if you get pulled over, do you tell the cop you have a gun on you?

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Im in Ct. and you dont have to tell the officer you are carrying, but i do it anyway, makes the cop a little less edgy! Dont know if it pops up on the screen when they run your plates, but the pistol has to be concealed not in public view! Was stopped last year in one of those safety checks waited about 3mins for the State cop to come over, looked at the car and my wife and myself asked for liscense and registration and asked if any weapons in car told him pistol permit in wallet and pistol on right hip, said ok have a good day! So like i said maybe he already knew! :confused:
 
"I always roll down the windows and stick my hands out. I tell any passengers to do the same. I haven't been shot yet so I guess I'm doing the right thing."


This is a not uncommon response for people who have been arrested at gunpoint or have outstanding warrants. Be prepared to be treated as such.

I like driver's hands on the wheel. Passengers on dash or in plain view.

-Z
 
In TN you do not have to tell the officer that you are packing but I think it is a good idea to show your ccw license along with drivers license and registration. I would tell the officer if my gun was in center console and I had to reach for seatbelt so that I could get my wallet out.
 
do you think having something like a small "NRA member" sticker on your rear window would be a good idea or a bad one? it seems like it would only help the situation.
 
In Arizona, you are not required to inform. However, you must produce the permit upon the request of an officer.
The officers always ask of you are carrying!!
 
do you think having something like a small "NRA member" sticker on your rear window would be a good idea or a bad one? it seems like it would only help the situation.
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I doubt it would work in your favor. It would give thieves and /or LEO's probable cause to believe that a weapon was in the vehicle.
 
not in VA, but i do when i get pulled over. each time i have told them they simply ask to see my permit and thats the end of it.
 
I tell them......My brother in-law is a NY State Trooper, and his thought on it is that it puts most officers at ease knowing that you are armed right away, instead of finding out about you having a gun farther into the encounter. I have nothing to hide if the LEO wants to waste his time on a search thats fine with me but, thats just me YMMV
 
I was pulled over in AZ.... he did not ask.

I was pulled over in OK... I was not aware of OK requirement to inform...
he also did not ask.

I have read so many cases where a driver informs the officer that he is
carrying, and the officer weirds out on him.

I'm still not convinced of the advisablitiy of introducing more STUFF
into a traffic stop if you don't have to.

EC
 
in Fl you obviously dont have to inform...but i think i would just so he doesnt freak out if i print, etc. whatever.

heres my question.

if i do tell them i have a CCW and carrying at the present time can they ask me to step out of the car and search it?....thats bull**** if they can.
 
I have read so many cases where a driver informs the officer that he is
carrying, and the officer weirds out on him.
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That's my main fear. I believe in CT you are not required to tell if you are carrying, but I remember when I took my pistol course the guy who ran it recommended we did.

I like the idea of handing him your permit with your lisence, you're not saying "I'm carrying" directly because depending on the cops mood or my demeanor or other variables, he could take that as a threat. But it does inform him in a "non-threatening" way.

BTW, how do you guys in different states know that when they run your plate your CCW comes up/doesn't come up? I'm curious about that.
 
In VA you don't have to tell them but its is best to notify the officer if you are. They already know before they get to the car. Virginia CCW permit holders have a note in VCIN (Virginia criminal check system), so the officer usually knows when walking up on a vehicle stop if a person is/can be legally armed.

Rellasocut
 
BTW, how do you guys in different states know that when they run your plate your CCW comes up/doesn't come up? I'm curious about that.

pretty obvious when they run "the plates" its the license plate to the car...how would they know if the person inside the car has a valid CCW?....all that tells them is who the car is registered to.

do you have a box on the registration form that says "CCW yes, no" ? No....
 
Michigan law says you better inform LEO

Michigan law states you must inform LEO as soon as he makes contact with you. I would advise to also keep both your paws on the top of steering wheel. Turn on your interior dome lights. Put your 4 way flashers on and wait (ask LEO) to tell you what do in order to maintain everyones safety. The registration (plates) for a CCW person(s) also comes up on the computer in the LEO's car if he runs you prior to making physical contact. I want to also advise you to let your family members whom drive your vehicle(s) know this so they aren't shocked with the officers actions if he pulls them over. Tell them the same - move and react slow only after the officer has instructed them to do so. It might sound a little odd but I would rather feel a little uncomfortable than a little dead....
It's true some LEO's react different and situation dictates what he or she is doing or going to do.....
 
I only inform the LEO if it is state law, as there are still very many LEO's who feel they are the only ones with the right to carry a firearm and will go way out of thier way to create a hassle. I would only inform the LEO if it was a situation where he may see my weapon. Loose lips sink ships and it aint only ships that get sunk. it would be a nice world if all LEO's respected the right to carry but from what I have seen and heard in my experience its far from it, alot of LEO;s see a gun only as a tool of the trade and some view it a necessary evil. This is one reason I feel they do not respect the right to carry as they have no fondness for firearms, and the other is some feel they are the chosen ones. I feel informing an LEO with the wrong mindset will only bring you trouble and as I stated only is it was mandatory, others may disagree as thier experience may be different but having real world involvement with the law enforcement community I was shocked at some of the opinions on armed citizens.
 
only incidents I,ve experienced is being stopped by game wardens. There
was four of us in vehicle comeing back to camp on a 1 1/2 dirt road.

The game wardens came directly at us and blocked us . Naturally we stopped. Three of us carried loaded side arms. The officers who were very polite asked us to hand out through the window one at a time our long guns.
All they did was check to see if any were loaded. Not a thing was mentioned to us about our side arms the three of us carried.
That was it.

I feel that regardless of any laws of any state it would be a real good safe idea to advise the officer you were ccw.

One other incident I remember was comeing out to my car from deer hunting to eat. There was four of us. I placed a loaded 12 guage pump across road ditch of car on the ground faceing in a safe direction. Opened up the rear window on my Chev. Celebrity wagon and popped our cooler. Put a baloni sandwhich together , grabbed a cold pepsi and walked away from vehicle. We were parked just over and beyond the crest of a hill. We heard a vehicle comeing and yup it was green and said N.Y.S. D.E.C. Law Enforcement. Out popped a Game Warden and a State Trooper to do routine road checks for any deer hunting violations. Immediately before you could gather the moment ' the Game Warden beelined for my open car tailgate window and started searching car inside for any illegal venisen ect.. The Trooper just watched us and then Game Warden ask if we had any deer takes cause this was 2nd day after opening around noontime. We advised the Game Warden that we had one deer hanging at camp and two hidden with tags on them in pines near us not to far from car. The game warden went with one of the guys to see deer and check tags. As they disappeared into woods leaving the trooper by himself ' I decided to pick up my 12 guage
on ground to head back into woods. Boy was this so stupid of me. I never thought at all about the law enforcement present and the road check going on and the present condition of both officers seperated from each others view.
I picked up the pump shouldered it and turned around. Man the look on that Troopers face I'l never forget. The officer was on total alert. I should have first advised the N.Y.S. Trooper what I was going to do and I did not.
We'll I slowly walked toward the Trooper and quickly started a casual conversation about hunting. Everything went ok and later we were back in woods. Let the officer know if you are ccw if stopped or your intentions before you implement them.These officers have enough problems with the unknowns during road checks. This is just my feeling on this.
 
I didn't read every post here so I may be repeating on someone if their from AZ...our CCW requires you to inform and I have been pulled over, I handed my DL and Reg, along with my CCW to him he asked me where the carry was I told him it was shouldered on my left side he asked what it was I told him a Berretta .380 he said leave it there and then he went to his car did some radio chatter came back and siad slow down a little....I looked at him and said "yes sir" he left got in his car and drove away, I sat there for a minute and thought, wow only the third warning I had every received a warning in almost 40 years of driving. Maybe the nexy LEO will be different who knows.
 
First rule of traffic stops: make sure the officer feels safe. Hands on the wheel, dark windows down, wallet on the dash.

Second rule: comply with state law concerning disclosure if it's required, but if not -- while there are probably as many opinions as LEOs out there, my take on this from looking at it from both sides is in general, answer questions truthfully but do not put the officer in the position of having to deal with answers to questions s/he didn't ask.
 
if i do tell them i have a CCW and carrying at the present time can they ask me to step out of the car and search it?
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I'm also curious, I read something about the Terry search but missed the explanation of what exactly that is. The history of it would be interesting too if someone wants to share.


My personal take on the situation, I'm required by law to notify an LEO I have a CHL, however I believe I'd notify them regardless. Several officers I've talked to say they feel more comfortable dealing with a CHL holder than with your average citizen. I guess it's the fact that the CHL holder has gone through the process to be licensed and they see him/her as a responsible member of society.
 
Regarding the terry search: It's based upon a U.S. Supreme court ruling, Terry vs. Ohio. In a nutshell it recognized the authority of a law enforcement officer to perform a non-consentual search of a person or area under their control if the officer reasonably suspects that the person(s) has a weapon which may be used against the officer. As for a person with a who informs the officer that he has a CCW, I believe that it more difficult to articulate justification than a search of a person with a bulge consistent with a weapon since the CCW holder would be presumed to be lawfully carrying a weapon.
 
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