Christmas Day I was traveling with my family when I was pulled over. I rolled my window down, DL and CHP in hand with both hands clearly on top of the steering wheel. When he approached the window I handed him both and said, "Here's my Drivers License and Concealed Carry License." He took only the DL and said, "I don't need that." I replied, "I just want you to know that I am carrying on my right hand side." His reply was great:
He said, "I won't ask to see it if you won't try to show it to me." I said "Yes sir" and we continued our business. He was very pleasant and helpful. Later I took the opportunity to explain to my kids that when you are respectful, polite, and courteous when talking with Police Officers they treat you the same way and are very helpful. It was a great teaching opportunity for my kids and I reinforced that with discussion after the fact.
I also explained to my kids that the law in that state did not require me to notify the officer but I chose to. It was late, dark, and he doesn't know what kind of person he is about to encounter. By handing him my permit he can at least rule out a lot of possibilities. And for me telling him I am armed and where eliminates any surprises. It was a non-issue. I travel through numerous states regularly and some are notify states and some are not. I choose to notify across the board and it's never been a problem. Anyway, I wanted to share his comment...I thought it was cool.
I applaud you and the officer for a courteous and professional encounter.
I have yet to be pulled over while carrying (I am knocking on wood as I type - I know I just cursed myself) and to be honest I am not sure how I will handle it. There is no duty to inform in GA and I have an option. I suppose it will be a game time decision when the time comes. I understand both sides of the argument and there are valid points on both sides. I suppose time of day and having my family with me will play into the decision.
Here's the thing.... in many states, mine included, as soon as the officer steps back to his car and runs your license, you'll come up as a concealed carrier. If you've already disclosed that up front in a polite and non-threatening manner, it generally becomes a non-issue. I would prefer that the officer not get a surprise and I'm sure he/she would, too.
Yep. Tennessee also doesn't require telling the officer, but I always show it and say, "I always show this as a courtesy." They typically ask if I have a gun at the moment. I say yes. Then they ask where it is and I tell them.
It's never been a problem. In fact, it shows the officer that you're a "good guy" when you do that, because most police understand that we concealed carriers are certified by the FBI as non-criminals.
I was in my wife's "soccer mom mini van." Those things are like dragsters in disguise!!! The aerodynamics are shockingly misleading...they should come with some kind of warning like "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" only worded to convey "object you are traveling in is going faster than it may appear." My old VW Bugs you feel like you're flying at 60.
I was in Georgia. We'll see how it turns out...I'm speaking with a professional who deals with this sort of thing for a living tomorrow for advice and guidance. It's what they do.
How many bugs do you have Bugdude? Ive owned three over the years. I loved working on them. My personal best time pulling a motor was 22 minutes from picking up a wrench, to it sitting on the garage floor. I was bragging about it at the VW parts store until they told me the record was something like three minutes
You are not required to inform in Florida. When a cop runs your plate in Florida, they are not aware that you have a CCW. CCW and drivers license databases are completely separate and they dont talk to each other. Older, more senior, more pro-gun cops, will not give you a hard time, will not disarm you, and will not make a mountain out of a mole hill. Younger rookie cops fresh out of the academy or more urban officers (Miami, Tampa, Orlando) are a lot less likely to give you a great reception.
I have responded to back up other officers and have seen them over-react. I have seen them take the gun "for officer safety" and run the serial numbers. I have seen officers draw their guns to the low ready and order everyone out of the car with their hands up. Fact is, some cops are not well versed in CCW laws, some cops are jumpy, and some cops are just used to seeing guns on gangsters. I was well versed in Florida gun laws and used these events as teaching moments for the officers. I discussed it with them afterwards, told them what I would have done, told them if I thought they were over-reacting, and informed them what the actual law was if they weren't 100% certain, asked to consult with a supervisor, or opened the state statue book.
For what its worth, I DO NOT inform. My wife has a CCW and I have strictly instructed her NOT TO INFORM. Nothing to gain, but a lot to lose if you are pulled over by Robo-Idiot.
You are not required to inform in Florida. When a cop runs your plate in Florida, they are not aware that you have a CCW. CCW and drivers license databases are completely separate and they don't talk to each other. Older, more senior, more pro-gun cops, will not give you a hard time, will not disarm you, and will not make a mountain out of a mole hill. Younger rookie cops fresh out of the academy or more urban officers (Miami, Tampa, Orlando) are a lot less likely to give you a great reception.
I have responded to back up other officers and have seen them over-react. I have seen them take the gun "for officer safety" and run the serial numbers. I have seen officers draw their guns to the low ready and order everyone out of the car with their hands up. Fact is, some cops are not well versed in CCW laws, some cops are jumpy, and some cops are just used to seeing guns on gangsters. I was well versed in Florida gun laws and used these events as teaching moments for the officers. I discussed it with them afterwards, told them what I would have done, told them if I thought they were over-reacting, and informed them what the actual law was if they weren't 100% certain, asked to consult with a supervisor, or opened the state statue book.
For what its worth, I DO NOT inform. My wife has a CCW and I have strictly instructed her NOT TO INFORM. Nothing to gain, but a lot to lose if you are pulled over by Robo-Idiot.
It's the same here in WA state. DOL handles driver licensing but licenses to carry a concealed gun are totally separate. If one lives in a town you go to your town PD to apply. If not in a town you apply to your county sheriff.
One day around 30 years ago I was heading to a friends house for some target shooting. I got pulled over by a state trooper. When he approached my crappy little car he saw mass ammo and many guns in the backseat. His main problem besides his reason for stopping me was where am I going? I felt my destination was none of his business and as nicely as I could muster I refused to answer his question. He didn't take my refusal well but eventually he told me why I'd been pulled over and after this trying time he let me go with a warning. I left with less than a stellar opinion of the WSP. My opinion of the WSP recently changed for the better. I wasn't carrying at the time and while I did get ticketed this trooper was a professional.
Why did I not tell him my destination? Simple. I don't want cops knowing where I live and I won't tell cops where my friends live. It's just common courtesy in my view.
I have no duty to inform in my state. Apart from semi recently on 2 occasions of getting pulled over I went 21 years without being stopped. I used to brag on that. If I'm still driving when I'm 84 I reckon I can start bragging again.
That's providing 'Murica isn't just one huge FEMA gulag.
I've had Four interactions with LEO while carrying. I just gave them my CCDW along with license, insurance and registration. In all Four instances the officer seemed indifferent and never mentioned it. FWIW I've not been ticketed either.
I've only been stopped once when carrying. When I handed the officer my permit, he became visibly more nervous and told me to keep my hands on the steering wheel where he could see them at all times. He seemed to consider the traffic stop much more dangerous after learning that I was legally carrying a firearm. The good news is that after about 10 minutes, he just gave me a verbal warning for allegedly running a stop sign where two dirt country roads came together. I say allegedly because neither my wife or I saw a stop sign and since it was at night, I don't know how we could have missed it shining in my headlights. If he had given me a ticket, I would have gone back to check, but since it was a verbal warning, I just drove away. I was surprised that handing him my permit increased his anxiety.
I did indeed receive a driving award and will be retaining a professional advisor to assist me in navigating it through to a hopefully more favorable outcome. It should be a fairly routine thing to get negotiated to next to nothing. The silver lining was using it as a teaching moment for my kids.
I can certainly see the potential downsides to informing when it is not required. Officers are people and I'm sure some would handle it fine and others would not. Fortunately I've never had a bad experience...if I ever do that may impact how I handle it going forward. Overall in my experience being calm, courteous, and respectful greatly influences how the encounter will go generally speaking...but like you said a young/jumpy person in a more urban area may react differently when the presence of a firearm becomes known. I understand and see the pros and cons either way.
No doubt. Worst part is I wasn't actively trying to be in a hurry...just zoned out and wasn't paying attention. Ended up wasting a little ammo money with no points on my DL.
There's nothing discourteous about keeping the fact that you're carrying a firearm to yourself. Even when talking to police. I'm not saying it's right or wrong to disclose (law permitting). Just that choosing to not disclose is not impolite.
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