I fully believe it's situational...
I'm a LCC holder but I rarely carry while doing my run of the mill stuff, and if pulled over, I sincerely believe that it's nobody's business but my own if I'm carrying or not.
I am in no way legally obligated to inform a law officer that I am a carry concealed permit holder unless I am ASKED by him, or ANYONE for that matter.
My license (sitting right in front of me) says,
"You must have your concealed pistol license with you at all times that you are required by law to have a concealed pistol license, and you must display UPON DEMAND to any police officer or to ANY OTHER PERSON when and if required by law to do so. Failure to do so is a class 1 civil infraction.
If you are NOT carrying a pistol on your person or in your vehicle, then you are in no way obligated to inform the officer of your LCC status, unless asked. Not in my state of Washington you aren't. And not likely in a state of common sense... But that may not me true in your state and others...
It's exactly like a Dog license to me;
Q: If you don't have your dog with you, what legal reasons does anyone have to ask you for your dog license?
A: None.
If you are unarmed, there is no legal precedence to state that you are a card holder, as simply as the traffic judge asking you at your red light violation hearing, if you had a gun in your car when you ran that red light. It is totally irrelevant to the current situation.
That is why my license say's that I am legally compelled to show my card to ANY person that asks to see it. But a person is Never obligated to walk around announcing that they have a LCC, but if someone asks you, you are legally bound in this state to show the card, but only if you are armed. If you are NOT armed or near a concealed firearm, then you aren't required to carry a license.
Did I get into this too deeply?
Wagonman said that if you are asked to exit the vehicle, then I would possibly up with the fact that I am CW (but only if I was actively carrying or had firearms in the vehicle, whether or not I was driving....)
K