Pulled over Ticket then Questioned?????

[12-34hom]

Man, gotta love those takedown lights.....

You were presented a perfect opportunity to state your case as to why you carry CCW. Instead of getting angry, in a calm and professional manner explain your reasoning behind your CCW status.

Telling this officer to "back the F off" would be a real bad idea. Why get snotty while legally carrying? This is not the proper response from a responsible gun owner.

As far as getting a written warning - that falls under officer discretion.

12-34hom.

 

[Dogmatix]

I agree with most of the posts about him being cautious and yes I know why he turned on the lights, but also like posted earlier, a person with a CCW has gone through all the questions before and the background checks. Why is there a need for more questions? I applied for the permit and got it, meaning other than minor traffic violations (which is obvious ) i'm a law abiding citizen. It's hard to express the way he asked the questions, but they sounded to me as him being overly cautious and a little bit of a jerk. He later eased the questions and once he realized i wasn't going to blow his ass away, he turned it into a "oh whatcha packin" convo. I just don't understand the badgering in the first place. It's over now, I just wanted to see what your guy's opinions were. Thanks for the posts.

 

[JMusic]

Common sense. You should have told the officer right away. Its not funny what some people here are saying. Men and ladies die every year from someone concealing a firearm and shooting them with it when they have the chance. Tell the LEO you are packing immediatly and things will go alot smoother. The lights are meant to blind you. He became suspicious once he found out you had a permit. His or her questions have to be why did this guy not tell me up front. What do you think would hapen if he had caught a glimps of your weapon. This is a dangerous game to play let them know up front no matter if you are leagally bound to say so or not. If I approached a car and saw someone packing it would not be a pleasant experience. His actions were for your safety and his. Thje questions was to try to ascertain why you chose to keep it a secret.:banghead:
Jim

 

[chrisTx]

if he does something different in the middle of his stop because he discovered you have a CCW permit, then that trooper's life span is not very long.

you should treat every stop like the person you're stopping is armed. be cautious on every stop. when i find out someone has a CHL, it makes me feel better. i've never had a single problem out of a CHL holder; ever.

 

[Lupinus]

a lot of states have a duty to notify. As to his questions way out of line, teh answers to none of them are any of his damn buisness

"Why do you have a CCW permit?" Because the boneheads in the state capital made me get one to exorcise my god given right to self preservation without being a criminal

"Why are you Carrying?" Because I can and choose too

"What are you Carrying?" A gun

 

[migoi]

All the words...

are important, Zundfolge. Taking part of my statement and quoting it without the rest is intellectually dishonest.

Wrong answer.

Now you've gone from "fine upstanding citizen" to "rogue wannabe cop".

The rest is important too. If I had wanted to express just that part I would have written just that part.

sheesh...

migoi

 

[usmarine0352_2005]

This is hilarious:

"Why do you have a CCW permit?" Because without one I'd be breaking the law.

"Why are you Carrying?" Because in Montana it's legal.

"What are you Carrying?" Why do you ask?

- His lights are for ur safety, and SOP. (In MN they do it for regular things, like "Speeding Tickets".

- Some states you do NOT have to tell him your carrying. (I would NOT unless, he asked. - WHY GET HIM ALL AGITATED FOR NO REASON.)

 

[Ralph]

Must inform Law Enforcement when Carrying

In Michigan

About three months after getting my ccw I was stopped by the state police, at night, for a burned out headlight. I did not tell the officer that I had a ccw, after taking my drivers license to his vehicle he returns and reminds me that I need to tell him when stopped. Asks if I'm carrying, well it's behind seat in breif case, actually within reach. No problem, he was very nice about it considering what he could have done, read on:

Proper Conduct During Encounters with Police in Michigan

Responsibilities of Individuals With a CCW License:

1. An individual licensed to carry a concealed pistol who is stopped by a police officer (traffic stop or otherwise) shall immediately disclose to the police officer that he or she is carrying a concealed pistol either on their person or in their motor vehicle.

* Failure to disclose this information to a police officer carries the following penalties:

* First offense = State Civil Infraction - $500 fine and 6-month CCW license suspension.
* Second offense = State Civil Infraction - $1000 fine and CCW license revocation.

2. An individual licensed to carry a concealed pistol shall have the license in his or her possession at all times he or she is carrying a concealed pistol.

* Failure to possess CCW license when carrying a concealed pistol is a State Civil Infraction and a $100.00 fine.

3. Upon request, an individual licensed to carry a concealed pistol shall show both of the following to a police officer:

* His or her license to carry a concealed pistol
* His or her driver license or personal identification card

* Failure to show CCW license and Michigan driver license or Michigan personal identification card when carrying a concealed pistol is a State Civil Infraction and $100.00 fine.

4. A pistol carried in violation of numbers 1, 2, or 3 is subject to immediate seizure by a police officer.

* If a weapon is seized for failure to possess a CCW license while carrying a concealed pistol:

* Individual has 45 days in which to display their license to carry a concealed pistol to the law enforcement agency that seized the pistol and the pistol shall be returned.

* If the individual does not display their license to carry a concealed pistol within 45 days the pistol is subject to forfeiture.

To Ensure Safety During Police Encounters

If you are stopped by a law enforcement officer you should:

* Keep your hands where an officer can see them.
* Cooperate fully with the police officer.
* If you have a gun with you, tell the police officer as soon as possible.
* Do not make any quick movements, especially toward the weapon.
* If in a vehicle at night, turn on your vehicle’s dome light.

In certain circumstances, a law enforcement officer may take temporary possession of the weapon during interaction with the individual to ensure the safety of the officer and others. The police officer will return the pistol at the end of the stop unless the individual is being charged with a violation of the act or any other law that allows for the weapon to be seized.

 

[Jeff White]

The lights were so he could see into the interior of the car

I work mainly at night, and I use my takedown lights and shine the spotlight in the mirror of every car I stop. Although I do it as soon as the car stops, not halfway through the contact.

The officer was probably just curious and making conversation, I don't see why you got so defensive. There are all kinds of reasons why it took 15 minutes to write the ticket. It could have been the computer was slow and he didn't get a response back right away. If he had an MDC in the car, it could be he lost the connection and had to re-log on.

A normal traffic stop for me is about 8 minutes from initiating the stop to completing it. But radio or computer problems can increase the time.

Jeff

 

[M2 Carbine]

It appears that there's a problem in some states because neither the police or the carry licensee knows what the hell they are supposed to do during a traffic stop.

In Texas it's spelled out very clearly what each person is supposed to do and it's rare that I ever hear of a problem. The fact is, in most every case I've heard, and the times I have been stopped, the LEO appears to be put at ease when you hand him your carry license.

In any case I think the LEO in question was acting like an ass.
It's none of his business, "Why do you have a CCW permit? Why are you Carrying?, that's between you and the state.
Or if he's just that scared of a person with a state issued carry license I think he needs to be in some other kind of work.

 

[Tomekeuro85]

Jeff, your reply is exactly my thought. I don't understand why some of these people here are so anti-police. What if some of you went up to another shooter at the range and asked "What caliber is that" and they answered "mind your own business". If you wouldn't do that to another shooter, why do it to a police officer?

Cops are your friends. You talk bad about them now, but WHO oh WHO would be the first person you called if someone broke into your house???

 

[modifiedbrowning]

In MT you do not have to notify a Police Officer if you have a CCW. Why would you have to, when you can have a gun hidden in the car without a CCW.
Afaik your CCW is not linked to your drivers license. I have never heard of them being connected in any way.
Dogmatix, what highway were you driving on?

 

[Dogmatix]

In no way was I bad mouthing cops. Sorry if it seems that way. I only bad mouth BOzeman MT cops...because...well they dont know the laws and actually are not on your side...expecially a 23 yr old male. like myself.

 

[Travis Lee]

AZ does not require notification....
NM does not, either, but the license is directly hooked into the DMV,
so a police officer gets that info when he runs your license.....
that is, if the system is up and running properly.

For myself, I think it's better to hand the officer my CCW rather then get a surprise from the computer system.

--Travis--

 

[Dogmatix]

I was on highway 282 i believe...the one that runs from the wheat montana exit all the way to helena...i was right next to Canyon Ferry Lake actually. and he said my licence flagged him with a CCW

 

[rangerruck]

he was showing off to let you know that even if you may be carrying he is bigger an badder than you, or what you are carrying. wouldnt have mattered if you had it on you or not. even if you told him i have a ccw but have nothing on me at all right now. he still would have bombarded you with questions. this is one reason , i alwasy carry with me in my car, small bino's, digi camera, voice activ tape recorder. you have to protect yourself. the others, includign the cops will not , and they will try to take advantage of you or get over on you if you do not have PROOF otherwise.

 

[Tomekeuro85]

I don't know if its the best idea to record conversations without notification of the other party. If you were to record your conversation, and then bring it to court to help you out, you'd probably get in trouble for it. I'm not sure if its a felony but I know it is at least a misdemeanor.

 

[Molon Labe]

Cops are your friends. You talk bad about them now, but WHO oh WHO would be the first person you called if someone broke into your house???

My lawyer.

 

[Molon Labe]

It's very simple, folks.

"Why do you have a CCW permit?"

Am I free to go?

"Why are you Carrying?"

Am I free to go?

"What are you Carrying?"

Am I free to go?

When you encounter an LEO who is a stranger, you should always assume they're a JBT. With this in mind, you should answer each question with another question: "Am I free to go?"

 

[txgho1911]

Did not look into MT code but I trust Packing.org to be mostly correct.
In MT you are not required to inform.

People do not inform when not required because it is non of the officers buisness that we are armed. Personaly I only inform when not required only when I will be clearly exposed. Otherwise I deserve the ticket I get. For speeding even 5 over because it's the law.

Lighting you up after 15-20 min was not polite. That does not fit well with an armed society.

 

[Shootcraps]

I don't understand why some of these people here are so anti-police.

NOBODY was being anti-police. That bullcrap always comes into a discussion about police procedure. They're people, they're not always right, and we can disagree with them if we want.

 

[Shootcraps]

Cops are your friends. You talk bad about them now, but WHO oh WHO would be the first person you called if someone broke into your house???

First, I'd call the Sanitation Department and ask them to come and pick up the pile of crap that's bleeding to death on my floor.

THEN I'd call my lawyer.

 

[Johnny_Yuma]

"Am I free to go?"

Molon Wrote:

When you encounter an LEO who is a stranger, you should always assume they're a JBT. With this in mind, you should answer each question with another question: "Am I free to go?"

No, you're not free to go. I'm making an investigative stop. Step out of the car and place your hands behind your back.

 

[Shootcraps]

No, you're not free to go. I'm making an investigative stop. Step out of the car and place your hands behind your back.

Yeah, right. And that would be very illegal.

"Investigative stop"????? Where'd you get that from? CSI?

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

No, you're not free to go. I'm making an investigative stop. Step out of the car and place your hands behind your back.

My LEO career was very short, but that would have been my response to that kind of offensive attitude also. Then i would have changed my mind about the reduced charge.