Posted on 07/18/2007 9:28:06 AM PDT by kiriath_jearim
No requirement to inform in Colorado. I haven’t had the situation occur, but I wonder if it is a good idea to inform an officer anyway. Any thoughts on informing that you are carrying if not required by state law?
I haven’t been stopped since I got my CHL (FL) but if I was I would simply hand both cards to the officer. And we do not have a duty to inform.
The “keeping both hands in plain sight” is just a good idea, whether it is the law in your area, or not. My philosophy, which I practice, and have taught my boys, is to do everything possible to keep any LEO you contact “at ease”. Veiled threats, lack of cooperation, and disrespect are mostly for chumps who like to chew on sod while being cuffed...
Letting an officer know you have a licensed, concealed firearm is good common sense, in addition to being required by law. You don’t want him finding out on his own, and then thinking you are trying to hide the fact.
That could get dangerous.
Bump
An officer who feels safe is a happy officer. A happy officer is much more likely to give you a warning, rather than a ticket.
Things that make an officer feel unsafe are standing out in traffic, weapons, and furtive movements. You make the officer happy, and he’ll make you happy.
Save the debates about the righteousness of traffic stops for a time when you are not stuck out on the side of the road with an officers ticket book in his hand.
If you get stopped in Ohio, make sure your seat belt is on and put both hands on the top of the wheel.
My daughter (not carrying) was stopped going a bit fast. She was wearing her belt. When he asked for her drivers license, she unbuckled it. As he was writing her up, he said she was not wearing her seat belt. She said she had it on but unbuckled it to get her license. He said he was just going to give her a warning.
So, leave the belt on. When you need to unbuckle, tell him you are going to unbuckle the belt to get your wallet.
Some folks will not like being subservient to the officer, but those are the facts. Put yourself in their place and you would want people these days to inform you of their moves ahead of time.
Obviously if you are carrying, that is the first thing you should tell him or her. I can’t believe anyone wouldn’t realize they need to do that.
Texas had that requirement when I lived there and I always complied, but Missouri does not.
As a matter of fact, my Missouri instructor said not to inform the officer even as a courtesy.
I guess that might be related to the fact that Missouri does not require a CCW to keep a loaded handgun in your vehicle.
Michigan has a duty to inform. I was stopped recently by a very professional Detroit officer. Apparently he clocked me a few miles over. I gave him my DL and CCW cards. He asked if I had a weapon. I told him no. He then asked why I had a commercial drivers license. I told him that I drive kids to a Christian camp in buses. He handed them back and said to drive slower.
Ahhh, two get out of jail free cards.
I was stopped a few years ago on I-35 near Austin, TX, and handed the officer both cards. She asked me to step out of my truck (my wife and two young daughters still inside) and keep my hands out of my pockets. I received my ticket for speeding and was courteous throughout. I couldn’t help feel like I was being viewed as a potential criminal, although the background check and training makes CHL probably the best friend a cop ever had among the citizenry.
Carolyn
Just one question: How did the officer know the individuals were carrying and were license holders if they did not inform the officers of this fact? Seems like the officers were lying.
There is no law that you have to disclose your permit to LEOs in CA, as a matter of fact you are discouraged from doing so by a lot of instructors of firearms training classes. At one time it was taught to do so as a coutesy until some overzealous LEOs jailed a few permit holders because they didn't like the way their licenses looked(true story). Some CA cops seem to go off the deep end if they find out you are carrying.
Stopped for a traffic violation? Say "yes, sir", "no,sir" and "thank you sir" and drive off with your ticket. Legal and wise thing to do in CA.
I have always wondered at the stupidity that goes into making a law that requires you to disclose a permit and the fact you are armed. If you are a criminal you are not going to have a permit and you sure as he** are not going to tell the cop you are armed. If you are a permit holder you are most likely(about 99.9 percent)to be law abiding and very, very unlikely to use your weapon on the cop. It just boggles the mind when you think about the mentality of the people running this country.
Probably pops up on their records check.
Don’t you think that when the LEO “runs” your plates and then your license number that their computer WILL VOLUNTEER the CCW license info anyway?
I live in Ohio, and I haven’t gone without a firearm in my vehicle for well over twenty five years now, and counting. I don’t hold a Concealed Weapons Permit.
On the few occasions I’ve been pulled over for one thing or another, I’ve always informed the Officer that I have a loaded firearm in the vehicle.
They’ve always said “Thanks for telling me”....and that was it. No citation, no warning, not even a question about my having or not having a permit.
In short, my interactions with the local PD on this topic has been very good.
They don’t have that information available in CA. When they pull your license up all it shows is driver’s license information. I doubt most states have that information on their driving records, it is not legal to do so. If they do have that info why does the driver have to disclose anything? As I say, they most likely don’t have that info on the driving records.
...you should have seen the idiot’s face when she found out I had a 9mm strapped to my ankle (informed by the officer).
I live in Ohio, and I haven’t gone without a firearm in my vehicle for well over twenty five years now, and counting. I don’t hold a Concealed Weapons Permit.
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just interested big or small town, urban or rural area.
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