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I can see where you could get trapped with the search if they found something. I was sure at the time of the encounter that I had nothing to be concerned over.

This happened several years ago. The whole situation was odd. My girl friend (now wife) was attended a local college and staying in a dorm. She was an older college student in her late 20's who had tried college unsuccessfuly a couple times before, had given up for a while, and was then back fully committed to finishing. I was in my early 30's. I don't know why I felt the need to explain that. I guess I didn't want anyone thinking I was dating children.

Anyway when I would visit her on campus, I would park at nearby shopping center which was the width of one street off campus. That way I was not carrying a firearm on campus even if I was just driving through. One day I had parked, crossed the street to her dorm, met her and we walked back to the shopping center. We decided to get a quick dinner at one of the fast food places then drive somewhere else. I cant remember our planned destination. After eating, we walked to the car. I noticed a couple local PD cruisers in the lot which wasn't uncommon. This was a big lot with a couple restaurants, a college bar, and couple stores. The police liked to maintain a presence near the bar at the beginning of the semester.

As soon as I touched the car's door handle, they fired up, turned on thier lights and zoomed to me. "Please step to the back of the vehicle. Passenger stay in the vehicle". I did as I was told. "May I see your ID". "Yes" and handed him my ID. The officer seemed really tense. His posture and manner were stiff. The officer from the other cruiser stayed a good distance back. It wasn't the professional coolness you get at an efficient traffic stop. These fellows were worried about something. "I have a concealed carry license and there is a gun in the glove box" I said and handed him my other license. The officer's posture immediately relaxed a little. Frankly, I would have thought the opposite would have happened. There was a passenger who had not been ID in the car and so was a loaded weapon. He asked basically what I had been doing for the last hour or so. I told him. He motioned for the other officer to come over.

He gave the other officer my ID's and asked him to run them then told me that they had a call from someone that identified my car as carrying drugs. The tip identified my car not a similar car but mine and told where it was parked. The tip further stated they overheard a man and women on a cell phone in the fast food resturant frantically trying to get help because thier car had broken down in the shopping center parking lot and that they were transporting a shipment of drugs. Officer asked if he could search the car. I said yes. He didn't search it by this time he had determined that we weren't the drug mules. After my ID came back clear. He asked my girlfriend to step to the back and explained everything her and told us we could go. They never ID'd her. I honestly think having the CHL soothed that particular situation. Of course, I didn't have a gun in my pocket at the time having just walked back from campus.