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Stoneg1 gives another good imaginary horrible for us to think about, Chasfm11. A very similar thing happened to me after a fender-bender when I still had my hearing. When I handed the responding officer (very young, possibly new at the trade) my papers, he looked confused, as if he knew not what to do next. (I was outside my dented car at the time.) I had the impression it may have been the first time he ever saw a CHL. I was told to remove my firearm and place it in sight under the passenger's seat of my car. He had his hand on his Glock throughout our conversation after I told him I was armed. I complied. There I was, three feet away from an obviously inexperienced and nervous officer, handling my weapon with one in the breech. He then turned his back to me so that I could not hear him and used his portable radio, most likely, of course, looking for instructions as to how to proceed. While his back was to me my weapon was within easy reach.

Here the conditions were set for a bad misunderstanding if my deafness had proceeded to the point where it is now -- if I had not been able to hear the officer, or, even as now, I heard him but could not understand him and had to guess what it was he was saying. The conditions were also set for a fatal encounter on his end if I had been a fleeing felon.

After his discussion on his radio all became cool, he completed his fender-bender paperwork, and, my car being driveable, he sent me on my way, advising me to leave my weapon under the passenger seat where he had had me put it.

This incident concerned me for a long time. As I mentally debriefed it my major concern, given my many years as an LEO, was about the future safety of this apparently green officer. It appeared to me, possibly wrongly, of course, that he had never heard about CHLs. But more important, it appeared to me that his procedure overall needed a lot of improvement -- he put himself, and kept himself, in a very dangerous position. In sum, I felt that he needed a lot of additional training, and that his supervisors were deficient in giving him that training before sending him out alone on patrol. (As a minor simple aside, as I drove away as instructed my weapon was clearly visible with the passenger door open, which raises obvious questions under both CHL and MPA law.)

Having been an LEO for so long I want to assure all those reading that I respect the trade and those in it. However, It may well be that my experience has caused me to be overly critical of an LEO who I thought lacked some of the skills he should have had, and I hope I have not done so in this case.

In any event, to go back on topic, as my hearing deteriorated to the point of deafness, my recollection of this event, coupled with reading of fatal likely noncompliance misunderstandings, led me to stop carrying until my new Cochlear implant improved my hearing again. I accepted the risk of not carrying when compared with my perception of a possibly greater risk in the case of apparent noncompliance while carrying. A personal judgment call.

Jim

You have both my sympathy and understanding, chasfm11. I have been deafer nor a post for some time now, and I shared, and still share, your disability and your dilemma about unintentionally showing signs of noncompliance to nervous law enforcement authorities. We have both received well-meaning and helpful advice here from other members, but this thread convinces me even further that one must personally experience deafness, or be a professional in treating that disability, in order to really understand it.

Reading those horrible stories in the press which have been cited above, and others, concerned me so seriously that for a while, when hearing aids were no longer any help, I stopped carrying, although licensed. I decided that this apparent noncompliance issue could be a problem whether or not one was armed, but was more likely to be a fatal problem when both deaf and armed.

About a year ago I had a Cochlear implant -- a surgical procedure, which I am sure you are familiar with. This procedure costs a bit more than a Kimber --without both Medicare and Tricare I could not even have considered having the procedure. Bills from the surgeon, other doctors, hospital and therapists, required to learn how to hear again, in a completely different manner, came at last reckoning to in excess of $130,000. These charges were significantly reduced before payment, but Wow!

I am still learning how to hear again, using both a therapist and CD lessons. Day by day things are improving greatly. It takes a lot of hard work. While I have seen great gobs of improvement, I still have problems hearing with the implant. In my case, and we will all be different, I have difficulty comprehending the first letter or syllable spoken. For example if one says "GO" or "NO" they tend to both sound to me like "OHH." Another example: "RUN" and "GUN" often sound to me as "UN." "STOP" and "DROP" often sound like "OPP." Have I helped with my dilemma, or made it worse? That is not at all clear to me, but I again generally carry concealed, while retaining the concern both you and I have.

I wish I could help you, chasfm11. I wish I could help myself. There are no doubt an infinite number of scenarios we might try to plan for, but Murphy's Law has always, at least to me, been inexorable. That is, the scenario when my life may be endangered by an inability to communicate with one or more LEOs is bound to be one I have never considered in advance.

An imaginary horrible for you to think about: one of those many new LEO swat teams pounds on your door at zero-dark-30 demanding entrance to serve a warrant at the wrong address. You do not hear the pounding, and suddenly a dozen masked men in black jump suits, armed with long black guns, and having twitchy fingers, crash through the door as you jump to your feet while armed. Is it likely that you would live through that?

I will not apologize if I increase your concern with examples like this, since your concern is what may keep you alive.

When driving my car I keep my DL, CHL and proof of insurance clipped together in a place where I can grab them quickly without moving around or touching my person, and hope for the best, while having them in one of my hands located at 10 and 2 when the LEO approaches. One thing which I do not think has been mentioned above is that a deaf person tends, generally, to speak quite loudly, as I normally do. To yell at a nervous LEO may be unhealthy, and my wife works with me to bring my voice level down.

I know the law probably as well as most of us do. Before my retirement I was a federal LEO for a long time, then a prosecutor, then a trial lawyer, then a judge. All that gives me no advantage -- I can’t even help myself. I think that all we can do is the best we can do, and I sure do hope you are able to improve your hearing and reduce your concern -- but always have that concern to some extent, since to ignore it can be fatal.

Jim