The law says that you only have to give your LTC if you are carrying at the time.MechAg94 wrote:You are required to show your CHL, but I think the penalty was removed at least when you are not carrying.
I just hand them both ID's as I keep them together in my wallet and inform them of my carry status after that. They normally ask when they see the CHL anyway.
As fate would have it, I unwhittingly got to test this out: About a year ago, I happend to get pulled over on a rare ocasion that I was not carrying. So, by the letter of the law, I simply gave the officer my DL and insurance.
After he ran my info, he came back to me and asked why I hadn't given him my LTC. I told him "because I did not have my gun with me." He replied, "you still have to show it, and the system pops up your LTC status, so now I automatically think there's a gun in the car." I referenced the law and said "besides, under MPA anybody can have a gun in the car without a LTC and they would not pop up in your system." (trying to convey that it's really a moot point.) "I would have informed you IF I was carrying." He still insisted that I was supposed to show it to him, regardless, and I politely dissagreed. He stepped away for a few minutes, (I'm guessing he was checking the law maybe?) He came back, gave my paperwork back, no ticket, and just said "have a good night."
So the moral of the story is: If you're not carrying you don't HAVE to show them the LTC, but, it's going to pop up anyway and will probably get you questioned.
I'll leave that up to you to decide if you want to go through the same scenario.
Edited to add Tx GC referenceTexas Government Code wrote:Sec. 411.205. REQUIREMENT TO DISPLAY LICENSE. If a license holder is carrying a handgun on or about the license holder's person when a magistrate or a peace officer demands that the license holder display identification, the license holder shall display both the license holder's driver's license or identification certificate issued by the department and the license holder's handgun license.