TexasCHLforum.com

speedsix wrote:...I personally don't mind if he runs the guns I'm CHLing...if and while he's "holding them" for his safety and mine...but not cased guns...that's a search...and I'm not sure that he has the right to run the CHL guns in NCIC...I just know it's not that big a deal to me and MANY crimes have been solved by running a gun found on a traffic stop in NCIC...so I'm personally for it...it's a fine line...but not a faint one...

This. I'm not even close to resembling some sort of standard profiling stereotype, so there just isn't anything about me that would make any such search question anything except a fishing expedition. I don't have a thing to hide, but there is a bright line beyond which I'm not prepared to allow an LEO to invade me and mine without a warrant. Last Saturday, my son and I went to a private shooting gathering put together by our local chapter of the zombiehunters.org forum at an acquaintance's ranch near Proctor. Including the two handguns my son and I were CHLing between us, we had 13 long guns in the back of my SUV:

• 6 AR15s
• 1 AR10
• 2 .308 bolt rifles
• 1 M1A
• 1 M1 carbine
• 2 shotguns

All of these guns were being transported in rifle cases. We also had the following ammo complement:

• 1,000 rounds of M855 5.56 NATO
• 500 rounds of M193 5.56 NATO
• 100 rounds of 69 grain .223 match
• 200 rounds of 150 grain 7.62 NATO
• 100 rounds of 168 and 175 grain .308 Federal Match
• 120 rounds of 175 grain match handloads

In addition to that, were were a box or two of .45 ACP and a box of 12 gauge. On top of all there were a couple of bugout bags and some other ancillary gear.

What do you suppose a cop might think of all that? Hopefully, nothing..... But frankly, I don't care what he might think. Even if no real harm would be done by searching our vehicle, and even though every single weapon in that vehicle was legally purchased and legal to own, and even though that ownership was easily provable, unloading the vehicle and uncasing all the guns, running all the serial numbers, explaining what we were up to.....all of that would have set us back at least an hour from arriving to meet a bunch of people who were waiting for us to get there. For what? To satisfy somebody's curiosity who has no real probable cause? The mere fact of firearms possession by itself is NOT probable cause for a search, not as long as your CHL is valid. If a cop had stopped me and asked for permission to search, I would have told him no. I have a schedule to keep. He has seen my ID, including my CHL, and that alone should be all the reassurance that he needs as to whether or not he needs to dig any further.......particularly since I never drive in a manner which is likely to get their attention in the first place.