Getting pulled over with your CCW

Wasn't there just a long-winded thread on this exact subject?

I think the consensus was to follow the law exactly, nothing more, nothing less. And to conceal properly, of course.

That question has been discussed here many times.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=555154
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=545907
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=517577
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=516926

If your state requires it, notify.

If your state does not require it, don't bring your gun into the conversation -- while you might get out of a ticket, maybe, you can also bring a lot of trouble on yourself which can cost a lot of money and wasted time to resolve.

My vote is with Sam1911 and bigfatdave on all counts.

1. Yes it has been discussed many times and in depth.
2. Do what the state law says and nothing more or less.

I don't do anything different if I have a gun in my possession than if I don't have a gun in my possession. The gun on my belt is no different than the cell phone in my pocket. That's the way I treat the situation, which is what is allowed by state law.

Here's an example:
I was speeding (not intentionally, this time) while looking for a park there was a picnic at. I had my soon-to-be-wife and two kids in the car with me. Got pulled over. I was open carrying, like I am doing 90% of the time. Stopped with my window rolled down and driver's license, military ID card in hand outside the window (military ID is required to validate my out of state driver's license). Also had the glove box already open. After I handed my DL and ID to him, I retrieved the registration and insurance from the glove box.

Cop went back to his car, came back and asked me to step out of the vehicle. I exited my vehicle and met him between our vehicles where he was waiting for me. He told me he just didn't want to appear to be lecturing me in front of my family, but to slow down and he was going to let me go with a warning. I returned to my vehicle, he returned to his. That was it. Nothing was ever said about the Taurus PT-145 openly carried on my belt in a Fobus paddle holster.

I am a chronic speeder and have been stopped 4 times while carrying, with the above being the only time I have been asked to exit the vehicle. At no time has my gun ever been an issue because I don't make it an issue. 2 out 4 times I received tickets.

In states you are obligated to inform, i go about it this way. No need to start out the conversation with "I'm armed". Keep your hands on the top middle of your steering wheel. Greet him or respond to his greeting. Whatever conversations ensue, before moving your hands from that upper wheel inform him calmly and politely that you are carrying a legally concealed firearm. Keep good eye contact with him the whole time. Treat him with the respect you would treat your girlfriends father with the first time you meet him.

In states you are not obligated in, I would only let him/her know if he/she instructs me to do something I know will reveal my weapon.

TriTone said:

In states you are obligated to inform, i go about it this way. No need to start out the conversation with "I'm armed". Keep your hands on the top middle of your steering wheel. Greet him or respond to his greeting. Whatever conversations ensue, before moving your hands from that upper wheel inform him calmly and politely that you are carrying a legally concealed firearm. Keep good eye contact with him the whole time. Treat him with the respect you would treat your girlfriends father with the first time you meet him.

In states you are not obligated in, I would only let him/her know if he/she instructs me to do something I know will reveal my weapon.

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No need to start out the conversation with "I'm armed".

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That is entirely dependent on state law!

If I'm stopped in a state that requires notification I just add my CCW to the d/l, reg, ins package. Never been an issue.
If I'm close to home and I'm stopped I notify even though I don't have to. If I'm still in Florida but a long way from home I shut up. I know I'm getting the citation.

AFS

Alaska requires notification during any interaction with a LEO. I prefer to put it right after my greeting. Also, I think it wise to not blurt out "I've got a gun!"

Still - best advice has been given. Obey all local laws and let common sense and courtesy reign

Seems as if the OP is asking mostly for people to share their own personal practices of how to interact.

Of course, follow the law, and, if you are out of your usual jurisdiction, make sure you find out about the law where you are going to be.

Personally, I carry my DL, my CCL, and a couple of credit cards in a small front-pocket wallet just a bit larger than a business card case.

When I am driving while armed, the little wallet rides in my shirt pocket.

I keep both hands on the wheel with my window open as the officer approaches (if after sunset, I turn on the overhead light) and don't move until asked to do so.

I'm in a 'must notify' state and handing the officer my CCL along with my DL meets the notification requirement.

I've been stopped four times since the Tx Concealed Carry law was passed and I have never had any kind of problem (nor have I received a ticket, thank goodness).

No officer has ever seen fit to comment upon the CCL at all.

Best,

Will

For no reason at all .....

.... must the driver exit the vehicle at LEO command? I can't list all the options an LEO might want to exercise in that case, but are any of them valid, and may the driver question the requirement of exiting the vehicle? Absent a warrant and obvious "Probable cause", may (MAY) an Leo extract a driver (or passenger) from the vehicle for "no reason" ?? dao.

My technique?

1. Turn on interior lights and put both hands on the wheel. No I don't cut it off unless I'm asked, it's 30 degrees out and I have freakin kids in the car. I roll my window down and that's it. Again, it is cold and my son has asthma.
2. Put both hands on the wheel. Hands and eyes are where we naturally look for signs of aggression. Open, empty hands give everyone the warm fuzzies.
3. Once he walks up, I tell him that I am a licensed CHP holder and answer any questions he has. I have a "duty to inform" in my state.

If there was no duty to inform, I'd skip step 3. It isn't an issue, he/she doesn't need to know. I also would voluntarily blab about where my pocket knife is, where my flashlight with impact tip is or what color underwear myself or my girlfriend may be wearing. It's just not his/her business unless it becomes an issue.

And if they NEED to know that badly for their own safety, then we may as well abolish ccw everywhere because everyone else needs to know for their safety, as well.

I've been in a few such interactions since getting my CHL here in NC, which requires notification (once my wife was stopped for not coming to a full and complete stop at a stop sign while we were house-hunting, and I've been stopped at a few of NC's ubiquitous driver's-license checkpoints). I always introduced myself with "Officer, I'm required to inform you that I have a carry license and have a firearm." The response I've gotten is "OK, thanks for letting me know" or "That's fine."

Covered in the past 2 issues of Shooting Illustrated.

Covered in the past 2 issues of Shooting Illustrated.

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I'm not familiar with that publication. Was their advice good, or the usual gun-rag fare?

It is an NRA publication. Yes it was good, it was written by a retired LEO, who writes for them. The only responses were that one should keep their hands on the wheel until the officer gets to the window, then tell him where your license, reg, ins & CCW are and wait for instruction - rather than have it all ready while he walks to the car, because movement into the glove box and middle console can make the officer feel threatened.

Bottom line, in a non-"must notify" state, it depends. Play it by ear. Always be courteous, in all interactions.

I've been pulled over three times since I got my CHL. Oregon is not a "must notify" state.

First time: Early evening/late afternoon. Pulled into the left lane on the highway to go around a slow vehicle. Did not see the county sheriff's deputy in the other lane till he lit me up from right on my bumper. I think he was hauling up the highway and wasn't there when I looked, but I might have just missed him when I checked. Anyway, I kept my hands on the wheel, then rolled down the passenger window when he showed up on that side of the pickup. Handed him my license and registration, and answered in the affirmative when he asked if I had any weapons in the vehicle. He asked where, and I said "on my right hip, but I have a permit". He asked to see it, and I gave it to him. He told me I was supposed to tell them up front to which I replied "I'm sorry. I didn't know that. They must have just changed that law." He was wrong, and I knew it, but no sense telling someone with the power to make your day go very wrong that he's ignorant of the law he's supposed to be enforcing. Bottom line - got a warning to use my signals.

Second time: December, dark, rainy. Headed to the indoor range at the gun club. Allegedly 72 mph in a 55, but I think that was the guy in front of me. (I was going too fast, just not that much too fast.) County mountie. I started pulling over as soon as he turned his lights on. He barely got onto the roadway before he pulled in behind me. I had two pistols in the rangebag on the seat beside me, and one on my hip under my jacket. This time, I turned the dome light on and waited for him to walk up with my hands on the steering wheel. He asked for my license and registration, but given the dark of the night and the weather, I felt like I should inform him before I reached for my wallet, even though I wasn't required to. He took my drivers license and registration, handed back the CHL, and walked back to his car. When he brought me the ticket I thanked him, told him to stay safe, and left. No hassles, this one didn't care.

Third time: Looking for the right turns in an unfamiliar town, we stayed at a stop sign a little too long for the cop behind us. He pulled me over. This time, I didn't say a word, and he didn't ask, but ONLY because I knew him from the gun store which had been his previous employer. He probably didn't ask because he knew I had a permit and probably guessed I was carrying, but given the relationship, didn't care. He ran my license (because he had to after pulling me over), then told us how to get where we were headed. So this third time isn't real indicative.

Personal stories and opinions aren't on-topic for the forum...