Question for carriers of non-res permits

[wbwanzer]

I live in the People's Republic of Maryland but have a Utah non-res permit. In the two years that I've had the permit, I've only carried once. (I don't get away from here enough ) Anyway, I have two short trips to Virginia coming up in the next few months and it got me to thinking; If I were stopped by LE for some reason, what are the chances that the LE would realize that my Utah non-res permit is accepted in Virginia. I realize that the odds are probably pretty slim that I would have contact with LE, but if it were to occur, I'm guessing that I would be jacked up for a while until things got sorted out.

Have any of you ever run into problems when carrying with a non-res permit?

 

[qwert65]

I haven't had any problems - I have a VA non-res permit though I found VA to be gun friendly except by DC

 

[gatorjames85]

If you're worried about it, print out the relevant statute and keep it with you.

 

[mgkdrgn]

If you're worried about it, print out the relevant statute and keep it with you.

Oh ya, cops just love having the law quoted to them and paper shoved under their noses.

If a particular officer has a bug up his butt about you, there isn't thing one you can do about it except be polite and co-operate until you get to someone else with a brain.

 

[mljdeckard]

If an officer cites or arrests you, he has to cite the law under which you are being charged. If he is ignorant about the law, and you can remind him, he would no longer have a legal basis for doing so.

But by this time, if an officer is well enough informed that his state honors carry permits from other states, even if he doesn't have a cheat sheet listing them, Utah and florida are pretty much always at the top of the list and he will have seen it at least once.

 

[wbwanzer]

I think that maybe my problem is that, since I have only carried once so far, I was extremely selfconscious while I was carrying. And since I can carry so seldom, I'll probably always be selfconscious.

THe one time that I did carry was in the Shenandoah Nat Park in Virginia. Of couse the problem there is that I was always on and off with the gun since you can't carry in the gift shops or eateries or lodges.

 

[gatorjames85]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorjames85 View Post
If you're worried about it, print out the relevant statute and keep it with you.
Oh ya, cops just love having the law quoted to them and paper shoved under their noses.

If a particular officer has a bug up his butt about you, there isn't thing one you can do about it except be polite and co-operate until you get to someone else with a brain.

It depends on the officer. I have had an officer I was dealing with look through a statute book before. I guarantee you that if I had some relevant documentation, he would have looked it over.

 

[Sam1911]

Best thing to remember is that the interaction is not purely between you and him. He's part of a larger organization which both provides him the information to do his job correctly, and the oversight to make sure he's not "winging it."

If you're pulled over, first off VA is not a "duty to inform" state, so unless you think you're going to be removed from the car and frisked (unlikely in almost any common traffic stop) you don't need to discuss your gun at all, unless the officer specifically asks.

Second, if you do choose to inform, the officer will take your permit back to his cruiser with your license and (if he even cares to find out whether your permit is technically recognized by VA) ask his dispatcher to look it up for him. They'll get him straightened out right away.

In the REMOTE chance that the officer treats you in what you feel is a negative and/or unlawful way, get his badge number and contact his department. They have procedures for handling such complaints, and if he was in the wrong, the matter will be corrected.

(Yes, some officers in some places can act pretty negatively toward CCW holders without violating any laws. Probably unlikely in VA, but if you do feel this has happened, do report it. At the very least it goes in his personnel file.)

 

[berettaboy]

Agree with Gator,,,,,carry the statutes with you when traveling,,,,,there is also an app for IPAD, called concealed carry....

 

[Shawn Dodson]

http://www.vsp.state.va.us/Firearms_Reciprocity.shtm

http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/FAQother.html

If the officer has any questions then refer him or her to the Virginia State Police concealed carry reciprocity web page.

 

[basicblur]

Here's the VA State Police page covering reciprocity - I think I'd print out more than one copy - one to show the cop, and in case he trashes that one, one in reserve should the dispute escalate?

Northern VA seems to have more problems than some of the more rural areas, but VCDL has been hard at work attacking the trouble spots.
Don't mean to make it sound like you'd have a problem in VA, but there may still be the occasional dinosaur roaming the streets.

You might want to visit this VCDL page for VA specific info with links to state statutes and VA administrative codes.

You can also click the PDF link at the bottom of the page for a printable wallet card with the same info as appears on the page.
Should you happen upon a gun shop that's part of VCDL's Adopt A Gun Shop program, you can pick up a heavier stock version of the same card - look for the small displays with both VCDL pamphlets and the cards - the updated cards took effect July 1st, and are TAN in color.

 

[wbwanzer]

Thanks everyone for all the good information.

 

[Striker]

You might want to consider just getting a VA non-res permit if you're going to be spending any amount of time in VA.. It's handled thru VA SP and doesn't take long (initial and renewal in my case was less then 3 weeks).

My rationale is that it eliminates the need to determine if your out of state permit is valid or not. I view the cost as cheap insurance.

YMMV