TexasCHLforum.com

Since we're talking about Terry stops and not necessarily plain traffic stops with no probable cause to expect a violent threat...

I'd love to avoid commenting on yet another Terry stop post, but... Whatever the motives of the OP are, Terry stops are repeatedly used in improper (IANAL) ways. Since TX didn't have OC until recently, my experience with this is from Georgia, but it entirely depended on the org that the LEO belonged to on how the encounter was going to go. Much of this had to do with which county you were in. (LTC granted OC and CC except in specific locations, up to the apparent interpretation of the mayor, soccer moms, community activists, etc.)

I got wildly tired of hearing "you might beat the rap but you won't beat the ride," as an excuse to be treated like a freaking criminal whenever Atlanta PD or various sheriffs felt like it. 911 calls in Dekalb county repeatedly went like this: "You're reporting a man with a gun?" "Yes!!" "What's he doing?" "Ordering chicken!" "We will have officers there immediately!" (proceeds to end up with O/C on the ground justified by a Terry Claim). In Cobb County (15 miles away) this same conversation goes, "He's just deciding between waffle fries and regular fries, what do you want us to do?"

At any rate, I don't like LEOs asking me to pull a gun out of a holster, especially when I put my hands on the wheel to begin with. They can also see that I have a LTC when running my DL anyway, right? Nevermind the NRA sticker on my truck, etc.

I forgot to inform an LEO two weeks ago because he said that having my hands at 10 and 2 on top of the steering wheel made him nervous (1300, broad daylight, speed trap in suburb-ville, etc). I'm sure he saw I had an LTC when he ticketed me and didn't feel any more threatened than when I committed the sin of putting my keys on the dash and hands on the wheel like I was taught 25 years ago.

Let's not complicate things. Hands the hell away from any concealment, move after you receive permission only, and be *slow*. Problem solved in a practical manner.