"Free legal advice is worth every penny," etc pre-acknowledged: What are your experiences, opinions, and knowledge about this situation?
In IL firearms must be unloaded and encased. You are carrying an unloaded and encased handgun and are in possession of your IL FOID card.
You have a large bumper sticker advocating CCW (actually, more generally Right To Carry) legislation in IL, as well as ISRA and NRA stickers in your rear window.
Let's say you are stopped by an LEO in Chicago for a traffic violation - likely via a stretch of the word "violation" but let's just assume it was a legitimate minor incident (not complete stop at a stop sign, for example) - and the officer asks if you are transporting any firearms.
Maybe I'm just a cynic, but that's an odd question for a police officer to ask you out of the blue, so I assume it's because of the stickers in the window.
How would you respond?
What are your options? Can you respectfully decline to answer, or is that probable cause? What about "I am not illegally transporting any firearms" ? Or do you just say "yes" ?
In my experience at least some (if not many, or all) Chicago LEOs have little respect for the 4th amendment.
In any of these responses, is the LEO justified in detaining the citizen and searching his/her vehicle without giving any justification? Or were the stickers in the window all the justification they need?
In IL firearms must be unloaded and encased. You are carrying an unloaded and encased handgun and are in possession of your IL FOID card.
You have a large bumper sticker advocating CCW (actually, more generally Right To Carry) legislation in IL, as well as ISRA and NRA stickers in your rear window.
Let's say you are stopped by an LEO in Chicago for a traffic violation - likely via a stretch of the word "violation" but let's just assume it was a legitimate minor incident (not complete stop at a stop sign, for example) - and the officer asks if you are transporting any firearms.
Maybe I'm just a cynic, but that's an odd question for a police officer to ask you out of the blue, so I assume it's because of the stickers in the window.
How would you respond?
What are your options? Can you respectfully decline to answer, or is that probable cause? What about "I am not illegally transporting any firearms" ? Or do you just say "yes" ?
In my experience at least some (if not many, or all) Chicago LEOs have little respect for the 4th amendment.
In any of these responses, is the LEO justified in detaining the citizen and searching his/her vehicle without giving any justification? Or were the stickers in the window all the justification they need?