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HOW TO HANDLE A TRAFFIC STOP WHILE CARRYING CONCEALED

As I said earlier, I generally won’t say anything during a traffic stop unless there’s a chance the LEO may see my firearm. If there’s that chance, I’d let them know that I’m armed so they’re not surprised.

I did have a situation fairly recently I figure I’ll share. I was doing a walk one weekend and during the walk, I found a handgun in the middle of the road in a small subdivision. I picked it up to make sure it was real and set it on the curb on the side of the road. I called 911 to let them know I had found this handgun. I was carrying an lcp max IWB, but was wearing a snug shirt. So, when the police arrived, I let them know right off the bat that I was carrying and had a carry permit. They didn’t even bat an eye. They took my information, ran a check on the found gun and asked me exactly where I found it, etc… Never asked about my firearm, never asked me to remove it or anything like that.

Funny thing is, when they picked up the gun, the one officer was handling it for a while without checking it. I suggested they check it to see if it was loaded as I didn’t do that when I found it. The officer dropped the magazine and said - yep, it’s loaded. She reinserted the mag and that was it. At that point I said you may want to check if there’s a round in the chamber as well. She kind of gave me a sideways glance but checked the chamber - which had a round in it. lol. I kind of jokingly said - Sorry, not telling you how to do your job, but I’m kind of a gun guy and am just thinking about safety. All was good, but it was kind of interesting. After a short while I asked if they needed me for anything else and they said no, so I went on my way.
 
uspatriot1960 said:
As I said earlier, I generally won’t say anything during a traffic stop unless there’s a chance the LEO may see my firearm. If there’s that chance, I’d let them know that I’m armed so they’re not surprised.

I did have a situation fairly recently I figure I’ll share. I was doing a walk one weekend and during the walk, I found a handgun in the middle of the road in a small subdivision. I picked it up to make sure it was real and set it on the curb on the side of the road. I called 911 to let them know I had found this handgun. I was carrying an lcp max IWB, but was wearing a snug shirt. So, when the police arrived, I let them know right off the bat that I was carrying and had a carry permit. They didn’t even bat an eye. They took my information, ran a check on the found gun and asked me exactly where I found it, etc… Never asked about my firearm, never asked me to remove it or anything like that.

Funny thing is, when they picked up the gun, the one officer was handling it for a while without checking it. I suggested they check it to see if it was loaded as I didn’t do that when I found it. The officer dropped the magazine and said - yep, it’s loaded. She reinserted the mag and that was it. At that point I said you may want to check if there’s a round in the chamber as well. She kind of gave me a sideways glance but checked the chamber - which had a round in it. lol. I kind of jokingly said - Sorry, not telling you how to do your job, but I’m kind of a gun guy and am just thinking about safety. All was good, but it was kind of interesting. After a short while I asked if they needed me for anything else and they said no, so I went on my way.
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If that gun was used in a crime you and that cop both contaminated evidence. That cop definitely should have known better. Not sure about where you live but in St. Louis if you find a gun it was definitely used in a crime.
 
Bassbob said:
If that gun was used in a crime you and that cop both contaminated evidence. That cop definitely should have known better. Not sure about where you live but in St. Louis if you find a gun it was definitely used in a crime.
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I picked it up by the checkered part of the grip with 2 fingers where there would be no fingerprints. I was very aware of that. And there was a family walking down the road. Mom, Dad and two young kids. I didn’t think it was best to leave the gun sitting in the middle of the road. My suspicion was that someone in the neighborhood set it on top of the car, forgot it there and it slid off. Maybe not. That wasn’t really my concern. I didn’t check whether it was loaded or not for the exact reason you mentioned. I was pretty careful. What the officer did is their concern.
 
uspatriot1960 said:
I picked it up by the checkered part of the grip with 2 fingers where there would be no fingerprints. I was very aware of that. And there was a family walking down the road. Mom, Dad and two young kids. I didn’t think it was best to leave the gun sitting in the middle of the road. My suspicion was that someone in the neighborhood set it on top of the car, forgot it there and it slid off. Maybe not. That wasn’t really my concern. I didn’t check whether it was loaded or not for the exact reason you mentioned. I was pretty careful. What the officer did is their concern.
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I found a gun laying in the street off Natural Bridge in N. STL. I put a street cone over it then called the cops and waited for them. The very last thing I will ever do is put my fingerprints on a gun I don't know anything about. Maybe just me.

You said you waited for the police. So the dad and two young kids were in no danger right ?
 
Bassbob said:
I found a gun laying in the street off Natural Bridge in N. STL. I put a street cone over it then called the cops and waited for them. The very last thing I will ever do is put my fingerprints on a gun I don't know anything about. Maybe just me.

You said you waited for the police. So the dad and two young kids were in no danger right ?
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Well, I didn’t have a street cone in my back pocket. And I was careful about not leaving fingerprints. It would have been irresponsible to leave the gun in the middle of the road with a family walking by or exposed to a car running it over and possibly causing an accidental discharge.
 
uspatriot1960 said:
Well, I didn’t have a street cone in my back pocket. And I was careful about not leaving fingerprints. It would have been irresponsible to leave the gun in the middle of the road with a family walking by or exposed to a car running it over and possibly causing an accidental discharge.
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I’m sorry man. I don’t mean to be a smart ***. I don’t know the situation. My apologies.
 
I haven't been pulled over since 2008.

2. Cops in Colorado Springs aren't doing traffic stops anymore anyway.

I wouldn't tell a cop I was armed unless I was specifically asked. I think I may have mentioned this before but the last time I was specifically asked the Trooper absolutely lost his mind on me.

Colorado has no duty to inform statute. The Trooper pulled me over. He walked up to my car he asked me for my driver's license, registration and proof of insurance.

Well I was getting them out he asked me if there were any weapons in the vehicle and I handed him my concealed handgun permit.

He absolutely lost his mind. He started screaming at me he informed me that I was in violation of a non-existent state law requiring me to let him know that I was armed. He threatened to take me to jail.

The weirdest thing about it all is that once he was done screaming at me he took my documentation back to his car and I'm sure ran me through the NCIS database. Man came back handed me my stuff and let me go with a warning.

That incident set the tone for all my future interactions with the police. I don't offer information to the police.

ETA

The dome light on my car is right by the mirror and the switch is on the dome light. My wallet with license and CHP is connected to my keys. As soon as I take my keys out of the ignition they're in my hand. Registration and POI are on the visor and will be in my hand before the cop gets to my car.

I will never volunteer that there's a weapon in the car unless I am specifically asked. Even then I would say nothing and simply hand over the permit
 
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I’m getting that a lot of it depends on where you are. The only time this came up for me I was broke down on the rural highway about 10 miles from home and a county deputy pulled over to see if I needed help. Hands visible I told him I had a gun. He said with a smile “ Don’t shoot me and I won’t shoot you”.
 
I'm sure everyone here who has posted know this but be sure you know the laws of other states that you may travel through. Just because you can act a certain way in your state doesn't mean it will fly in another state. I'll just add also that if you come off with "attitude" right from the start with an officer, then you just might deserve the "attitude" right back from that officer. I don't get pulled over much, but in my part of Texas and the law enforcement around here, if you are polite, friendly, and helpful, then you usually get to deal with "officer friendly". If you act like an ***, then I'll laugh at you as I drive by your traffic stop with you laying on your face on the shoulder of the road wearing shiny bracelets, waiting on another cruiser to come pick you up. lol
 
yotehtr said:
I was told in Illinois when a officer runs your plate it comes up if you have a CCL. We were told in class not to tell unless asked, and never call it a gun or weapon. Say I have a concealed carry firearm.
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Yes they know if you have a FOID card and if you have the CCL endorsement . We only have to inform if the LEO asks about guns. I won't automatically inform unless asked or if I am asked to get out of the vehicle. I have always kept my hands in plain sight.
 
In NC the police know you have a concealed once they run your drivers license. We are required to notify law enforcement that we have a CCW. However I was curious if stopped in say Georgia, where you are not required to notify law enforcement if you have a concealed weapon whether they would know when they ran your license. After doing some research I was surprised to discover that it depends on the state and the law enforcement database they use. While North Carolina links your concealed carry permit to your driver's license within its own system, not all states have access to that information when running your license. Some states may see it if they participate in certain law enforcement data-sharing agreements, while others may not.

Best advise is if you're traveling with your firearm, it's always best to check the concealed carry reciprocity laws of the state you're visiting to ensure compliance.
 
I'm not sure if this exactly applies to this discussion but when I was working as a security guard I encountered cops while I was clearly armed almost nightly.

Not one of them ever made any issue about it. I don't think any of them even acknowledged it.

I've told this story before, I was doing Security checks at Parks and Rec in Colorado Springs when five cop cars pulled into the parking lot and basically surrounded me.

The cops jumped out of their cars. surrounded me and asked me if I'd seen anything suspicious recently, specifically if I'd seen a man with a rifle or had noticed anything out of the ordinary going on across the street.

I don't remember what street Parks and Rec is on but there's Parks and Rec to the west of it is the street to the west of that is a patch of woods that's maybe a quarter mile wide and to the west of that is Interstate 25. Somebody had reported a man with a gun in the woods close to the interstate.

So the cops were questioning me on whether or not I'd seen anything and the senior cop asked me if I was armed. He was standing right in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the cop that was standing on my right look down at my right hip to see whether or not I had a gun.

They were responding to a man with a gun call and that was the first time that it occurred to anyone to look and see if I was armed.
 
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