Being pulled over with your weapon on you

I was pulled over the other day. When the officer came to my truck he asked the normal questions. Any knives , guns , drugs or handgernades in you vehicle. I had my license and ccw i.d. in my hand and handed it to him. He was very cordial and liked that it was handed to him right away. Ofcourse my hands were on the top of the steering wheel. How do you answer to an officer?

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Pretty much same thing I do.

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Just be sure to check your state laws, especially if you are traveling. In Michigan someone was recently convicted of failure to inform and lost their carry license because they waited 40 seconds into the traffic stop to tell the officer that they had a license and were carrying. Michigan is a Must Inform state.

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I was pulled over. I rolled down my window and locked my hands on the top of the steering wheel. The County Sheriff started to ask me for my license and proof insurance. Even though I was in a state with no duty to inform I stopped him and said sir that state of ___ has issued me a and he stopped me and said ok where is your firearm. I told him where it was and asked him what he wanted to do. He told me keep my hands off of mine and he would keep his hands off of his.

I used my off hands to get my wallet out of my front pocket and got my drivers license and cc. He then was asking me what I was carrying (S&W PC Shield 9) and he said nice gun. He then told me what I did to get pulled over (made a double wide left hand turn) handed me back my license and cc and told me to be on my way.

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In my state, NC, we have a duty to inform. When the officer approaches, I start by insisting that I am not driving, I am traveling… Just kidding :slight_smile:
What I really do is hand over my license and CWP at the same time. This is always followed by the question about whether I have a weapon with me at that time. I answer by verbally describing where it is, never reaching. I have not had to get out of the vehicle or be disarmed during the stop. The term GUN! is a trigger word in LEO training. I try to never use that term during a stop.

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Resect goes a long way when dealing with law enforcement. @KevinM is currently a LEO and may chime in here with his thoughts :wink:

Here’s a blog article about interacting with the police when you’re pulled over:
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/handling-police-and-armed-citizen-encounters/

I’ve always told my kids that when they get pulled over they have to be respectful and:

  • Window down
  • Radio off
  • Keep your hands on the steering wheel until the officer is at the window and directs you to do differently
  • Be respectful (yup told them that twice)
  • If you don’t understand what the officer directs you to do, state that very clearly (adrenaline can play with your hearing)

My sons have met a few police officers since they started driving. :woman_facepalming: One was actually annoyed at how polite my son was. LOL!

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Illinois is a duty to inform on request state. Meaning, I don’t have to volunteer the info, but if asked, I am required by law to answer. The only auto interaction I’ve had with an officer since I started carrying was an accident. It was the here’s my license and insurance, while I looked over the damage, or lack thereof, to my truck.
That said, I would have my DL, insurance card, and ccw license in my left hand, and my right hand on the steering wheel. I don’t want any miscommunication in this situation. I want the officers impression of me to be that of a law abiding citizen, with nothing to hide. I’m not letting them search my truck without a warrant, though. That’s my right to refuse.

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That’s rediculous.

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YEP! I agree.

The Michigan law says “must inform immediately” and 40 seconds was adjudicated to be insufficient to qualify as immediate.

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PA law states no need to tell, unless asked.

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I have been reading about the State of Florida on this issue and will someone help clarifying this for me. My state has our CC indorsement on our Drivers License already, but I want things to go smoothly
with OFFICER.

Information would help and I thank you very much.

William H Smith Jr

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40 seconds? How stupid can it get?

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When I have been pulled over by KHP & THP (Kentucky and Tennessee Highway patrol) First thing I tell them before they can say anything is I’m license CCW and I am carrying. They ask for all my I.D. and all the information on my truck and trailer for the D.O.T. information and then tell me that they wish more responsible trucker’s would carry, but they know there’s some “hot heads” that would get into trouble with their firearm and would make it worse for the responsible driver’s that have respect for the responsibly of carrying.

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In Florida you do not have to inform law enforcement if you are carrying: https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/fl-gun-laws/

Is it a physical mark on your license indicating the CC permit?

If you have the endorsement on your drivers license and you get pulled over, you could inform the officer about the firearm you have on your person out of respect for his/her position.

If you’re pulled over in another state the officer might not know - unless it’s physically marked on your driver’s license. I would be sure to know the laws of the state you’re driving in and inform as necessary.

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Thank You! I have a Florida indorsement on my records (License). When that Officer calls
to check my TAGS and Drivers License, He will know that I have a CCP/L. Then your
questions from that Officer starts. You: Yes sir and be honest and polite, then if he ask to see
them, give it to them. Now that is the plain and how I was taught. I will OBEY! But
things can be different here in Florida and that OFFICER. I think the answer is that you do not
show unless you are ask to.

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Tennessee doesn’t have an endorsement for our license if you are registered for CCW, so we have a separate license they issue for gun owners who carries after going through all the classes, background check, and finger prints.

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In MI, it’s a $500 fine, 6 month loss of your carry permit, and a misdemeanor conviction kind of stupid, IIRC. :angry:

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I do agree. On both parts. Yours and the Leo’s. In Oregon when they run our plates it comes up anyways. That’s part of the reason I handed it at the same time as my license. Thank you. Like hearing what everyones way of handling this situation.

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In Missouri it’s not on your DL, and I don’t know if it comes up when they run your DL or plates. In MI and FL I believe it does… but I need to confirm that. My trainer, who teaches in both MI and FL says it does. So they know anyway, might as well hand them both. Plus MI is “must inform immediately”

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In MN where I used to live that fact you have a CC does not come up when they run your plates. I know this from the combined local cities PD Citizens Academy and my ride along.

PS I also did the local combined cities FD Citizens Academy and ride along. Both were very informative and I learned a lot. The FD was also a lot more hands on especially since we were issued our own set of gear.

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