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A ton of excellent advice with explanations. Be sure to pay attention to Tip #4 , which starts about minute 12, Never reach for a gun in front of a cop.
I have rehearsed the following for years, in case a cop asks (tells) me to hand over my gun:
“Officer, for both of our safety, I don’t want a third person to see me handling a gun near you. I will cooperate fully to allow you to disarm me.”
Many years ago, before I had gone through this level of training, a small town trainee rookie cop at a minor traffic accident asked me to remove and unload my gun and put it in the car, with his training officer right next to him. It all went OK, but in hindsight, wow did all three of us handle that incorrectly.
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As a retired Law Enforcement Officer. I always appreciated when a driver informed me there was a firearm in the vehicle. Naturally, I would ask where it is located. I would then tell the driver “Keep your firearm holstered and I will keep mine holstered.” Finish the traffic stop and be on our separate ways.
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Thank you. Most considerate and safe.
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That sounds like the proper way to do it, but Massad Ayoob said and it sounds scary but like if there is two LEOs and often that’s the case and the one on the drivers side wants you to show him ur weapon and the cop on the passenger side is watching your hands and with all of the noise from the highway can’t hear the other officers commands to see ur gun and you reach to unholster it and all he sees is you going for you’re gun and POW you’ve got a new hole in your head God didn’t put there. And it has happened. So if that’s the case might tell the other officer what your doing so you don’t get a new part in your hair.
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I never leave the gun laying around in the car. It’s either locked up in the trunk or holstered and on my person and the permit with it.
We need to get rid of the permits.
All gun laws are UnConstitutional.
We also need to end traffic stops.
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That is how it should go every time.
Here in my area, contrary to popular belief, LE is usually pretty calm with the driver during normal traffic stops. During my last traffic stop, which was for a headlamp out, when the officer asked about weapons in the vehicle I offered the information requested. EDC pistol holstered on my right side and a PCC folded up in a backpack on the back seat. He gave me a similar statement to what OscarTwoSeven described, went back to his cruiser, did his thing, came back to me and issued a warning for the headlamp. He said at that point the traffic stop was over and he asked if he could ask a personal question about my PCC. He wanted to know which one I had and why I bought that particular one. He stated he was in the market for one and was trying to make a decision.
I gave him my honest opinion of why I purchased the one I have, all the pros and cons, I detailed other PCC’s I had looked at including pros and cons. He actually listened to me. We shook hands and parted company.
A few weeks later I was driving around town with my Wife on a weekend and I noticed a police cruiser birddogging me. We get to where we are going, Walmart I think, and the cruiser pulls in and parks a few slots away. We get out, he gets out, and it’s the same officer. We recognize and greet each other with a handshake.
He explained he made the purchase of his PCC, the same one I had, and thanked me for my input. Shook hands again and he was back on the road.
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When I could drive, I always told the officer what I was going to do even if he told me to do it.
Officer: show me your insurance and registration
Me: officer I have to reach into the glove box to get it. I have it in the car manual.
Then I slowly open the glove box and retrieve the documents. I don’t want any extra holes placed into my body. They tend to hurt and make life harder.
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I would never leave one just laying around in the vehicle for many reasons and it’s just plain dumb and tacky as well and shows non professionalism and G-Dog gangsta wanna be. But in my post I was talking a holstered weapon and as your going for it to show the officer at drivers door if there’s one on the opposite side of you and he can’t hear the other officers comands all he sees is you unholstering your EDC thing
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A copy of my driver license, insurance, registration is rubber-banded to my driver’s side visor. This way, I never have to reach for anything. It’s all right there. All I need do is slide it out and hand it over.
In my state, I only need present my driver license to the police. So he gets the copy. I will show him the actual license upon request if he asks.
I refrain from answering any questions the officer may have about anything and invoke my 5th and 6th Amendment and wait for the stop to end.
Dashcam is on, recording everything.
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I get it but if like me you keep that paperwork in something that could make him think you’re getting out a gun, in court he says I thought he was reaching for a holstered weapon. Just don’t want to go there.
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Oh yea I was just re-telling a thing that Ayoob was saying as one of his “ what to do and what not to do” vids, but IDK what “ paperwork “ there is but my CCP or CHPP ( handgun or pistol is what mine actually says) or whatever they are called this week is like a driver’s license with my picture on it that is in my wallet like my USCCA card, my God acronyms are driving me crazy lol and the same with the medical stuff to EKG , and I think Im having a ERG on the 11 th of next month where they go down ur throat with a camera lol , fun fun fun! Oh not to forget a MRI , had a few of them too. Geesh…
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I like Ayoob but at the same time I disagree with a lot that he says. To me, he almost sounds like a gun guy that has swallowed the left’s narrative. He’s probably forgotten more than I will ever know about guns. Yes we gunners have to be responsible for our actions but at the same time the bad guy, gubment and news media need to hold the crooks to the same level of scrutiny which they don’t.
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Remember Mas is not only a major player in the training business, he is a former cop, limited- authority prosecutor, and high quality expert witness with a ton of courtroom experience. He knows law enforcement back and forth. I am curious what he has has said that make you think he has “swallowed the left’s narrative.”
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Me, too.
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Well for one he wants me to notice where evidence is, who was around and other investigative info that I’m not trained to do. Yes I understand that I should be a good witness but as we all know a single witness only gives their perspective no matter how honest s/he is.
I don’t think I should have to do the officer’s job. I’m too involved in the situation and shouldn’t be part of the investigation on going. Which sets me up because if I say the wrong thing to a cop….we all know what happens.
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Please add Alabama as a must disclose state.
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Hello, Lawrence107, welcome to the community! We’re very glad that you’ve joined us and hope that you enjoy the forums!
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I also think Mr Ayoob is coming from the position of the LEO and what would make his job easier. As a gun owner my responsibility is to me and my family. Let me get a lawyer and then I will talk with cops.
Edit: my personal feelings are that we’ve taken this “be a good witness” too far. I don’t want to hinder but I don’t want to set myself up either.
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Welcome, Lawrence!
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