Years ago, probably around 2010, I was pulled over for speeding through a small town in Louisiana. Nothing crazy but the officer had me dead to rights coming over a hill.
As soon as he got to my window, I let him know that I was coming back from a camping trip and was armed.
His only response was to have me come stand with him between our cars while he wrote the citation.
Actually, I do remember him saying something like “Don’t reach for yours and I won’t reach for mine.”
We said almost nothing else to each other and he sent me on my way. Curious how other active duty LEOs would’ve done the same.
Incidentally, while we were standing together a bee landed on his shoulder and he didn’t notice. Instinctively, my arm twitched to shoo it away, like I would do for anyone. So glad I didn’t stupidly touch him.
Thank you all for your service.
ETA: For context, if it matters: I had veteran plates, no previous citations from anywhere and was open carrying with my weapon holstered on my hip.
Comments
I usually say to not reach for it and everything will be fine.
I check to make sure they’re not prohibited from possessing a firearm, give them their warning or citation and send them on their way.
Well I work in a very blue area and having a firearm on you is pretty much illegal unless you have a CPL that’s a pain in the ass to obtain, register your stuff with the state, register your ammo, and not have a magazine exceeding 10 rounds so there’s that.
I always say the you keep yours where it is, I’ll keep mine where it is.
They usually get a warning from me, barring anything crazy for the stop.
Usually leave by saying something along the lines of “thanks, or I appreciate you exercising your 2nd amendment rights.”
Your experience probably reflects 99.9% of all LE encounters that occur everyday across the United States.
I was pulled over for having a tail light out. I had my CCW in my holster on my right hip. Did the same as you, let him know I was armed and where it was at. He asks me to step out, he takes the gun off of me, unloads it and sets it in his car. After all was said and done I get a verbal warning. He sets it on my dash and says don’t touch it until I leave.
He leaves, I go to put the mag back in and noticed that son of a bitch stole my +1 round… Obviously didn’t care too much but just wanted to share. Much cheaper than a ticket too.
Another time, I was pulled over by a different department while I was on my way to the range, so I had an shit load of ammo sitting in my front seat. Two officers come up to the driver and passenger side window, I point at the passenger seat with all of the ammo and before I could even say anything, the officer at the passenger window goes “yeah no problem just don’t touch it and we’ll be good”.
Kinda surprise you got a citation but depends how fast you were going, not sure if he has a quota as well
I just say ok and continue. I reckon if they plan to shoot me they wouldn’t tell me about the gun to begin with.
I stopped for the first deer crossing from my left. The second deer was knocked into my car by the oncoming traffic that couldn’t see them causing a dent on the front quarter panel. The third deer changed its mind. The large box truck that was hundreds of feet behind me didn’t brake until it was too late. The car was safe enough for me and a single passenger and still functioning, but the trunk was in bad shape.
I told a trooper I had an CC permit and a gun in an ankle hostler. He told me not to touch it and eventually gave us a ride to a nearby store 2 miles away after clearing the accident so I could wait for a family member to pick us up from an hour away. He never disarmed me.
(Edit: pictures in the comments)
I live in a red state. Back when we had to have concealed carry permits, everybody had one. Nowadays, it’s constitutional carry so police officers don’t really care. Everybody has a firearm.
It’s not even a requirement in my state to tell law enforcement that you are carrying.
I conceal carry and have for 15? Years. They never trip out about it. It’s pretty normal.
Driving to Lafayette one time got pulled over doing 20 over and my cousin driving told the officer about his glock in the center console, officer drew his weapon and asked my cousin to present it slowly to him so he emptied out the clip on the road and gave it back wrote a speeding ticket and sent us on our way.
I’ve had several people on normal traffic stops and encounters tell me that they had their licensed firearm on them. I don’t care and it doesn’t affect the stop except for probably making me like them more.
I’m in the Midwest and stop people probably once a week who inform me that they’re carrying. I don’t disarm them but typically thank them for letting me know. Last week I had a guy on a stop who was insistent on keeping his hands out the window, I reassured him that he could relax and keep his hands inside instead. I see it as a someone who intends to use a firearm against me likely wouldn’t tell me that they have it.
Yeah… I’ve been pulled over while concealing… the sheriff said the same thing to me… the first thing I did did upon initial contact was to roll all my windows down… and to disclose I had a firearm, a legal permit and kept my hands on the steering wheel until further instructions were given as to how the stop would proceed… I got a simple speeding ticket… not bullets
My state is legal to carry open or concealed, I’ve been stopped a few times with a weapon in my vehicle. All I ever get is a thanks for letting me know. They almost seem to expect it I guess
I got pulled over speeding coming back from a match with 3 guns in the trunk and loaded carry gun in center console.. I have Gadsden flag plate, the cop didn’t even ask for my cwl or give it a second thought when I informed him. He came back and gave me the lowest level ticket vs the actual speed.
My first and only time being pulled over was pretty positive.
Had my car broken into in way blue Palo Alto, CA a few weeks ago, told the dispatcher I was armed off duty LEO, and said the same to the cops that responded. They never acknowledged it one way or the other. Good enough for me.
I’m in South Carolina, and I assume pretty much every cop and sheriff come across this all the time
This is how i would have handled it. Probably would have left you in your car.
The fact that you were upfront about it is why he was casual. Now he knows it’s there, he knows you have it. Its unlikely (while of course not impossible) that someone who discloses they have a firearm in the same context you did is going to use it against the officer. Not to say that our guard goes down. It just changes the mental approach a little.
Now if he showed up, you were sketchy af and reaching around while telling him you were armed, it would have been a very different situation.
This is off topic kinda
I worked Secuirty and the local cops would come and talk the shit with us and one day I was out talking with him and a bee flew in front of us and he put his hand on his gun and then quickly took it off and I laughed and was like “ were you about to shoot that bee”
Depends on location of the Firearm for me.
Center console or glove box, I’ll ask you out of the car.
On your persons (legally) or trunk, I’ll have you stay in the car.
“I just want to let you know I’m armed”
“Cool bro me too, what do you carry?”
“Hipoint 9mm”
“Go on and step out, big dog”
Uncle was a deputy and when I started driving, told me if I was ever pulled over to do the following:
Depends what state/county/city.