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by The Annoyed Man
Thu Mar 16, 2017 12:31 pm
Forum: Gun and/or Self-Defense Related Political Issues
Topic: Notify LEO You're Armed?
Replies: 40
Views: 11280

Re: Notify LEO You're Armed?

rotor wrote:Never volunteer more than required.
You guys/girls seem to be pulled over an awful lot.
Not me. My last moving violation (65 in a 55 zone) was on Christmas Eve, 1999, on Kanan Dume Road, coming from Point Dume to Calabassas.
by The Annoyed Man
Thu Mar 16, 2017 12:27 pm
Forum: Gun and/or Self-Defense Related Political Issues
Topic: Notify LEO You're Armed?
Replies: 40
Views: 11280

Re: Notify LEO You're Armed?

Five LEO "contacts" since I've had my CHL. Two of them were motor vehicle related. Three were other things, like identifying myself to a responding police officer when I accidentally set off my church's alarm system off hours because I had entered my alarm code incorrectly; or once to an officer responding to a burglar alarm at my house; and once when identifying myself to the officer who was handling my wife's hit and run accident.

In the three non-vehicular situations, the officer took my CHL when I handed it to him, gave it a 1.5 second glance, and handed it back to me without comment. In the first of the two MV incidents (both were for "fix it" tickets), the first officer asked me if I was armed after seeing my license. When I said yes, he replied with "tell you what, you don't show me yours, and I won't show you mine". The other officer took it when I handed it to him, said "I don't need this" and handed it back to me, and went back to his car with my TDL to write the ticket.

The law does not require us to verbally volunteer notification. We are only required to notify when we are asked for ID, and the required method of notification is to present the carry license along with your TDL or state-issued ID. Otherwise, I think it is "bad policy", so to speak, to tell the nice policemans "I HAVE A GUN!"......especially if your eyes are buggy and you're acting nervous! Show the license if you are armed when you are asked for ID, and then let the officer ask if you're actually armed or not, and then tell the truth. If they don't care, they won't ask. And actually, the way the law is written - notification by presenting of license only being required IF you are armed - if you present the license, I think they'll probably assume that you are armed, and only ask by way of confirmation.

I would just present the LTC when asked for ID even if I wasn't armed at the moment (which is never the case anyway) just as a "hey I'm a good guy" sign. It can't hurt your cause any, and it just might help (like maybe getting a warning instead of a ticket, etc.).

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