Traffic Stop

I'm not a LEO and don't play one on the computer. With that said you need to fully understand the state law pertaining to your question first. Only you are responsible for your behavior and you can, and most likely will be held ACCOUNTABLE if you screw it up.

I think it is called a Terry Stop. Something else to fully understand when dealing with LEOs. You have to understand this if you never understand anything else in your life: COPS are looking for the bad guys and they can't tell the difference between you and them Bad Guys by looking at you. So, thay are on a hunting trip the minute they pull you over. It really can come down to the officers mood, on how you are going to be treated.

I hate sounding like a preacher but facts are facts. While the good knowledgable people here may answer your question, "the best they can," it is up to you to know your rights and how to keep yourself safe when dealing with the good guys and the bad guys.

 

I for one would tell the officer. I don't have nothing to hide & out of respect for the officer I would let him/her know.

I don't know the laws for every state. In KS where I live we don't have to tell them even if we're carrying concealed but if they ask than we have to tell them.

Just use you better judgment & check the laws where you live. As long as you follow the laws you will be fine. Good luck!

 

I say no unless you are asked. Do you tell them you have a wife/girlfriend or your mother is in the hospital ect

 

When i get pulled over and my weapon of choice is with me ,i always hand him my licence and my CCDW to let them know im armed without even speaking.. I also put both hands on sterring wheel and then talk to thr officer..

 

I also live in MA. There is no duty to inform but, the situation becomes a lot less predictable if he asks you to step out of the car and spots your weapon while you're doing it. In that scenario, I would inform (and tell him which position) then ask how he wants me to proceed.

 

the chances are if the leo has a computer he already knows if you have a permit or not, here in Bama they know beforehand.

 

In mass you need a permit just to drive to the range with it locked up so like tape said they probably know you have the permit to own so they would more than likely ask

 

I just make a habbit to hand the officer my ccdw cause most of the time in my truck i have several guns with me sometimes as many as 10 shotguns to a g26 in glove compartment and a range bag with several .. So i just plan ahead so he knows im armed..

 

My view is when you assume in this situation, you do so at your own peril. I personally would not roll the dice and get drawn on.

 

If your just transporting Locked in a case and not in passenger compartment I would say no unless asked

 

It's going to boil down to the individual officer and what he/she wants or expects, BUT...

I asked a local officer about it. He's been on the force for 25 years and told me in this day and age, they pretty much are expecting a weapon in the car. The moment they put on their lights, their anxiety is already rising. When they pull you over and get out of their cars, their anxiety ramps up even more.

What he suggests is you pulling over, turn off the car, leave your hands on the wheel. Don't get your ID or CPL/CCW permit out. What do you think they see when you pull over? The driver is rummaging around in their car, moving oddly. They're automatically suspecting hiding something or getting a weapon ready. Anxiety is spiking even more, fight or flight adrenaline is rushing, they're testy...and testy officers are on hyper alert.

When the officer arrives at your window, your hands still on the wheel, be honest and relaxed. Usually, when they see this, they're going to know or suspect you have a weapon. Let them guide you in what they want. They'll ask you if you're carrying a weapon and where, and from there, they'll tell you what to do and how.

Of course, this is WA state and we've had a few f'n idiots killing cops and making it even more scary for law abiding citizens who carry, as well as our officers being more jumpy.

 

Correct

My CCW # is the same as my DL#

 

Consider it from the LEO's point of view.

What are they going to focus on the most when they hear, "Yes, I have a weapon in a locked box under my seat. It's unloaded."?

More than likely, they're going to hear, "Yes, I have a weapon" and the rest of it will be filtered out.

They don't know if you're telling the truth, they don't know if anyone's tampered with it between the time you put it there and now. I bet they're going to assume it's loaded and it's where you can get to it, because it's their life on the line. They're going to flipping through mental scenarios of, "If he reaches for something, will it be the weapon?" "Who's going to get to their weapon first?" etc...

They're trained just as we're suppose to remember..."Always assume the weapon is loaded."

Personally, I'd rather not be a statistic...and I don't want my family to have to bear the burden of law suits from and against the officer and the police department he/she belongs to because I was accidentally shot due to an anxious, jumpy LEO.

Just my humble opinion...and YMMV. =)

 

Hmmm, what is your source for this? Just curious as I'm in Bama too and have had multiple LEO encounters while CCW. CCW was never brought up by the LEO's.

 

... and that is why I answered the way i did, go right ahead and make an ASS/U/ME.

You must have received some leaflet or brochure detailing what, when and how your permit is used.

BTW, do you have a Class A or Class B license?

 

I asked, it wasn't brought up because he already knew and according to your DL you are not a threat

 

In NV, we do not have a first-disclosure rule and no part of the Nevada Revised Statutes requires you to declare a firearm in the car unless asked.

However.....as a CCW holder, the gun will most likely be on my hip or in the holster attached to the dash. So what I do, as I hand over my DL with CCW in the same jacket, I say in a very polite and respectful voice "officer, I have a valid Nevada concealed carry permit and a handgun which is located (fill in the blank)", if I already have the leather jacket containing my DL and CCW permit. Another variation is to keep both hands on the steering wheel (don't put your hands outside the window, felons do that!) as I tell the officer that I have a permit first, then a handgun second, and third the location of the gun. Remember the order, and remember, a polite and respectful tone of voice!

If however the gun is elsewhere, and assuming I know why I am being pulled over (burned out headlight or such) and have no reason to believe the officer is going to want to search my car or ask me to exit my vehicle, I do not say anything until I am asked about "any guns, knives, grenades" in the car.

In NV, the CCW approval information is linked to your DL which is also linked to your vehicle registration, so they already know who the car is registered to and that the registered owner has a CCW even before they exit their vehicle during a traffic stop.

NV is an open carry state, but some local jurisdictions have restrictions, for instance in Clark County and North Las Vegas you cannot carry a loaded handgun anywhere in the car unless you have a CCW permit.

It is vital to know what the laws are in the jurisdictions you travel thru. What is true in one place may not be true in another place, and can place you in a bad spot.

This is information that one can get when attending a CCW class, which I strongly encourage all armed citizens to take, if only for the legal background information that is provided in such classes.

Cheers!