My Three DPS Contacts - Related to Being Armed

[Dragonfighter]

#1 Before CHL's

I was on my way to check my dad's house late at night. A crosswind caught the car and I wavered a bit. Well DPS was looking for drunks and came after me. I pulled over and got my license out. The insurance thing was new then so I didn't retrieve it automatically.

He looked at my license and asked for the insurance card. I started to lean over and then remembered the .357 I used to weight down the papers in the glove box. "I, uh...have a pistol in the glove box with the insurance card." He took one step back and said, "Well, if you come out with just the card, we'll be fine." I did.

He ran the creds and came back up to the car. He explained that he was looking for drunks and saw me waiver. He wrote a warning, told me to keep a better grip on it and wished me a "good night". Not a word was said about the pistol.

#2 A Soda After the Fair

I was a fairly new CHL, the State Fair had not yet started scanning folks. We had stayed late for a show and afterwards I said I wanted to get a Coke. There was a brand new Tiger Mart, well lit, accross MLK from the parking lot.

We stopped in. I went in and there was a well behaved line at the register and an off duty DPS in the corner. As I go to the fountain an argument develops in the line and begins to escalate...severely.

Now I am clean shaven, wear short hair and look pretty mean. I step back and take a position near the inside wall. I set to draw and look over at the DPS who has done the same. He meets my eyes and gives a nod. The crowd, I guess, senses the situation and simmers down. I relax my stance, get my coke and leave.

My wife was hotter than a firecracker for endangering her and the kids over a coke. She had locked the door, considered leaving my stupid self but retrieved the pistol under the seat anyway.

Two things:

1)The DPS officer communicated well without a word and I believe he appreciated the assistance.

2)Always be fueled to clear Fair Park if you go and if you are thirsty, deal with it. It's not worth the stop.

#3 A Debate

I delivered a patient to Methodist Central in dallas. As was the norm we get a cup and chat with th ER folks. There was a DPS officer there this particular day. I was discussing a pistol purchase with one of the doctors and the whole CHL issue came into play. He was against it.

I explored his objections a bit and then presented what I thought was a rational argument. Too bad I don't have the brain now, I did then.

We started with the 2A and he admitted it was an individual right. We also discussed the rigorous requirements of CHL candidates.

Then I presented the fact that LEOs are reactionary and except for extraordinary coincidence are never in a position to protect the citizens. He conceded the point.

The conversation then went to the very personal nature of self defense choices and the personal responsibility required to invoke those choices. He felt that LEOs were the only ones capable of that judgement.

I asked him if he was previously an irresponsible and immature person incapable of making those choices and if he was now, by virtue of his employment mature and responsible. He admitted that he was the same person now as we was before. I then asked him why he felt then, that I (or any law abiding citizen) by virtue of our non-LEO status would be incapable of making sound judgements in life threatening emergencies.

To my utter amazement he said he had never looked at it that way and that he had changed his mind...on the spot I guess. I was dumbfounded.

Well, enough anecdotes for one day.

Kyle

Added in editand OT: I have noticed in all my experiences with DPS, there wasn't a fat body among them.

[TX Rancher]

My first one was with the local county Sheriff’s department. We were sitting outside a little convenience store when a Sgt walked up and asked if we would be willing to tow a disabled vehicle off the road (we were in our 4WD pickup). It seems a truck had broken down and was in a rather unsafe location on 290.

Of course I agreed, and we followed him ~1/2 mile up the road to the site. I got out of the truck to hook the chains up to my tow bar and thought I would inform the officers I was CHL and was carrying…I didn’t much care for the idea of having the weapon become visible while I was crawling around on the ground hooking chains up.

There were two officers there, one Sgt and one Cpl. I said “I’m not sure how this goes since it’s not a traffic stop, but I have a CHL and I’m armed�. The Sgt told me no big deal and not to worry about it…but the Cpl’s demeanor took an instant change to the negative.

The Cpl said something to the Sgt to softly for me to hear, and the Sgt responded with “it’s not a problem, he’s CHL�. This did not seem to appease the Cpl, and if the Sgt had not been there, I get the feeling the outcome would have been severely different.

I hooked up the chains, pull the rig the ~1/2 mile to the store where he could get off the road, accepted the thanks of both the rig driver and the Sgt, and then got out of there as fast as I could since it still seemed the Cpl was not happy with me being armed.

At no time was I asked to display either my CHL or show them the weapon. The Sgt didn’t even ask where I was carrying it. All in all, I was very impressed with the Sgt response, and considerably unnerved by the Cpl response…I will never again volunteer the fact that I am carrying under CHL.

My second engagement was when I was in the car when my wife was stopped by DPS for speeding. She presented her CHL with her driver’s licensee even though she was not carrying at the time (her employer does not allow weapons at work or in the parking lot). When asked by the officer, she informed him she did not have a weapon on her and he just handed the CHL back.

I was armed, but the office didn’t ask me for ID and I didn’t feel the need to inform him…by the way, she still got the ticket.

The third time was on my way back from Dallas and DPS picked me up on radar. I handed him my DL and CHL while at the same time stating I have a CHL and was carrying. The officer asked where the weapon was and then stated “Leave it there�. He then went back to his car and wrote up the ticket.

So in the 3 separate incidents involving a total of 4 officers, I had:

One excellent…(Sherriff Sgt) with what appeared to be a very good attitude towards CHL. It was clear me having a CHL put me in the “Low Risk� category in his mind…basically I became one of the good guys…

One not so good…the Sherriff’s department Cpl which left me the impression me being armed was a threat to him, and the CHL made no difference.

Two didn’t matter…In both cases DPS

I certainly hope I never run into that Cpl again

[Dragonfighter]

I certainly hope I never run into that Cpl again

Probably chief now.