Would you tell the cop you were packing if...

[clubsoda22]

enough BS then. No more reading inbetween the lines and trying to find loopholes. They don't need to know an neither do the cops. That way, i'm covered unless i have to shoot someone.

To hell with their policies. What they don't know won't hurt them.

I'm legal, they're blissful in their ignorance.

Frankly, i'm tired of institutions making policies based on their wild imaginations. If they think that i'll get drunk one night at a frat party and start waving around a gun, so be it--i'll be the one who shows them otherwise. Enough of this prior restraint crap.

The only problems we've ever had on campus with guns comes from a number of residents in the surrounding city pointing them at us and demanding our wallets...or simply shooting us without warning and taking our wallets, as was the case last spring.

 

[duckfoot]

Don't tell unless you are asked to get out of the car by a Law Enforcement Officer!

 

[Majic]

Well take precautions if you decide to ignore the polices. They have already been informed of the possibility of you having firearms. If they do manage to find you with a weapon then they have printed in the handbook that they will confiscate the weapon. You may or may not have a difficult time in court over their policies, but most certainly it will be expensive.
I'm saying this because no matter what you may think today, you agreed to school policies the day you accepted admission to attend.

 

[squibload]

I go to widener university in chester...

Hell, I would carry if I went there. My wife got her Masters there, and more than a few times she would come home and tell me "You should have seen this guy in the parking lot...he was pretty shady looking..."

I've noticed that the Public Safety folks there do have a very noticeable presence on campus, and in my opinion, rightly so. Unfortunately, Chester's local population (read: townies) seem to roam the campus at will. Since it's not a "gated" campus, the Public Safety folks probably have their hands full, with the student population as well as the locals.

Not to mention the fact that it's right off I-95, 15 minutes south of Philly and 15 minutes north of Wilmington. I'd guess that a fair amount of illegal activity (drugs, guns, et al)runs up and down that corridor, and some of it may get off the off ramp, make a right, and end up right on Widener's campus.

I'd guess that everyone in an official capacity (police or campus safety) would be pretty tense at all times with the potential crap that could occur, due to it's location.

squib

 

[clubsoda22]

Exactly squib, glad to see someone who knows the area. Unfortunately, the large presence of campus safety officers is more concerned with stopping underage drinking than muggings.

If you take a step off campus, i can assure you can spot drug deals going down in broad daylight. The cops seem to have other concerns.

As far as being a midpoint between Philly and Wilmington, you are absolutely correct. The area is a notorious drug trafficking corridor.

The city is also known for political corruption, poverty and a high crime rate.

The locals have also come to realize that if you want to have a successful mugging, the rich (comparitively), disarmed white kids on campus are easy targets.

Duck, i think that's probably what i'll end up doing.

Majic, they have no athority to confiscate the weapon or arrest me. The only athority to confiscate it would be if i was keeping it in the residence halls, which i am moving out of as they are quite expensive for what they are.

The real question is, given squib's description, along with my own, what would you do if you could legally carry, despite it being frowned upon?

In fact, on this campus you are not allowed to carry pepper spray, which i do anyway, along with a tactical folder. This is looking like it's going to change as a group of students, under my advice, have contacted several womens groups to inform them of such policies. While those womens groups will fight the ban on defensive sprays, i doubt they'd be likely to take up the gun issue.

 

[Majic]

Personally if I was in the situation of a bad enviroment, suspected of having a forbidden weapon, and being harrassed by officials then I would be looking to transfer my credits to another school. All schools will forbid the weapon, but i would look for one with a better surrounding eviroment. Remove the coolness factor of your car (tinted windows) and that will not draw as much attention to you. You must learn to blend in and not stand out.

 

[clubsoda22]

The tint came with the car, and i have found it to be quite functional ::wink:: and 100% legal in PA.

I'll say again, i like the school and do not want to transfer for various reasons. This school is great, the neighborhood just sucks. After not finding any guns in my dorm, i am no longer suspect.

A good amount of the campus safety guys are quite pro gun and a few told me they'd even encourage students to carry. Most of those guys are older retired police officers or those with no ambitions for going into law enforcement and are just doing the job because of the education benifits (they can take up to 9 credits per year free). The real strokers are the young guys who are using it as a stepping stone to becoming cops or the guys in their 30's who were bitter they couldn't pass the police physical.

I also can't help but think that local LE are slowly warming up to me. At first, i got greif at the traffic stops and had a bunch of cops with the "i'm the police and you're just some punk kid" attitude. It's more gotten to the point of being routine. They shouldn't be much of a problem by my junior year when i would start carrying.

 

[LynnMassGuy]

Don't say anything unless you are about to be searched by a real cop.

 

[Majic]

The tint may be legal, but it draws attention to you. That is what should be avoided.
Just because nothing was found during the search don't think the incident is automatically forgotten. Especially since you stated the chief of security doesn't care for you.
You like where you are, but you can't change the world and such is life. Carry if you wish, but don't be surprised of the fallout that may transpire if your decisions encounter problems for you. You seem to be a young, intelligent college student, but you still have alot to learn. This is not given as an insult to you, but to advise you of the possible consequences when trying to circumvent established policies.

 

[answerguy]

I don’t think that the CCW info pops up when your info comes up in a cruiser.

It does in Michigan. (off your name , not your car plate)

 

[Steve in PA]

"Came with the car" as being factory installed when they built the car and legal.......or "came with the car" as being bought used, installed by someone else and darker than allowed by PA law???

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Let's see, under age for a license, carrying concealed in a vehicle while traveling across campus and being stopped by the real cops...YES, you really should tell the cops you are carrying a firearm. This is especially true if you are one of those punk kids who are perpectually being stopped by cops for no real reason and for whom the cops seem to have it in for you.

If you are stupid enough to admitting to breaking the law in a public forum like this, then you should extend the courtesy to the cops. There is definitely something wrong with you or your car if you are being stopped on such a regular basis that you have now come to the asinine decision that the cops are 'warming up' to you.

 

[tetleyb]

I would like to echo something DoubleNaught said:

"if you are stupid enough to admitting breaking the law in public forum like this..."

I'm not going to debate the rights and wrongs of what was said. However, everyone, please remember, EVERYTHING you do and say, on this internet board and others, can be held against you in a court of law. I suggest you be careful about what you say and do not say.

Just my two cents.

 

[clubsoda22]

If you are stupid enough to admitting to breaking the law in a public forum like this, then you should extend the courtesy to the cops. There is definitely something wrong with you or your car if you are being stopped on such a regular basis that you have now come to the asinine decision that the cops are 'warming up' to you.

Where did i say ANYWHERE that i was carrying? I specifically stated that I am not carrying because i am underage. The situation is specifically stated to be when i do turn 21 and obtain a licence.

[personal attack removed by moderator -- pax]

As far as being pulled over often on campus, i'm certainly not the only one who gets this kind of treatment. It's fairly universal for the cops in this town to harass the college kids. And yes, the cops are warming up to me as they realize who I am and that i'm not a trouble maker.

Steve, it's only on the rear windows, and is not factory. The only time i've really had a cop mention it was when i rolled down the rear drivers side window at a stop and he thanked me for doing so as it was being considerate to allow him greater visability inside the car. The tint law in PA is confusing, i'm not sure if my tint is legal or not. It's definately darker than is legal in most places, but i'm not sure if PA law is ok with it as it's on the rear windows only. Either way, to get it removed properly it would cost me quite a bit of money, and as i've never been ticketed for it, i don't see a point.

For clarification, cops don't pull me over for the tint, i am simply speculating that might be one of the reasons my car looks "suspicious". More likely is that they caught a glimpse of my dashlight and were wondering who i was. Very rarely is my tint mentioned, more often they ask if my light is registered with PSP. Just about everyone who drives around late at night on campus gets pulled over for being a "suspicious vehicle"

Majic, i haven't been bothered about the search since, in fact, one of the safety officers who was involved apologised to me for it.

 

[Steve in PA]

Section 4524 Windshield Obstructions and Wipers-

(e) Sunscreening and other materials prohibited-

(1) sunscreening device and other materials which does not permit a person to see into the vehicle through the front windshield or front side windows is illegal.


(Nothing about rear windows, since pickup trucks normally have their rear windows blocked by a cap. So you can not be cited for having the rear window tinted)

 

[pax]

Closed for declining civility.

pax