I met my first pro-gun LEO, a very good experience!

[brighamr]

I've posted several times on here about my usual "meetings" with LEOs, and my opinions on the subject. That has officially changed since my recent road trip. ***DISCLAIMER: NO LEO BASHING, as I would like my thread to stay open***

I was travelling interstate, going through Idaho on my way to Utah. I have a concealed permit, and I was carrying about 7 guns on my trip (we always have a 4th of July shoot with my family down there). It is my usual bad habit to drive quickly through open stretches and slow down for towns. In my opinion, if there's no one else around, what's an extra 15mph going to change? That's another topic, and for the record, I don't condone speeding. Sufficet to say, I was speeding when I got pulled over, it was my fault and I know better now

So back to the story, I was travelling south on I15 when the cruiser passed me headed north. He performed the "Dukes of Hazzard" u-turn, directly through the median, and promptly turned his lights on. Knowing I was the reason, I pulled over, shut off the car and kept my hands on the wheel.

The officer was polite, asked me why I was travelling so fast, and upon seeing my handguns in the front seat, he asked me to step out of the car. I complied, and after stepping out handed him my driver's license and CWP. Here's the funny part: he noticed my competition t-shirt I was wearing and asked what I competed in. I replied "3gun", to which he responds "so just how many guns do you have in that car?". I was grinning a little and said the entire trunk was full, but I had a permit and wasn't breaking any laws. I was kind of defensive at the time, because frankly I don't like telling anyone how many guns I have, or why I have them.

The officer then states, and I quote, "I'm a firm believer in the second amendment. I have no problems with you having several guns in the car, but I'd like you stay back here while I go talk to your passenger."

At this point, I felt relieved. I know it shouldn't be a big deal, but considering the stigma I had witnessed in the past, I felt the LEO being pro-2A was a very good thing considering my cargo. He talked to my wife, confirming my story and noticed her new taurus "Judge" in the footwell. The officer asked permission to look at the judge, then picks it up and sights it along some fence posts away from the freeway. I was seriously laughing at this point It sounds surreal, but standing with my wife on the side of a freeway while an officer "examines" her gun gave me a chuckle. He wanted to buy one for kicks, and I referred him to my favorite gun store.

I still got a ticket, which was fair enough. I was going too fast, and that's his job to cite speeders. But the simple fact that I was treated politely, he asked permission to examine my weapon, and we were able to have a conversation about competition shooting... well, to be honest it was my best LEO facing experience yet.

Lesson to be learned: Don't speed or break any other laws while on a road trip. It actually made the trip longer, stressed me out and wasted gas. On the way home, we put the cruise control at 75 (posted limit), had zero issues and made it home about 30 minutes quicker than the trip down. Much less stressful, and enjoyable for me and mine.

 

[Rokyudai]

You should have charged him the cost of the ticket to handle your wife's weapon.

I'm glad you were happy about your experience but come on...it stinks either way to get a ticket, even when you know you deserve it!

 

[txgho1911]

Many pro gun LEOs I have met are also pro conditions and some restrictions. But not for them.
Seems like the more equal than thee is getting drilled into them from somewhere. FTO or academy and even experience for some.
Lets not flip a thread that holds some positive perspective though.

 

[Samgotit]

My FFL is a LEO. I think that makes him pro-gun?

 

[Nagant]

This could just be the kind of company I keep, but ALL the cops I know personally are pro-gun...

Glad to hear you had a good experience.

 

[bobernet]

I know a number of officers and detectives who are "pro gun" in the same sense txgho1911 mentioned. They're "pro" CCW, background checks, gun licensing and registration, mandatory training, lautenberg bans, etc. And none of them have a problem with the LEO/non-LEO discrepancies in restrictions.

That's not really very pro-2A in my book. Glad your experience was not negative, brighamr - but I have to wonder if your standards might be declining when a speeding ticket on the open road in the middle of nowhere = good LEO encounter. ;-)

 

[usmarine0352_2005]

.


A lot of LEO's are pro-gun and pro-2 Amendment.

Just because they don't talk about it much, or it doesn't come up much in a brief encounter with an LEO doesn't mean they aren't pro-gun.

If you talk to lots of LEO's, they hunt, shoot, do everything that every day people do.



Most people in the middle of a traffic stop for speeding don't go, "Sir, by the way, before you give me a ticket, I have a question for you. Are you pro-gun by any chance?"


lol

.

 

[brighamr]

Interesting comments. In actuality, I understand why speed limits exist. They didn't have them in Montana until a lot of "out of staters" came up here to road race and killed a bunch of people. Speed limits are one thing I think people need, because frankly, not everyone with a license can handle driving... I'll leave it at that.

As for the pro-2A, but only for LEOs comments... I didn't get that from him at all. He seemed genuinly interested in my competition guns, and didn't even care about my CWP (Open Carry is legal in ID). I'm sure there are LEOs who have that mentality, but from my own personal experiences, it's either pro for all or anti for all. Every other one I have met has basically stated civilians don't need guns, which is why I was so happy to finally meet one who "kept it real".

 

[MedWheeler]

In September of 1987, I was a 21-year old delivering pizzas for Domino's in Palm Beach County. In the town of Lake Park, I was involved in a MVA when another driver ran a stop sign and collided with my truck. There were no injuries. A female officer (who I later got to know when I became a LEO in a neighboring town) was dispatched to the scene. During the course of the report, she stated she needed the odometer reading from my truck. As she peeked inside, she asked me "where's your gun?". I responded that it was in a holster, which was in the glovebox. She removed my then-new Taurus 66, withdrew it from the holster, and asked if I minded if she unloaded it. I didn't, and suggested she put the ammo in the ashtray, which she did. She returned the re-holstered gun to the glovebox, and nothing further was said about it.
I never did learn how she knew I had a gun in the vehicle. There was no other "evidence", such as gun mags, empty shells, speedloaders, or whatever. Though I knew of no other pizza drivers that admitted to stowing handguns (half were under 21, anyway), maybe, in the LE community, it was common knowledge that pizza guys pack. It is now.

 

[FCFC]

Good descriptive post of your experience, brighamr. And it really was a positive experience, given the situation of getting stopped in the first place. Thanks for the post.

As a side note, I was impressed by your description of the ticket and your accepted responsibility for it. People who relate traffic stop with gun stories always have some gripe about the law, the logic of the offense, the unfair discrimination of the stop, the revenue basis of the ticket, etc. For some reason, they simply cannot say, "I committed a violation, the law makes sense, and I deserved the ticket. And here's what happened concerning the gun(s)..."

 

[TallPine]

I understand why speed limits exist. They didn't have them in Montana until a lot of "out of staters" came up here to road race and killed a bunch of people.

It was just one guy who got a ticket and took it all the way to the state supreme court. He claimed to be a race car driver so 100+++ was "reasonable and prudent" for him on a narrow winding 2-lane where loose livestock (this is an open range state, btw) and large ag equipment being moved on the hiway are a definite possibility

IIRC, he was stopped up near Winnett which isn't too far (in Montana miles) from here.

MT SC said the law was vague and therefore could not be enforced, mandating the state to go to a numerical speed limit. Now we have 75mph limits on narrow 2-lane roads, which is plenty fast enough IMO.

The only "stop" I have had in the last 25 years or so was being waved over by a F&G officer at the forest circus boundary. I was openly carrying a .357 revolver while he checked my deer and he never even mentioned it.

 

[FTA84]

I was once at a local gun shop where a local officer was talking about a proposed high capacity magazine ban. He was fairly upset that anyone had proposed such a ban and was complaining that he would never vote for so and so again.

I thought it was very interesting because many proponents of the high cap ban claim that it is to protect LEO from prolonged gun fights.

 

[aka108]

Al the LEO's I've known have been very pro-firearms.

 

[airforceteacher]

I met a new guy in my Sunday School class yesterday and asked what he did. When he said BATF agent, I chuckled and said I wouldn't debate with him. He said "We'd be on the same side. Iwas very happy with Heller." We chatted a bit about the Katrina stuff and basic 2A things. He said he told his boss once that if ever told to confiscate he'd be on the wrong side - his laughed and said that there are only 2000 or so agents in the country - they couldn't forcibly disarm the county, let alone the country.

So, apparently they are out there.

 

[brighamr]

TallPine - the funny part about that... where I live, if you drive over 50mph at night, the chances of hitting a deer go up about 10x, even though the limit is 75 lol.

I miss the non-speed limit days, but at the same time race car drivers should stay on the track IMO.

Maybe we could repeal the law and state that limits don't apply to 4x4s, ATVs, and tractors?

 

[TallPine]

Same here, brighamr - the practical night-time speed limit is about 45mph. The stretch along the river between here and town is especially bad. And deer don't pay attention to red&blue lights and siren either, so it really affects how fast LE could get out to my neighborhood at night.

If I have to drive at night, what I like to do is get a safe distance behind a semi and just stay there and let them clear the road for me

It's amazing though - I even see big trucks with some huge homemade front end guards on them.

 

[buzz_knox]

LEOs are just like any other group; they consist of people with individual opinions. I've met those who thought citizens shouldn't have access to any weapon, and those who believe citizens should have anything that doesn't require enriched uranium to operate. Some are pro freedom, others are absolute control freaks (society will run best when run by cops).

That being said, their opinions are generally of no consequence as they can and will follow the orders of their superiors.

 

[jfrey]

gun friendly LOE's

I'm going gunshop hopping In Houston on Thursday and, you guessed it, an LOE friend of mine is going with me. His boss was a little upset because he wanted to go too, but they both couldn't be gone at the same time. There is another officer who works with them who isn't as gun friendly as these two are. Personally, I just ignore him and he normally goes away. Well two out of three ain't too bad these days for having LOE's on our side. There are a few bad apples in every barrel, but you just have to seperate them out and go on. It is my observation that things are a lot more gun friendly when you stay west of NY/NJ/MA and east of Hollywood/LA/SD/SF(cities not states).