Pulled over for first time CCW

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Impureclient

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I just got pulled over for not wearing my seat belt correctly. No ticket given, just a warning to wear it properly. I know....it must have been a slow day for crime.
Anyway the significance is that it was the first time I was pulled over with my gun on me. I was pretty nervous and was waiting for him to say something after he
looked me up. Not that I was doing anything wrong but it was very nerve wracking thinking that he may pull something like the stories I've read on here. He came back
and said nothing. I almost said something initially when he first came to the window but remembered a lot of people on here saying not to say anything unless they ask.

I also meant to make a post about the subject on legality of shooting in a backyard last night on here after I was at friends new home Saturday. After the warning, I asked the
officer about shooting in the backyard. My friends property backs up against to approximately a mile long track of State owned woods. He said neighbors shoot around him all
the time and I was skeptical so I asked the officer just in case. He said it was all good and now I've gained an "free" outdoor shooting range.
 
In Florida you have a bit of a quandry. You are not required to notify an officer that you're carrying and he's not supposed to ask but when he runs your license, he will know that you have a concealed weapons permit. I never had an issue and never had one ask. The only time it ever came up was when I was pulled over for running red light and had to move the pistol in the glove compartment to get to my registration. The officer rather nonchalantly just told me to put it on the dash. It was a non-issue and I made off with just a warning.
 
In Florida you have a bit of a quandry. You are not required to notify an officer that you're carrying and he's not supposed to ask but when he runs your license, he will know that you have a concealed weapons permit. I never had an issue and never had one ask. The only time it ever came up was when I was pulled over for running red light and had to move the pistol in the glove compartment to get to my registration. The officer rather nonchalantly just told me to put it on the dash. It was a non-issue and I made off with just a warning.
Incorrect. Florida LEOs do not currently have access to CWFL status without a separate database look up using CWFL number or SSN. (Except for a limited beta test currently underway with FHP)
 
I just got pulled over for not wearing my seat belt correctly. No ticket given, just a warning to wear it properly. I know....it must have been a slow day for crime.
Anyway the significance is that it was the first time I was pulled over with my gun on me. I was pretty nervous and was waiting for him to say something after he
looked me up. Not that I was doing anything wrong but it was very nerve wracking thinking that he may pull something like the stories I've read on here. He came back
and said nothing. I almost said something initially when he first came to the window but remembered a lot of people on here saying not to say anything unless they ask.

I also meant to make a post about the subject on legality of shooting in a backyard last night on here after I was at friends new home Saturday. After the warning, I asked the
officer about shooting in the backyard. My friends property backs up against to approximately a mile long track of State owned woods. He said neighbors shoot around him all
the time and I was skeptical so I asked the officer just in case. He said it was all good and now I've gained an "free" outdoor shooting range.
Wear the seat belt properly? Please explain.
 
Michigan and Ohio are not the same..............

I got pulled over for the first time with my gun on me, in Michigan, last week for speeding. I am licensed in Ohio, and learned in my CHL class that we are to affirmatively notify the officer immediately upon him arriving at your driver's window, with your hands in plain sight on the steering wheel, dome light on if its nighttime. Well I was in Michigan, and did not know what the standard was, so I said nothing. The officer never asked. I had my gun in the center console, and so is my registration. Well I guess he was looking at my DL when I got the registration out, and the gun was deep inside the compartment, probably not visible anyway. Nothing was said, and I took my ticket and went on my way. Well since then I have read the Michigan law, and it clearly states that a CHL license holder is to advise an officer that he is licensed for concealed carry and whether or not he is armed, and if so, where the firearm is located. Same details we are to give in Ohio.

So make sure you know the law in the jurisdiction you intend to carry in. The fine in MI for a first offense of not advising the officer, is $500 plus six months suspended CHL license. Second offense is $1000 and you lose your license to carry. Pretty harsh, but it probably should be. Learn the law, I have. And fortunately not the hard way.
 
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Incorrect. Florida LEOs do not currently have access to CWFL status without a separate database look up using CWFL number or SSN. (Except for a limited beta test currently underway with FHP)

not all together true. in my area, Cape Coral PD know before they get out of the car, but the county sheriff (LCSO) do not, so not all of florida has that access yet.
 
Florida CCW is issued by the Dept. of Agriculture. The Sheriff's office is just the usual conduit to obtain said license. I went directly to the DoA to get mine, no sheriff involved. Thus, unless FL cops have access to the Dept. of Agriculture database from their cruisers (which is most highly unlikely), no one will be the wiser that you're carrying.
 
Here in Fresno,CA i do not have to notify the pd of my ccw if pulled over....Kind of odd considering we are so tightly regulated.But like every other law passed in CA.this too will probably change when the anti's learn of this.
 
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not all together true. in my area, Cape Coral PD know before they get out of the car, but the county sheriff (LCSO) do not, so not all of florida has that access yet.
I suppose it's possible, if they have added some automation (no sure too many municipalities have that capability) into the license plate check. They would then have to determine the registered owner, then make the assumption that the registered owner is the driver. Just register your vehicles in a trust (or Corporation/LLC) - issue solved. Registered owner = My Vehicle Trust.
Trusts are better as they are not Recorded Instruments in Florida.

But it's all academic anyway. You are still not required to disclose the presence of the firearm. All you are legally required to do is present the CWFL if he asks to see it.
 
I asked this very question at my CHP class. The instructor was an active cop. He told the class he and majority of the force on his PD prefer you hand them the permit along with your license and registration. He said that was the most diplomatic way to go about it. Regardless, he said though he will see it when he runs your plates, he often made stops without running the plates first, and said he and most of the cops he knows always assume and act as if everyone is carrying legally or otherwise. If you have it on you, hand them your permit so no mistakes happen, and no situation gets escalated by discovering you are armed without knowing if or not you are in fact a good guy. I thought that was the excellent advice. If you are not carrying, and your state doesn't require disclosure, don't bother.
 
In the end, as long as you comply with the letter of the law all is good. i would question the safety of having to into a compartment where the gun (glove box, center console, etc), to retrieve registration/license/etc and not give the officer a heads up that there is a weapon in there.

It just seems like the perfect situation for an officer to get spooked. I mean, you put most folks in that situation, the officer does not know you one bit. Depending on the state he may not know you have a concealed carry. You go reaching into a compartment with a gun. He has got a second to decide whether you are a threat or not and I could see many officers drawing their weapons in that situation.
 
In NC you must tell them. I think it's a good idea if you're required or not.I have my FL Non resident and NC permits. I have nothing to hide and letting them know ahead of time might save you allot of aggravation in the long run.I'd feel naked if my permit was suspended or revoked. I've had my FL permit since 1987.
 
To the original poster - sounds like a good "run in" with the cops. He did what he was supposed to.

Also, if you ever travel to SC (I think SC and FL are now reciprocal) remember that you must present any officer that stops you (or detains you on the street) with your license and your CWP/CHL/CCW and tell him if you're carrying a weapon. Just something to keep in mind.
 
I almost said something initially when he first came to the window but remembered a lot of people on here saying not to say anything unless they ask
After the warning, I asked the
officer about shooting in the backyard
I'm not trying to bust your chops, it sounds like everything went well but the above two statements shows just how hard it is not to talk.

You didn't want to tell the officer you were carrying but out-of-the-blue you started a discussion about shooting in your back yard. :D
 
not all together true. in my area, Cape Coral PD know before they get out of the car, but the county sheriff (LCSO) do not, so not all of florida has that access yet.

That's an odd one. I drive other people's cars often. Doesn't seem like it would make much sense to try to correlate a license plate to who might be driving it.

Oh well....
 
To Janedoedad, I guess I am of the opinion that since we are granted a license to do something that some would call an added danger to the police, that we should be held to a higher standard. Just like I am held to a higher standard as a lawyer, than a lay person. If you (assuming you are a not a lawyer) use the defense of ignorance of the law, you might get a pass, or partial pass anyway, and I wouldn't. In fact the Judge would have had a field day with me if I had been charged with non-notification of an officer, and then told him I didn't know the law required that of me. Just saying it's important to know what your obligations are, and if its going to cost you a bunch of money, most of us will spend the time learning what we need to know.:)
 
What lgcal2ga said, be sure you know the laws of whereever you intend to carry. In N.C. it is required to inform. That is what I would do if say for instance I were stopped in Ga. or Fla. or Tx. or any other state that had reciprocal with N.C.
 
TX is in a bit of a weird place at the moment. For now there is a statutory requirement to notify but there is no penalty for failure to do so, either criminal or administrative.

Legislature has no idea what they are doing, which is why we only let them meet every other year :)
 
TX is in a bit of a weird place at the moment. For now there is a statutory requirement to notify but there is no penalty for failure to do so, either criminal or administrative.

Legislature has no idea what they are doing, which is why we only let them meet every other year :)
What a great idea, having them meet only every other year. Now if we could do that on the national level, and only let the president sign no more than one or two laws each time they met, then we would have something. Go TX!!:D
 
You didn't want to tell the officer you were carrying but out-of-the-blue you started a discussion about shooting in your back yard.

Afterward I thought about that. He might have known I was carrying and said nothing but I'm sure if he didn't know after I asked about the backyard he probably thought about it.
I didn't put in my original post but I learned he went to school with my brother when we were talking, so that possibly may be why he was lenient with the warning and also more casual if he did know I was carrying.

I try to make as many friends or just make sure I stand out in a good way any time I can with the police so I am a "friendly" to them later. This way when any "stuff" goes down, if and whatever
it may be, I might be treated better. That was at the back of my mind when I went over and asked him about the backyard shooting. I was going to call the sheriff's office but I made friendly conversation
with one of them instead of just getting the info from an unknown desk officer.
 
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