IZHUMINTER
New member
Two points
WA: If you say "I'm armed and have a permit," it puts the emphasis on "armed." In certain locales, that will earn you a taste of the pavement. Having learned that lesson the hard way, I now always say "I have a permit and am armed."
Roberta and some other folks: Why inform the LEO you're carrying? Three reasons come to mind for me.
First, Murphy has a cruel sense of humor. If for whatever reason your concealed piece isn't so concealed...or you have to get access to the glovebox that your loaded handgun is legally sitting...or you have to step out of the car and the officer chooses to do a quick pat down for his own safety...then I'd much rather he already know there's a firearm in play and that you (as a law abiding citizen) have no intention of trying to use it on him. Believe it or not, a lot of LEOs don't take kindly to being surprised by the presence of a firearm. I for one don't much like the taste of pavement, and I'm pretty certain that informing the LEO at the outset of the enounter that I was carrying has saved me from tasting it more than once or twice.
Second, if you travel a lot across state lines (like I do, for various reasons), or even inside certain states, it gets pretty tough to remember where you are and aren't required to inform LEOs that you're carrying. If you make it your policy to always politely and respectfully inform the LEO, then you never have to worry about breaking the law by not informing the officer.
Third, not all LEOs are clear on all the laws of their jurisdiction; even worse, a subset of those are not merely uninformed but misinformed. There are times and places where you may not be required under the law to inform the officer but they find out you're carrying anyway (either through a DL check, or noticing a bulge, seeing your permit in your wallet, psychic powers, etc.). Even if they don't take you to the ground, you'll probably end up sitting and waiting (and waiting...and waiting...) for the patrol supervisor and/or dispatch to let him know that everything is A-OK and you can go about your merry business. I've run into this more than once when carrying out of state, especially since none of my carry permits are from the same state as my Driver's License.
WA: If you say "I'm armed and have a permit," it puts the emphasis on "armed." In certain locales, that will earn you a taste of the pavement. Having learned that lesson the hard way, I now always say "I have a permit and am armed."
Roberta and some other folks: Why inform the LEO you're carrying? Three reasons come to mind for me.
First, Murphy has a cruel sense of humor. If for whatever reason your concealed piece isn't so concealed...or you have to get access to the glovebox that your loaded handgun is legally sitting...or you have to step out of the car and the officer chooses to do a quick pat down for his own safety...then I'd much rather he already know there's a firearm in play and that you (as a law abiding citizen) have no intention of trying to use it on him. Believe it or not, a lot of LEOs don't take kindly to being surprised by the presence of a firearm. I for one don't much like the taste of pavement, and I'm pretty certain that informing the LEO at the outset of the enounter that I was carrying has saved me from tasting it more than once or twice.
Second, if you travel a lot across state lines (like I do, for various reasons), or even inside certain states, it gets pretty tough to remember where you are and aren't required to inform LEOs that you're carrying. If you make it your policy to always politely and respectfully inform the LEO, then you never have to worry about breaking the law by not informing the officer.
Third, not all LEOs are clear on all the laws of their jurisdiction; even worse, a subset of those are not merely uninformed but misinformed. There are times and places where you may not be required under the law to inform the officer but they find out you're carrying anyway (either through a DL check, or noticing a bulge, seeing your permit in your wallet, psychic powers, etc.). Even if they don't take you to the ground, you'll probably end up sitting and waiting (and waiting...and waiting...) for the patrol supervisor and/or dispatch to let him know that everything is A-OK and you can go about your merry business. I've run into this more than once when carrying out of state, especially since none of my carry permits are from the same state as my Driver's License.
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I got pulled over on post last week. First thing I did was cut the engine, toss my keys and wallet on the dash, and keep my hands on the wheel. When the MP approached and asked for my DL and military ID, I handed them over with my CHL and informed him I was not carrying. Quick computer check and I was on my way with a verbal warning. The MP was a very polite specialist and not a DOD cop, thank goodness. Those guys are ticket machines. Of course, two minutes later, my XO passed me going the opposite direction at 45 mph (I had been doing 41 in a 30 zone), and he whipped around and pulled her over. Maybe the CHL saved me from the ticket, maybe common courtesy did. Either way, he pulled me over for violating Texas law, so I followed Texas law, even though I was on federal property, and it turned out better than I had expected (I expected a ticket, not an introduction to the pavement).