two officers approached my car with flashlights on. I had my window
down, permit, license, and registration ready to give the officer.
He asked if I knew why I was being pulled and I said no. He said one
of your headlights is out. I was in the process of trying to tell him
I had a permit and was handing him my permit card when he cut me off and said I noticed when I ran your tags that you have a concealed permit. Then asked me if I had a gun on me. I said yes but it wasnt actually on me and that the gun was in the trunk. Im sure he thought I was lying because he asked me to step out of the car and he was going to search me. I said ok that's fine but I do have a knife in my pocket.
The other officer was shinning his flashlight in my car visually searching
through the window never actually opening the door to search while
I was outside the car.
He patted me down and didnt ask to see the knife then said get the
light fixed and always tell us when you have a permit. I said ok thanks. Im sure he would have given me a ticket if in fact I did have my gun on me. I know they were just doing their job but be sure if the inform law is the same in your state that you tell a officer immediately you have a permit and are carrying.

So , even though they KNEW you were a permit holder and therefore probably law-abiding - and the only mistake you made was having a bad headlight - "Barney and Goober " decided to
treat you as a suspect and bust your chops.

And you consider this treatment as just them being "serious" about
the law?

.

[bbqgrill]

Golly gee, I wish I had some cool gun stories I purchased my first firearm close to 30 years ago and been legally carrying on a daily basis for around 10 years; yet, I just don't have any cool gun stories or cop stories I do have some good deer stories but none of them involve cops. I'm just not doing something right.

Incredulously Yours,

[TX-JB]

I bet the reason you got treated the way you did was because of the part of town you were in. You said it was a bad part of town. The officers probably weren't expecting to find a law abiding citizen in that part of town.

[uncballzer]

I've been in WV a lot recently, and stopped twice in about 3 months time apart by the State troopers--just warnings both ways after I informed I had my NC CCP. That didn't happen before I got my CCP. So the same thing has crossed my mind about properly informing/good background/etc and letting go with warning. At least I hope the streak continues, but I'd like to not get pulled over again too....

[chiefjason]

Not sure that a headlight out fits the crime afoot part of the Terry search. And legally possessing a handgun does not either. It's not the first report about LEO and CC holders in NC that concerns me. They seem to take the CCP as a reason to do some very unnecessary things. BTW if you are not concealing the scope of permit does not require you to inform. They can, and usually do, find out when they run your tag. It's only one extra click on the computer to pull up the DL history of the owner of the vehicle. That said, I would still inform them regardless. But if you ever find yourself in a position and they try to bust your chops about being unarmed and not informing it's good to know.


14‑415.11. Permit to carry concealed handgun; scope of permit.
(a) Any person who has a concealed handgun permit may carry a concealed handgun unless otherwise specifically prohibited by law. The person shall carry the permit together with valid identification whenever the person is carrying a concealed handgun, shall disclose to any law enforcement officer that the person holds a valid permit and is carrying a concealed handgun when approached or addressed by the officer, and shall display both the permit and the proper identification upon the request of a law enforcement officer

[SCbuckeye12]

If you have a CCW, inform them if your carrying or not carrying. In Ohio they know as soon as they run your plates and we have a duty to inform. So telling them you're not carrying is a good idea too. I work on federal property so I can't have a firearm, even in a parked vehicle.

[grandma4]

I am stopped frequently by police who are checking for valid drivers license, expired plates etc. I think when they have a lot of burglaries in an area they set up check points to see who moves in and out of neighborhoods by using a license check as an excuse. I always have my drivier's license my permit and registration waiting for him before he even gets to my door. As soon as i see that i'm being stopped I roll my window down, I now drive with my license and all the other stuff right on my visor so all I have to do is reach for it. I have copies of my drivers license and permit that have been laminated so that I can carry them in my wallet. It works great, and when I'v been asked for Id in a store or some other place that needs my ID they have never even noticed it's a copy. I guess if they had to have the real thing i'd make a trip out ot the car to get it.

The times I have been stopped i'v actually had the LEO to totally look at me like what the heck is this when they see my CCL. That has been the thing that has surprised me. Only one ever even ackowledged it and he said "no problem" and told me to have a good night.

When approached by the LEO as I hand him the documents I say "hi, I am required by law to advise you etc etc etc. and I hope you are having a good day or night as it applys.

[theotherlis]

I had an incident recently when I was in the awkward timeframe between when my CHL had been approved and when I had received notification of it in the mail (which must have been a whopping three days, according to the date on the letter I got)... I got pulled over, due to confusion over a new no-turn-on-red sign.. anyway, the LEO ran the info and saw it listed me as CC. He was really great and after a couple of questions politely asked "So, uh, when were you gonna tell me about the CC..?" to which I turned beet red, and exclaimed that it was nice to know I had been approved, but I'd rather have found out via the letter!

We are required to disclose CC in my state.. and I've had many LEOs and attorneys over the years emphasize how important it is to do so as soon as possible during the encounter. But of course, they have to let you talk to get the word out about it.

[nedrgr21]

Glad I have a non-res permit in a state with no duty to inform.