This did NOT sit well with me.

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Lavan

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We were shooting out in the sticks in a legal place that is close to a NO TRESPASSING place.
A cop stopped and was polite and confirmed that where WE were shooting was legal.
In the course of the conversation, he was beginning a lecture on gun safety and I advised him I was pretty aware of that as I was CCW.

He asked to see the CCW.

fine.

But then he asked to see the GUN!

This was NOT comfy at all.

Bringing a loaded handgun out of a pocket in front of a LEO did NOT feel right. I did try to take it out as silly as possible by hooking a finger in the guard and taking it out sorta hanging but I still didn't like the feeling of SHOWING the gun to the officer.

Since it is a Beretta, I flipped the latch in order to not hand him a chambered round and THAT felt dicey.
Manipulating a loaded weapon with a cop standing there just did not sit well.
The only reason I did it is that I don't trust ANYONE to know the way a Beretta opens.

He checked the gun against the CCW (which was okay by me)

I think he should have been satisfied to see the CCW and assume that I was carrying fine since nothing was going off on my person.

Opinions?
:confused:


Oh, I should add that the ...NEW.... CA CCW requires you to advise ANY officer you have contact with that you are CCW.
 
Not knowing your location, I can only make the assumption that you live in one of those states that requires your authorized carry gun(s) to be listed. If so, your permit would only be valid with the specific gun(s), so the officer's response would have been normal.

I like not living in those states.

Edit: I see you added a detail - California.

Hopefully you are a CALGUNS supporter.
 
MLeake, if you were the officer would you really be comfortable checking the gun?

To my way of thinking, it just seems a better idea to assume a CCW is carrying the right gun than to ask him to pull it out.


csmsss.... I'm not sure. It's a really strange area layout. Off the road and unfenced but farther back in I know it's private and fenced. And posted.
 
Seeing as the CCW is only good with firearms listed on it then you should have expected the officer to ask for the gun.


.... And I certainly don't see the reason for pulling your gun out with a finger in the trigger guard and letting it hang. If I were the cop I would be concerned that someone with such unsafe habits even has a CCW in the first place.
 
I'm a cop in a very gun-friendly state and when someone tells me that they have a concealed carry permit, I often ask what they carry. Not so much to see the pistol, but because... we're very gun friendly.

"Officer, I have a concealed permit."

Me: "Really? What do you carry? Do you like it?"

I don't know your location, but I don't know why the cop would need to see the pistol, unless there's some local reason to do so. I'm a cop who is also a gun-nut. I'd rather stand on the side of the road and talk about guns, and if I can do that, I'm a happy camper.
 
Seeing as the CCW is only good with firearms listed on it then you should have expected the officer to ask for the gun.
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Really? In this state, the CCW is good with any handgun. Our permits don't limit you to a particular firearm, or a particular platform.
 
I would have just asked the officer how he wants me to do that, and let him know I just want to do it in a manner he is comfortable with. Do you want to just see it in my holster, or should I hold it downward, hand it to you, or clear it?

Kind of an awkward situation because you got to think he could be on high alert anytime anyone has a weapon drawn in his presence. Or he could be totally at ease and confident you are law abiding and think nothing of it.
 
Lavan, I asked whether it was public or private because on private property,

a)the LEO has no particular right to be there and can be asked to leave
b)Assuming you are the owner or have the owner's permission, you can carry a firearm any way you please as long as it isn't threatening another person

To me, one of the essential elements of the situation is whether the LEO even had business to be there. If you were on private property (assuming the property owner's permission, of course), he has no real business being there unless he was invited to be there or if he had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed. And he certainly has no business inquiring about whether you had a CCW or not, or what you were carrying or how.
 
Where I come from, if a cop is blurring the line between a casual conversation and a detainment; he's fishing for a reason to 'take you downtown'

Then again, in Cali, there is no such thing as an illegal detainment.
 
csmsss said:
Lavan, I asked whether it was public or private because on private property,

b)Assuming you are the owner or have the owner's permission, you can carry a firearm any way you please as long as it isn't threatening another person
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Be careful. In Texas, yes. But do you know for a fact that this is true in California?
 
In Texas, yes. But do you know for a fact that this is true in California?
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No, but if it's not true, then Californians have even greater cause for concern than their firearms rights. If a police officer can freely trespass private property without the permission of the owner, then there really is no such abstract as private property is there?
 
csmsss said:
No, but if it's not true, then Californians have even greater cause for concern than their firearms rights. If a police officer can freely trespass private property without the permission of the owner, then there really is no such abstract as private property is there?
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That isn't the part that I am concerned with. Yes, they still need a warrant or probably cause. However, I would guess that gunfire and a 911 call saying that people are shooting 'illegally' satisfies the probable cause requirement in California.

The part about being able to carry however that wish is something that I am not sure of, so I was asking if you were. California can define personal property completely differently and can limit how civilians are allowed to carry weapons there. They don't have to define it the same way as other states do.
 
I would have just asked the officer how he wants me to do that, and let him know I just want to do it in a manner he is comfortable with. Do you want to just see it in my holster, or should I hold it downward, hand it to you, or clear it?

Kind of an awkward situation because you got to think he could be on high alert anytime anyone has a weapon drawn in his presence. Or he could be totally at ease and confident you are law abiding and think nothing of it.
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Believe me, I did. When he asked to see the gun, I made SURE by asking if he really wanted me to take it out of my pocket.

He said yes, but I still took it out in as unthreatening a manner as possible because....as I said..... this was not a COMFY situation for me.

I do NOT fumble guns even if I have them by the trigger guard. I could safely pinch the hammer or hold it upside down. I am ...very.... familiar with firearms. Had one since age 7, now 72. And quite a few trophies along the way.

I was simply NOT comfortable with this situation and that's all I'm saying.

Other than if it were ME and I were a cop, I'd rather the citizen just kept his hands off it. That's MY opinion.

We've discussed it and now it's past and I am still not comfortable showing my gun (plus in CA "brandishing" is stressed HEAVILY in all our training and qual courses.)

:)
 
Oh, I should add that the ...NEW.... CA CCW requires you to advise ANY officer you have contact with that you are CCW.
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There has been no change in California law making this mandatory statewide. Issuing agencies are not prohibited from making their own policies, under the 'reasonable restrictions' of PC 26200 and some agencies do make 'show to police' a requirement.
 
It may not be law, but in California, so what?
If it's about guns, it's illegal.

The language is printed on my CCW.

:mad:
 
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I've had several encounters with law enforcement, and witnessed several encounters, where there was no hidden bureaucratic agenda. The officer was simply a gun nut, and was curious what the person was carrying; wanted to ask if they could check out whatever firearm was already in plain sight; or wanted to verify that the firearm was being carried in accordance with the law (concealed or not).
 
They almost always ask for the gun...some just wanna see it, others want to know where its at while they're there...depends on the location, I'm a truck driver...I get around.
 
"b)Assuming you are the owner or have the owner's permission, you can carry a firearm any way you please as long as it isn't threatening another person"

Be careful with this. In Florida, you CANNOT give another person the right to conceal or open carry on your property. It has to be your home or place of business or property. There are exceptions like hunting, fishing, target shooting, taking the gun for repairs, testing for a gun company, etc. but in general you can't say "Oh, yeah man, it's good to open carry on my 100 acre plot of land where nobody will ever see us"
 
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