About 8:45 tonight coming in from Exit 29, there were various other city (not local) cops stationed at most intersections all the way to the Sidney Lanier Bridge. Coming down the bridge I saw 20-30 GSP's in a row, they came out from back behind the old B&W boiler plant and pulled out onto US 17 and headed on north.
As I headed across the causeway after coming home tonight from a long trip. I figured it would be better to have my pistol (in a holster), but sitting out on the seat, rather than hidden away in the luggage. My thoughts being, if they decided to search my vehicle, I didn't think it would go over to well if they found a pistol hidden.
Things were going fine at the checkpoint, then the DMVS saw the pistol. Asked if I had a license "yes" and gave him my CCW Permit. He then asked a national guardsman to open my passenger door and take the pistol. then told me to go park under the tent while they checked out my truck, The Secret Service guy wanted to know where i worked, and why i felt I needed to carry a gun. I wanted to say "because the constitution says I can" but I told him that it was because i was coming home from a long trip (from Mississippi, alone, felt i needed protection) They worked my truck over w/ 3-4 national guards and one dog. Heard them call in my Serial # on my Taurus 9mm.
Finally about 10 mins later, they decided to let me go. but told me to get in my truck, and then they'd give me the pistol, but not to put the clip back in it, and to go straight home and put it away. Then he decided it would be better locked under my tonneau cover than letting me have it in the cab, and told me to open my hard tonneau back up so they could stick it in my truck bed.
I guess if I didn't have a permit to carry, and hid it away in my luggage, i woulda been waved right thru, but since I was lawful, open and honest, I got the hassle!
Thanks for the report- you may have discovered one of the Universal Laws of Dealing with Authorities. ( Lie like a son of a b!tch )