I have my wallet in my back pocket and the cop watch me reaching for I moved really slowly
Texas law requires I declare I have guns. But Iād do it anyway. Hasnāt happened yet. But I havenāt made any mistakes and got caught.
Here in Missouri, You have no legal obligation to inform a LEO that you have a firearm on your person. However, I STRONGLY encourage my students to do so immediately. No matter what the officer asks or says first, before replying to his statement/question, inform the LEO of your firearm and itās location. This will help put the LEO at ease while dealing with the matter at hand. Overall it makes for a much less stressful situation for all parties involved.
Thatās great 2A_ IMO, personally, when they say hello, lic and reg, I say hello back and tell them Iād be happy to give you both, but I have to let you know, out of respect for you that I have an LTC and am carrying a handgun, what would you like me to do next. They usually will ask first thing, āis it loaded?ā And āwhere on your person is the gun?ā I did have that one cop say to me,āI do t care, I didnāt ask you for that information, can I have your lic and reg?ā I was really surprised at that reply, but I just did what was asked of me, and got a warning. Very strange way to do it I suppose, but we all went home safely.
Iāve done the same thing the couple of times Iāve been stopped. I find being forthcoming and polite goes a long way with officers. After all, theyāre doing a job we taxpayers pay them way too little to do. They catch a lot of flack from people who donāt appreciate their sevice, and routinely deal with the worst our society has to offer. Treat them straight up, honestly, and with respect and almost 100% of the time you will get that in return.
depends on your state and laws and more know them so you can be prepared as best possible to handle it.
in my state we do not have to tell an officer however i know in Oklahoma for example you have to
I see a lot of folks describing what the laws are in their state about informing a cop about your CC. Letās try to remember this, a cop is a human being, they have feelings and fears just like anyone else, a little bit of courtesy can really go a long way for these folks. So whatever the law states, no matter what the requirements are, letās try to treat them with the same respect that we would want for ourselves. Thereās a big difference between whatās required as opposed to whatās right. Letās show them the respect they deserve, it really could pay off in a great way in The long run. Treat everyone the way you would want to be treated. They are doing a near impossible job,and they need our help. God bless.
Whether it is the law in any state or not, if I am carrying in a vehicle and I get stopped, I will let the officer know that I am carrying, just so that there will be no complications later if he sees a gun and flinches.
Very good point @Steve-G! The times Iāve discussed guns with the police, weāve had great conversations about guns. Luckily my lead foot hasnāt gotten me in too much trouble (knocking on wood) so I havenāt addressed it while pulled over. (still knocking on wood).
They want to go home safely. I want to go home safely. Regardless of law, I would mention it at hello. I would keep my hands visable, turn on the dome light if it was dark and await to be instructed. Even when asked for my license, I would clearly tell them where it is prior to grabbing it. I keep my wallet in my chest pocket of my jacket. Could look suspicious.
I was pulled over just 10 days ago for something totally stupid (on my part). When the officer came up to my window he spoke before I had a chance to say anything. My hands were on the wheel and stayed there while he spoke. When he finally asked for my license I responded with āBefore I move I want to inform you I am a licensed CC older and I have a loaded weapon in the vehicleā. He asked its location which I told him. He thanked me for informing him and asked me not to make sudden moves when I produced my license for him. He did his check and returned to my vehicle with my license and a warning and no ticket . He once again thanked me for informing him about the weapon and hoped I had a wonderful rest of my day.
I have mixed feelings about this subject, and really wonāt get into my full thoughts on it as every scenario could be different, but I do have a question for all of you.
What if youāre pulled over for speeding, basic license and registration scenario, and in your decision to be forthcoming that you have a weapon in the vehicle the officer strikes up a friendly gun conversation? They ask what you carry, and when you tell them they say āOh wow, Iāve wanted to check one those out in person. I really shouldnāt do this, but would you mind if I took a quick peek? I was thinking of getting one for myself/wife/husband etcā They seem really cool, looks like they may totally forget about the ticket, pro 2A etc.
Then what if, when you show it to them, they write down the serial number? Or maybe theyāre so āexcitedā they say āDude, thatās a nice gun. I gotta get a pic of that thing!ā Now the conversation goes on about the guns they own and have at home, so you naturally talk about the guns you have at home.
Just something to think about. āTreadā lightly my friends.
Interesting point, @Kerryman71! Something similar happened to my son about his car. He has a 1972 Datsun and was pulled over. The officer was all excited about the car and took pictures of it (with my sons consent) to āshare with his brother who likes that model.ā
I told Kevin Michalowski about it and he kind of laughed at my naivetĆ© - evidently thatās not an unusual tactic if theyāre looking for a car that resembles one used in a crime.
Granted, itās a really cool car, so Iām going to let myself be naive and think that the police officer was being nice. (Trust me, I know my kids arenāt angels, but theyāre not thieves or criminals.) I did warn my kids to not consent going forward. Thereās no reason to consent to photos being taken.
Exactly. And I think that the majority of us respect and appreciate law enforcement and they know that. We want to comply and make their jobs easier for them, knowing how difficult it can be. What better way for them to get a voluntary gun registration than that?
I work side by side with the police in my city. We get along great and look out for one another, but unless weāre close friends, they donāt need my gun info. The Sergeant who ran the LTC class in the city told everyone that when they get a gun, they should take a picture of it with the serial number and bring it to the police station so they can file it in case thereās an issue. I donāt think so. I have the serial number written down and locked up. If they need to know what it looks like in case itās stolen Iāll have them Google āHeckler & Koch VP9ā and tell them itās the black one.
Hereās an odd question: have you ever called the police station to verify that it is in fact an officer behind you?
Once upon a time I read a blurp about things like this. Tactics used to get you outside your house/car and being aware of your surroundings. Some of it seemed far fetched (like the sound of a baby carrying outside your window to lure you outside to investigate). Cop cars were used in this as well. At night, no other lights beside the blinding white lights flooding your mirrors and the berries nā cherries. Weāre taught to just pull over. Do you pull over without thought? Do you slow down with your warning lights on while calling to verify?
More out of curiosity if anyone has done this.
Here in MN we only have to notify the officer we are carrying or if we have a permit to carry is if they ask.
They had someone here in Minneapolis about 20 years ago posing as a police officer and trying to sexually assault women. The police said if a police car comes up behind you and attempts to pull you over and youāre not sure if it is indeed a police officer to slowly drive with your flashers on to the police department or if you are too far from a police department to call 911 and they will verify it is indeed an officer
Thatās pretty much exactly what I read. I think about it sometimes driving home from work at night. I actually keep my local PD department phone number at the very bottom of my contact list. Easier to scroll down to the bottom than searching for it whIle driving. Came in handy a few times. Not for being pulled over, rather coming across someone with vehicle problems late at night, etc.
With how often we talk about situation awareness, iām just curious if anyone considers this.
(By the way, welcome to the community @Vikesfanbrian! weāll leave MNvsGB for a different conversation! Haha Thanks for your response to this! )
Iāll only tell them if itās going to be obviously visible when they approach the car. Iāve never been pulled over though.
Very good point! Verifying the car is in fact a police officer can be important.
What a sad state when people impersonate and target police ā¦