So what was your experience like when you are carrying and ...

The first time, a tad nervous, face to face, even turned a tad away from him to shield the pistol from him even more.

I've only been pulled over once with a gun in the center console. Before the officier came up to the car, I think he already knew I had a permit. He came up on the drivers side, which many do to avoid passing traffic, but I think also to get a better view of me. Since I was in coat and tie, that likely gave him some comfort and I noticed him looking around the car. I handed him my DL and registration and asked if he wanted my CCL also. He said no, where is it? Told him and that was the end of it.

I know that there is a female officer in town that takes the weapon, puts them in the truck of the car, closes it and finishes her business. Then leaves. So it is up to the individual to retrieve the gun which anyone might see driving by..........................ck
 
In my small town (203 people) the sheriff pretty much knows who's carrying. I talk with him or one of the deputies once every two weeks or so when they come through town...they always know I'm carrying.

I have been pulled over in Amarillo and Borger three times, I handed over my CHL with DL, they'd look at it and hand it back, none of them asked me anything about it....so no reason to be nervous around here. :cool:
 
Been pulled over, never been asked, no requirement to volunteer and never have.

More than once I have been near cops while armed. I act as I always do, not dressing or moving in a way which flashes or prints while being totally comfortable with the situation. Cops are like dogs, they smell fear. They do not smell the gun you have properly concealed so stop worrying about it. "All we have to fear is fear itself."
 
Why wouldn't you inform the Cop that you were legally armed? It would **** me off if I were to find out that you decided to keep that little nugget of intel to yourself, any thoughts of discretion would be out the window.
 
I think the best advice on this subject I've heard is to hand an officer your cc permit card along with you driver's license. That way you don't have to worry about misinterpretations when you say "I have a gun" and the LEO knows exactly what the situation is. Those who tell me they've done just that, say the officer usually thanks them for the courtesy.
 
Why wouldn't you inform the Cop that you were legally armed? It would **** me off if I were to find out that you decided to keep that little nugget of intel to yourself, any thoughts of discretion would be out the window.
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1. Because in many states there is no requirement to do so. My gun is no threat to the officer.

2. Because sadly many officers are completely misinformed on the rights of CCW holders. Many a CCW holder has found himself drawn on, held at gunpoint, cuffed, patted down, and or sitting on the side of the road while the ignorant LEO waits for backup. It happens and as I live in an area where the LEOs are almost completely ignorant of the laws regarding carry, the pistol permit office itself regularly gives out false information, and the population in general does not support the concept I see no reason to expose myself to Johnny Law's interpretation of the day.

I am breaking no law when I carry. If I am being questioned by an officer it will be for nothing more than a taillight type item or minor speeding. They never ask, if they did I would answer truthfully. I am carrying fully concealed so there is no way they would find it short of a direct question or pat down and I can think of no reason I would be patted down (in which case I would volunteer the information along with my permit before they found the weapon.)

Sorry, but if you want me to volunteer additional information to an LEO that does nothing but inconvenience me for doing NOTHING illegal then the LEOs need to make a concerted effort to understand the law on the matter. I have yet to meet LEOs who really understand the law here...
 
Oh, and as far as discretion... if the cops around here pull you over for any real reason you are getting a ticket, period. Be polite but don't expect to get off. My only pull over was a fishing expedition where the partner saw asked me to show him the plastic little baggy in my back seat which actually contained screws. I was pulled over for failing to maintain my lane, which was false but used as a premise for the pull over, and let go.
 
Why wouldn't you inform the Cop that you were legally armed? It would **** me off if I were to find out that you decided to keep that little nugget of intel to yourself, any thoughts of discretion would be out the window.
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I see from your location that you are in Chicago, IL, where there is no provision for concealed carry. Are you used to dealing with legally armed folks, or would this be a new thing to you?

I'm legally armed. That means I've passed a background check and have never done anything wrong. I'm not a threat to you.

Why would I not tell the officer? Because I've known people who did tell the officer when they were not legally required to do so and wound up proned out, cuffed, and stuffed in the cruiser. After 45 minutes of this happy horse @!@#, they were given a traffic ticket and turned loose. I have no desire to see the business end of a .40 Glock and then eat pavement because a rookie cop doesn't realize that law abiding citizens in MA may be authorized to carry a handgun.

I will follow the law. If I'm in a jurisdiction that requires notification, I will so notify. But MA does not require notification and I will not normally notify.

If the officer directs me to step out of the vehicle, I will respond as I was trained at LFI-1: "Certainly, officer. However, I have a license to carry and I am carrying now. How would you like to proceed?"

I carry my wallet and registration such that the I can retrieve them without printing. I have been stopped when carrying. The officer didn't ask. I didn't tell. I drove away with a warning and all was well.
 
I live and work in the belly of the anti-gun beast Chicago. Admittedly, I haven't dealt with legal CCW holders, however, I think that failure to disclose the presence of a legal weapon is bad idea.

This "I am not required to inform" with the aggressive tone is one of the problems with the zealots on our side.

I think that you should be required to inform LEOs as to your CCW status when being stopped/interviewed.

There is no reason not to inform other than alienating the LEO. If you are legit you are legit.
 
I've been around LEO many times while carrying and was fine. There was however one occasion a few years ago when I was headed to Emporia, Va. on a hunting trip. A deputy sheriff decided to provide side by side escort for about 5 miles. As we're riding down the highway occasionally looking back and forth at each other I'm wondering what this Idiot would do if he pulled me over and found a handgun in my bag. I was legal of course but it was obvious to me that he was looking for a reason to pull me. If anyone has ever traveled US 58 or live in the surrounding area you know where I'm coming from. LEO is very agressive!

If I remember correctly, in the state of Va. you don't have to inform that you are carrying. Once you are issued a permit the information goes into the states data base and can be accessed by LEO. With that being the case I wouldn't bring it up is he/she didn't.
 
This "I am not required to inform" with the aggressive tone is one of the problems with the zealots on our side.
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I have no idea what you are implying here. What justification you have to call me a "zealot" is quite beyond me. I'm a zealot because I tell people to follow the law? I could call you names as well in response, but that really wouldn't add any light to the conversation, now would it?

I think that you should be required to inform LEOs as to your CCW status when being stopped/interviewed.
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What you or I think the law should be is immaterial. The law is what it is. Some states require notification. Some do not. I obey the law and urge others to do so. I do not notify if the law does not require me to. You can urge the IL legislature to require notification. Oh, wait, IL does not allow concealed carry at all :rolleyes:

I follow the recommendation of Massad Ayoob, who, for many years, was a reserve police officer in a small force in NH. He's done many traffic stops himself. NH does not require notification.

There is no reason not to inform other than alienating the LEO.
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Complete and utter BS. Did you even bother to READ what I wrote?

If I am properly carrying, during a normal traffic stop the officer will never see my handgun. That is what happened when I was stopped for speeding a couple years ago. I was speeding. I handed over my license and registration, and apologized to the officer for being inattentive about my speed. I was getting ready to go on vacation, buying last minute items, and wasn't paying attention, and I told the officer that. The 3 surf rods on the top of my truck attested to that fact. He took my license and registration, went back to his cruiser, and gave me a written warning. I apologized again and went on my way. I still think about that officer and thank him for the break he gave me -- a ticket would have been a sucky way to start a vacation.

The officer never asked whether I was carrying and I didn't offered. Under MA law, I am not required to do so. I don't have a problem with police officers. I'm not saying they are bad and I'm good.

As I have posted previously, not all MA police officers respect the right of citizens to carry. Many do. Probably most do. But some do not. And I do know someone who was stopped for a minor traffic violation, notified the officer, and then was facing the business end of a .40 Glock with the young officer screaming at him. Someone alienated someone else during the confrontation, but it wasn't the motorist.

If he had not notified the officer, he would have been on his way with a ticket in just a few minutes. Instead, he was taken from the car at gun point, proned out on the pavement, handcuffed, stuffed in the cruiser, and spent 45 minutes back there until the officer turned him lose with a traffic ticket. Is that the norm here? No, but it has happened here in MA. That is why I don't inform.

A fellow that I know was previously a police officer in MA. He recommends against notifying here in MA for precisely the reason stated above.

You have never dealt with law abiding citizens carrying concealed, and it is apparent from your response that you just haven't thought through the issue. My recommendation against notifying the officer has absolutely nothing to do with "alienating" the officer. If the officer needs to know about it -- if he's going to take me out of the car and thus frisk me -- I'll tell him. If he's just going to give me a traffic ticket, I'm not going to volunteer.
 
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As long as I'm legal (which can be fuzzy due to the printing issue), I've got no qualms. Naturally, I always hand over my license whenever I'm stopped or when a cop is helping me. They don't seem to care one way or the other. Their reaction is kind of like military officers having to salute you back when you salute them; they're slightly tired of a formality that they have to deal with a lot more often than you do.
 
I like to know if someone is carrying a gun. I tell people their best course of action is to tell the officer when they get stopped. Half the time when someone takes their license out the pistol permit is right there in the wallet. Then I ask if they are armed, sometimes yes, sometimes no. If someone says they are I ask them where it is and tell them not to put their hands anywhere near the gun. Then I do what I need to do, ticket, warning, etc. As well as running their permit to make sure it is valid. Many times people have a permit in hand even though its been revoked or whatever.

What you dont want to do.
I stop a car for speeding at 3a.m. get to the drivers door and here is the driver stuffing a stainless Ruger .44 magnum under the drivers seat. That was a traffic stop he will never forget. Thats what not to do. If there is any, and I mean any, chance the weapon will be seen by the officer, you are way better telling them about the gun.

My .02 cents.
 
My grandpa said to me son,' there comes a time in every mans life when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and usually it's when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin'.

I don't carry a gun to kill people.
I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don't carry a gun to scare people.
I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid.
I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I'm evil.
I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I hate the government.
I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.

I don't carry a gun because I'm angry.
I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.

I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone.
I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy.
I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a
cowboy.

I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man.
I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.

I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate.
I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.

I don't carry a gun because I love it.
I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

Police Protection is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves.
Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.

Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take an ass whoopin'.

..author unknown (but obviously brilliant)
 
What you dont want to do.
I stop a car for speeding at 3a.m. get to the drivers door and here is the driver stuffing a stainless Ruger .44 magnum under the drivers seat. That was a traffic stop he will never forget. Thats what not to do. If there is any, and I mean any, chance the weapon will be seen by the officer, you are way better telling them about the gun.
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Agreed. If you decide not to inform when you are not legally required, as I have, you darn well better be concealing it properly.
 
My attitude mirrors M1911's pretty much. I live in a state where open carry is legal. CCW is "shall issue" and there is no duty to inform an officer when stopped. Now, if I were stopped, I would keep my hands in plain view and follow directions of the officer. If there was ANY chance of exposing my gun, l would let the officer know I had a license to carry and was doing so.

I'm not a peace officer but work with them. Some of my family members have been or are currently LEO. I don't get all nervous and sweaty just from talking to one. After all, most of them are really human. :)
 
If LE is on the way I put the gun back in the house as soon as I hear or see them. If I'm pulled over or stopped I keep my hands as far away from the weapon as possible and tell him something like "Officer, my hands are way over here because I'm keeping them far away from my firearm that is located..." The only time I got a little nervous was when I was pulled over felony stop style for running a red light. That also happened right after the LA County LEO shot the Air Force guy for standing up when he told him to. I was a little scared, but it was soon explained to me that they were doing every stop like that because of an officer who had been shot and killed just a few days before in that town.

Other than that, I've never had a problem at all with LE. The places where I've been pulled over have been in the southern part of the US and I know for a fact having the firearm got me out of the ticket twice. Luckily they were cops who liked to talk guns and I had one they had never seen. :D
 
I am not implying anything, I am stating that having a default position of keeping relevant information secret albeit, a legal position is not helpful but adversarial.

Then bagging on me because I live in a state that doesn't allow CCW is childish.

I have thought it through, I cannot understand your point of view.

I would think that it's a distinction without a difference in that when I run you your CCW would pop and then I would be irritated by being lied to by ommission
 
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