Pulled over while carrying

[mstirton]

and I don't think it possibly could have gone any more smoothly. Nice job Travis County Sheriff.
I was driving home late (1/2 hour ago) and decided to go ahead and take a turn lane to get around a street sweeper doing 30 in a 50. No other cars around and clear vision for good 1/4 mile so I let my impatience get the better of me.
I noticed another car pull around the same way about 5 seconds later and was pretty sure of what was coming. He tailed me for 1/2 mile and lit me up so I took the next right and pulled off where there was some room. 3rd time I've been pulled over in 16 yrs driving and 1st since getting CHL a couple yrs ago.
I turned off the car and put on the dome light. He asked the normal q's and I had to get my license from the glove box. I had my G26 in there as well so I let him know and he just told me not to take it out. I gave him the CHL, insurance, and DL, he took the DL and handed back the other 2 after a quick check. Couple minutes later he came back with a warning and told me I should keep my wallet somewhere away from the gun since some officers might get nervous if I have to go near it. I was close to home in a pretty nice part of town and he told me I may be treated differently if the officer didn't have a "good feeling" about it. I thanked him and drove home.
I usually have my wallet on me or in the center console, but you know this has to happen the 1 time I throw it in the glove box. I'm a pretty honest looking guy, but I look like a psycho in my DL pic so I'm kinda surprised he didn't just shoot me.

 

[geronimo509]

lol I like the ending. Good job to you and the officer. Take his advise too.

 

[rbernie]

You're overall 'ho hum' experience has pretty much been my experience as well.

"Don't draw on us and we won't draw on you.."

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Good ending!

Ho-hum is good.

 

[wyocarp]

Made me laugh, "Don't take it out."

I recieved a warning last weekend for speeding. The officer never asked about guns and I was carrying two, son had one, and several others in the vehicle. He had to know about them, it comes up as soon as he runs the plates in Wyoming. Still upsetting though. We spent 5 hours in the vehicle with the cruise control on in rural Wyoming and I go out to pass a slow vehicle and get stopped. He knew I was just passing. Kind of ridiculous.

 

[heron]

Well done -- by both of you.

 

[TRGRHPY]

"Don't draw on us and we won't draw on you.."

That is close to what I was told when I got pulled over about a month ago. He said "just don't draw on me and we'll be ok".

 

[A-FIXER]

Good job, telling him and turning on the dome light.

 

[SamTuckerMTNMAN]

In NC disclosure is the law, I wouldnt wait for them to find out.

I've had two pull overs this (edit; in last 12 months) year. Both were ho hum. I was actually interested to see how it would go...State troopers. One male one female. I had ID ready and other hand on wheel, window down, music off. When asked for ID I presented license and CC card simultaneous and said "I do not have a weapon at this time" and "I do have a weapon at this time", didn't seem to make any difference.

They check me out, told me to renew a tag or something. I thanked them for their service to the community and went along. The reason it happened twice is my stepdads truck was out of date, which I hadnt noticed . . .

this IS western NC

 

[franconialocal]

Pulled Over

About a year ago I pulled a guy over for speed and it was about the mirror image of the story above as far as how smoothly it went.

It was funny though......he said "Sir, I just want to advise you that I have a Pistol/Revolver Lic. and a weapon in the vehicle".

I said, "Yeah...I kind of figured considering the absolutely HUGE "SIG" sticker in the back window."

He continued to explain that his buddy worked for a graphic design co. and had him print out this SIG sticker (used the orig., scanned the image, then blew it up by about %400)

*chuckle*

 

[RedAlert]

In each case mentioned above, everyone kept their head, acted civil, and did nothing stupid. I think that combination will work in all but the most bizarre situations.

Ralph

 

[shootistpd27]

My wife and I used to go riding our bicycles through Shiloh National park for excercise. I always have a pistol on me so I put my glock 22 in my backpack along with my badge, and wallet. When we left we came up on a Tennessee Highway Patrol road block. I was scared to death because I would have to reach into my bag for my wallet and it was next to my gun. Luckily the trooper was a nice guy, I am a cop myself and I have seen some dumb cops draw down on folks even when they tell the cop that they have a permit, all went well and I was on my way.

 

[meBNme]

I've been stopped a few times......
I sped once.....
I Ran a red light right behind a big box truck (Couldn't see the light)
Had out of date tags.
Spilled coffee, swerved, cop thought I was drunk LOL

and finally, The sheriff (not a deputy, THE sheriff of my home county stopped me one LATE night (3am) after completing a furnace install for a customer with emergency no heat. He was out in the seedy neighborhoods and trailer parks catching drug dealers and stopped me because it was 3 am, I came into the neighborhood to drop off my helper, and then left, so I guess it looked like a drug buy.

ANYWAYS.....

ANYTIME, I am stopped, I go through this routine,
Truck off, window down, interior light on, radio off, and pulled as far off the highway as I can possibly get for the safety and comfort of the officer.

Before the vehicle stops, the gun goes on the dashboard.

Before the officer is out of his car my hands are dangling outside my window, and as he approaches I say "Officer, Just thought you'd like to know that I have a legal handgun on the dashboard.

The stoplight situation was funny.

The city policeman (Raleigh PD NC) gets out a little angry, when I tell him about the gun he stops, looks at me, and his entire demeanor changed from angry to surprised and appreciative.

He asked if it was loaded.

I said, well officer, it would be no better than an expensive rock if not right? He laughs and says, yeah, I guess not.

He reaches in the window and gets the gun, (Which kinda suprised me as it left him exposed to attack) as I tell him, there IS one in the chamber. (I was carrying my H&K USP .40 at the time.)

He then clears the gun, and takes it back to run the numbers.
Next thing I know, another car shows up and two more cops get out.

They look at the gun, come up to my car and start asking questions.

"How does it shoot?" Is there much felt recoil? have you shot it with a glock? how did you like it compared with the glock? How does it field strip?

Turns out the three were buddies and were all seriously considering purchasing a USP but were hesitant to spend that much money without some feedback.

I showed them how it breaks down, sat there and chatted guns with them for about 45 min, while they all fondeled the USP lovingly, they then all got in their cars and left.

He didn't even tell me not to load the gun until they were gone. He just reluctantly handed it over with the loaded magazine and extra round.

When the Sheriff stopped me that late night, I didn't' recognize him until after I had done the whole "I have a gun" routine and handed him the license. When he then lowered his flashlight I realized who it was.

But anyways, I said, "Officer, I have a gun etc. etc." he said, "OK"
and asked what I was doing in the neighborhood that late. I told him.
After I recognised him he explained that he'd had calls about that neighborhood and drug deals and asked if I had seen any people or vehicles loitering around when I went through. I told him what I had seen and he said, Thanks, now go home and get some sleep, you're working to hard." and left.

Other than the "OK" when I mentioned the gun, and flashing his light on it to verify, he never once even acknowledged that it existed.
But then again He is a level headed guy, and a great sheriff.

 

[MT GUNNY]

Ive had my share of getting Pulled over, I was a race-car Driver in a Former life. More than half the Time Ive had some sort of Firearm In, On, or around me. Never Once have I been Disarmed or gotten out of a ticket. Only one time a officer Lied to me about a law, only out of Ignorance, But I consider us Even Cause I told him a lie also. My lie was an Accident (temporary Memory laps).

 

[moooose102]

i havent been pulled over yet, but i hope it goes as smoothly as you guys did. i have taked to 2 dnr officers. the first thing i did was tell them i was carrying, and i had a license for it. they never even cared or wanted to see the license. so far, so good.

 

[wrs840]

In each case mentioned above, everyone kept their head, acted civil, and did nothing stupid. I think that combination will work in all but the most bizarre situations.

Absolutely key point.

...this IS western NC ...

That's where I am too, and around here, if you look and behave like you're on the "good-guy's" team, 99% of NC LEOs treat North Carolina Concealed Handgun Permit holders as an appreciated member of the "good-guy" team. It's very important to notify NC LEOs right off the bat though, ('cause they're gonna know as soon as they run your license), and if you forgot to mention it, you've broken the law by not notifying, you're suspect for that failure, and off "the team".

I'm OK with that. If I was a LEO interacting with a citizen on official business, I'd want to know who's carrying concealed, and if they're willingly complying with applicable notification laws, like them or not.

Les

 

[meBNme]

That's kinda funny.

I'm in central NC around the Raleigh/wake county area and have had several encounters with LE officers involving my carrying a gun.

The ONLY bad experience was in western NC LOL.
I was in Concord, right outside of Charlotte at a Golden corral.

I was carrying my Glock 33 in a non concealed, Galco inside the waistband holster, in the small of my back.
The entire grip, and more than half the slide/frame were exposed and in plain view.

At the time I did not have my CCW permit, but as you guys know, NC law permits the open non concealed Carry of a firearm with no permit.

As I walked out of the building I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see a Concord police officer coming up behind me.

Long story short, he says that someone in the store called and reported that "there is a man in the restaurant wearing a gun."
He searched my vehicle, confiscated the gun, and a bag I had just purchased from an army surplus store with some handgun books, some ammo and an additional holster.

He said I was carrying concealed and he confiscated it all because I did not have a permit for concealed carry. They had 5 other cars show up for this whole ordeal. Yes, of course I cooperated fully, and was polite up until he stated he was confiscating the weapon on such a bogus charge.

I then got smart with him and said "Dude, if you could see the freakin gun plain as day when I walked out of the building, which you obviously DID because you asked if I had a permit for "that" gun and pointed at it, then what in your twisted mind makes you think it was concealed or that you have the right to confiscate my weapon? What are you, the FNG on the force? let me talk to one of the other officers that isn't so anti gun and second amendment."

He didn't like that and threatened to arrest me.

I Did get the chance to ask another officer what he thought of the guys decision, and could anyone there overrule it.
He said, "Well....... I would have made a different decision, but he....... well..... He's the first responder so the decision is his to make, but.... I wouldn't have taken your weapon." He pointedly looked me in the eyes and held contact for a moment when he said the last bit.

Later at court, I defended myself. I brought the holster with me that I was wearing. And for some reason I felt that I should wear the same pants, shirt and boots I wore that day as well. Turns out my intuition was right.

The cop tells the judge "when I approached him and searched his vehicle I found cases of ammunition for several different firearms, and numerous survivalist and militaristic books and magazines. He was wearing combat boots and military fatigues and carrying a concealed weapon with no permit."

(One of the books was "great living in grubby times".)

when it was my turn to speak I told the judge that I was wearing the exact clothes and boots right then that I had worn that day. I showed him the black leather work boots and tan BDU's with a gray T-shirt.
The cop confirmed that yes, indeed the clothing and boots "Look like what he may have been wearing that day."

I then showed the judge the zip lock bag containing the holster and asked if I could put it on just as it was worn that day and show him that the gun could not have been concealed.

I said " your honor, if the entire grip, and more than half the frame and slide were exposed, and if an average citizen who is typically unaware of their surroundings, can at a glance not only plainly see the item, but clearly identify it as a gun, then by definition it is not concealed.
Now I don't understand why the officer is trying to portray me as some paramilitary nut job with comments about combat boots and misrepresenting the two 50 round boxes of ammo for my and my wife's handguns, and two books on self sufficient living and handgun safety, but I think its clear that I was not breaking any law that day, and I certainly was not carrying concealed."

To my relief, the judge laughed out loud, looked at the officer, shook his head and said "Give this man his gun back, Not guilty."

I still to this day think it was a rookie cop who was badge heavy and looking to impress his officer buddies with a big bust and sling his badge around.

 

[wrs840]

Well... I did say 99% of the time... So you found Barney Fife... I had a fat-chick cop at a midnight license check treat me that way one time. I'm glad it turned out OK for you in the end though. Oh, and BTW Concord doesn't count as "Western NC". That's still sandhills / flatlander country. tee hee hee...

Les

 

[meBNme]

LOL, I hear ya hillbilly.

I thought the sand hills were south east NC around Sanford?

From the sound of it, you live in my favorite part of the world, the NC mountains.

I absolutely love the area around the NC, Tenn border and the mountains on the back side of lake Lure. Or flat rock or linville, or Boone or..... Oh dang...... now I wanna go to the mountains again.

 

[wrs840]

Yeah, I'm in the NC Brushy Mountains, transplanted from Chicago in the '60s when I was a kid. The only thing that might beat it is Western Montana, but that's currently an unreasonable commute to work.

Best,
Les

 

[rondog]

I haven't been stopped in years, not looking for it either. But, and this is just my opinion, I DON'T think I'll be putting my pistol on the dashboard. That DOESN'T sound like a good plan to me. Again, JMO.

 

[meBNme]

rondog, my reasoning for it is that in NC it is OK to carry openly, but not concealed without a permit.

It is perfectly legal here for ANYONE not convicted of a felony mental disorder etc to have a gun in plain site.

When an officer can see the gun so easily visible and easily see any movement toward it, it tends to make them a little more comfortable with it.
I actually carry it either on my person or in a holster mounted in the truck within easy reach.

The first stop I left it there and the officer suggested that it may be better if it were not so easilly accessible and if it were more visible in the future.

Since I have been placing it on the dash before stopping the vehicle I have had no issues about it.

I'm sure it may be different in other states with different laws.

 

[hostilecrab]

Glad that the LEO kept his cool !

When I took my concealed carry class, our instructor advised us to inform the LEO of such: "I need to let you know that I have a concealed carry license".
Because not all LEO will be so cool if you include the word "GUN" in your verbiage.

You have let the LEO know you have a license to carry. Then it is up to the LEO to continue the questioning process to determine if you are carrying or not, and so forth.

Where I live (Oregon), you have no legal obligation to inform a LEO that you are carrying. But.... common sense would say otherwise to avoid the LEO from freaking out and drawing on you.