CCW Permit Holders are 'Certified Good Guys'
To obtain a CCW permit, one typically has to pass a criminal background check in addition to the training and documentation requirements. Once shown to not be a convicted felon, most states will issue the CCW permit.
Criminals, by nature, don't "bother" with such things. They carry illegally whereas we carry legally. However, when first approaching your vehicle, an LEO has no idea exactly who's inside and what their intentions are.
Officers are trained to keep "Officer Safety" clearly in mind -- and they have all seen dashboard camera footage in the Academy of what happens in traffic stop shootings. But if you follow some common-sense protocol, the stop should go fine and end without negative incident.
Here's my two cents:
# 1. Keep your hands in plain sight - the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock if best.
# 2. Be polite and friendly. "Yes Ma'am" or "Yes Sir" denotes respect.
# 3. When asked for your license and registration, my suggestion is that if yours aren't already out and available, you should notify the officer as to the location of your registration, your driver's license and your CCW permit, and the location of your sidearm -- all while keeping your hands in plain site. Once you've done that -- just ask the officer how he or she wants to handle it from there, and follow their instructions.
It would be JUST PLAIN DUMB to say such things as "I have a GUN in the car" or "My gun's right here" are you reach towards it. If you're going to refer to your firearm verball, my suggestion is to NOT refer to it as a "Gun" but rather a "Sidearm", which is somehow less worriesome to the officer and is more in line with the language the officer uses professionally in referring to the tool on his or her strong side hip.
Once you identify yourself as a CCW permit holder ('certified non-criminal citizen'), you are immediately and effectively reducing the officer's 'safety concerns' and are establishing a positive identity that will likely be trusted once your status is verified. The officers I have encountered have never spread-eagled me on the pavement or even disarmed me. They merely asked that I keep my hands in plain sight and not make any sudden moves. All three have said something to the effect of "Thanks for letting me know that".
To summarize: Put yourself in the officer's place; Use common-sense and courtesy at all times; Let the officer take the lead; and as you drive away from the scene (hopefully without a ticket), remember that you have made an impression as a CCW permit holder --- for the better or for the worse -- and that your enounter will likely be repeated to the officer's comrades back at the station as the watch changes from one shift to another.