If you’re concealed carrying while driving in NC do you have to declare that you’re carrying a weapon?
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@James1346 Welcome to our community, we are glad to have you. 
Yes.
DUTY TO INFORM OFFICER YOU’RE CARRYING?
Do you have a duty to inform a police officer that you’re carrying a concealed firearm in North Carolina? Yes. You have a duty to inform a law enforcement officer that you’re carrying a concealed firearm upon initial contact.
[N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 14-415.21]
More here.
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Yes you do. Even if you are NOT carrying you still need to notify the LEO that you are a concealed carry Licensee and that you ARE or ARE NOT carrying a concealed handgun on you.
BTW if it’s a traffic stop he probably already knows because he already ran you license plate which brought up your license, which is flagged as being attached to a CC License. But you STILL have to tell him.
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My goodness, this patchwork of state laws could really get me in trouble, one day.
Especially if I’m on I70 late at night and I’m not even sure which state I’m in. 
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Wow. What a stupid law. Is the failure to declare that you are a CCW licensee and may or may not have a firearm a crime in NC?
Imagine if you had to tell a government official who contacts you that you might exercise your 1st Amendment right of free speech.
Another reason not to live in NC.
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I’m afraid that’s kind of the point with all these control laws and restrictions and requirements that so many states have.
Those that can’t make keeping and bearing arms illegal outright make it cost time and money to do so and leave plenty of traps that can make a person a criminal by pure accident/not having your papers/etc
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I receive this yearly and study it!
Always found it to be short and sweet, to the point. From Highway rest ares to Duty to Inform!
I make sure my youngest of 8 grandchildren gets the previous version, without fail.
Actually NC is one of the most gun friendly states on the east coast. Their CC License is recognized by about 37 states and you can walk into a gun store, buy a handgun by passing the NICS check and slap it on your belt and open carry that same day if you felt the need to do so.
Having to tell a LEO that your carrying is a small price to pay and so far it has NEVER been an issue for me in the last 8 years I’ve lived, carried and instructed in this state.
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I have to disagree, I consider informing law enforcement during a traffic stop, to be a professional courtesy. I’m way too old for any surprises.
Almost every state is either immediately or upon demand.
So when he/she pops the question, “is there anything in the vehicle I should be aware of”? It would be a really good idea to either present your CCW license along with your license, registration and proof of insurance or answer honestly with your hands in full view!
Just sayin’.
You’re also more likely to get a warning and a wave off!
We are one of the good guys!
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100% agree and this is based on my personal experiences.
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It’s the having to inform that you aren’t carrying that I see no justifiable reason for. Why are concealed carry license holders mandated to state they aren’t carrying when other drivers are not?
The last thing I would think of during a traffic stop is having to inform that I am not carrying. I can see the argument for informing when I am and I personally would do this regardless of any legal requirements. But other than trying to turn a law abiding citizen into a criminal I can see no good reason for requiring someone to state they have a license but aren’t carrying.
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The reason is that during a traffic stop your Vehicle and DD record is already on his screen in the cruiser and he already knows you are a CC Licensee, so why make him wonder where your gun is? It’s one of those things where I see no real harm in the requirement and has been mentioned, it flags you as a good guy before the interaction even happens. I’ve had nothing but positive outcomes in this state.
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I’m comfortable with being accountable and having checks and balances. I’m also comfortable with proceeding along with my day with relative ease, and pleasant interactions. This has been my experience when having to interact with law enforcement in an official capacity.
Welcome to the Community.
Does the duty to inform you are licensed but not carrying only apply to in State licenses or does it also apply to licensed carriers from other States?
If it applies to out of state licenses it would have made me a potential criminal if I happened to not be carrying at the time I was pulled over. I would have assumed like in all the other states with a duty to inform that it is a none issue when I am not carrying. Even the USCCA reciprocity info says duty to inform that you are carrying not that you have to inform when you aren’t.
I believe it is best to inform if you are carrying. But if you aren’t carrying I see no good reason at all to bring up the subjects of weapons to an LEO. If the LEO gets informed by their computer that you have a license to carry they should feel safe that you are a vetted law abiding citizen. If they are curious why you haven’t told them you are carrying when it is easy enough for them to ask.
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That’ll happen right after I have to get a license to practice free speech or religion.
For all I know, that’s already the case in some states. Luckily not in mine. Not yet, anyway.
I think it’s always best that the police know everything they need to know during a stop. That way, there’s no surprises. Seems a small price to pay to keep you safe and then safe
It is offensive that anyone has to get a permit/permission from some local bureaucrat to exercise “the right to keep and bear arms.” It is doubly offensive if it’s a crime to fail to inform some LE officer (just a government employee, after all) that you possess a license to exercise the right supposedly guaranteed by the 2d Amendment.
What’s the purpose of the law? Is government in NC afraid that CCW licensees will shoot LE and thus, are by definition dangerous?
It’s a stupid law.
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I agree. Which is why I would inform if I was carrying a firearm. But I suspect that telling a law enforcement officer I have no firearms in the vehicle is as likely to make them suspicious as to why I am stating that as it is to put them at ease.
Legally requiring people with CC licenses to state they are unarmed just seems like an unnecessary regulation designed to provide another opportunity to take 2A rights away if a person forgets to state that. Why shouldn’t all people be required to state they are unarmed if that would supposedly make LEOs safer? The people considering harming LEOs are not going to follow the laws anyway by announcing they are or aren’t carrying and they are likely already breaking several other laws and don’t need additional reasons to take their rights or freedoms away.
Traffic stops are dangerous situations for everyone involved. It makes sense to me to inform the officer if I have a firearm within reach whether I am legally obligated to or not. But I don’t think we need to keep putting additional burdens on licensed carriers and making those burdens change every time we cross an invisible line. The 2A is already the most regulated supposedly uninfrangible right in existence.
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I’d like to ask a question or so, “Do you currently have a concealed carry permit?” And if so, "Did you find it offensive to have to meet the legal requirements to even submit an application?’ “Do you find it offensive to even have laws pertaining to the possession and/or use of firearms in midst of having the rkba?” If so, would it have been easier to simply “opt out?”