What kind of trouble if I forgot to bring my CHL

[BCGlocker]

I am curious what kind of trouble will I be in if I was stopped by a LEO while EDC and left my CHL in my other pants pocket?

[TexasCajun]

You are required to present your CHL when carrying under its authority and are asked for ID. However, there is no longer a penalty for not showing your CHL. So if you forget your CHL and are carrying, then you wouldn't face any charges. But it most likely wouldn't be a pleasant day. Some officers may not be 100% up to speed on current CHL laws, so you could conceivably be detained for some time until things get sorted out.

My advice would be to avoid the issue altogether and keep your CHL in your wallet with your driver's license. That way it's always on you.

[C-dub]

You are required to present your CHL when carrying under its authority and are asked for ID. However, there is no longer a penalty for not showing your CHL. So if you forget your CHL and are carrying, then you wouldn't face any charges. But it most likely wouldn't be a pleasant day. Some officers may not be 100% up to speed on current CHL laws, so you could conceivably be detained for some time until things get sorted out.

My advice would be to avoid the issue altogether and keep your CHL in your wallet with your driver's license. That way it's always on you.

It might thoroughly tick the wrong officer off and you're going to get an earful, possibly some saliva, and maybe a free ride in a police car. Well, not really free, but hopefully free.

[rbwhatever1]

Probably not as much trouble as if you left your firearm home and needed it...

[Abraham]

It's only happened once, but I got in a hurry, and brought my D.L. and my Visa card, instead of my CHL. I had the Visa card stored next to my CHL.

I store them in my front zippered pocked on my leather rectangular pack that I use when cycling.

When I got home and removed my D.L. to discover in my haste I could've gotten me in a heap of trouble had I been asked for an I.D. by an LEO. This was before the new law...I felt foolish and learned from my boneheaded mistake.

My point?

Yes, you can forget your CHL when carrying.

[BCGlocker]

Occasional I will forget my wallet when I leave the home, therefore I forget to bring my CHL. I am trying to make an effort to remind myself to check every time I lock the front door.

[Texsquatch]

Probably not as much trouble as if you left your firearm home and needed it...

Bingo!

[RoyGBiv]

I keep scanned images of important documents in a separate folder on my phone.
FCC license, CHL, DL, insurance card, eyeglasses prescription, other health information, etc..

They may not be accepted as genuine, but it's better than nothing.

[baldeagle]

I keep scanned images of important documents in a separate folder on my phone.
FCC license, CHL, DL, insurance card, eyeglasses prescription, other health information, etc..

They may not be accepted as genuine, but it's better than nothing.

Man, that's a great idea! Thanks for telling us. I'm taking pictures today.

[The Wall]

If you were in your vehicle, would this be an issue at all? It's legal for non-licensed folks to have a concealed firearm. Also when they run your drivers license your CHL also shows up. I know a guy that got stopped and didn't tell the officer he had a CHL. He got a butt chewing and a warning on his traffic violation. But the law is the law. You are required to have it on you when carrying. I think it's all up to the police officers mood at the time. I carry mine behind my drivers license in my wallet. That way if I get stopped I can hand the officer both at the same. He'll know I could be carrying without me even saying the word, Gun!

[The Wall]

I keep scanned images of important documents in a separate folder on my phone.
FCC license, CHL, DL, insurance card, eyeglasses prescription, other health information, etc..

They may not be accepted as genuine, but it's better than nothing.

Man don't lose that phone. I'm sure it's password protected right? I'm not sure if I were a police officer I would take that as you having a license. A picture on a cell phone? For insurance I don't see a problem because it can be checked against your actual DL. Do the police departments have a policy on this? Is it acceptable? Hard to tell if a license has been altered when looking at it on a cell phone. Would be very easy for me to photoshop my picture onto your license.

[RoyGBiv]

I keep scanned images of important documents in a separate folder on my phone.
FCC license, CHL, DL, insurance card, eyeglasses prescription, other health information, etc..

They may not be accepted as genuine, but it's better than nothing.

Man, that's a great idea! Thanks for telling us. I'm taking pictures today.

FWIW.... I also keep scanned images of all the important cards in my wallet in a password protected file that I can access from any computer. If I'm robbed or whatever, I can access all my credit card information (for example) from any smartphone or internet connected computer.

Scan whatever images are important for you to access.
Save them into a password protected file (I scan directly to PDF, the file size is smaller even with images embedded).
Save the password protected file into a password protected compressed archive (I like 7-zip)
Using an online email account (gmail, hotmail, etc) write a message to yourself.
Attach the double-password-protected archive to the email and save it as a draft.
Most smartphones can handle opening zip archives and PDF files. Computers certainly can.
The NSA already has all that information. I'm not so worried about putting it out there, assuming some reasonable password encryption.

[RoyGBiv]

I keep scanned images of important documents in a separate folder on my phone.
FCC license, CHL, DL, insurance card, eyeglasses prescription, other health information, etc..

They may not be accepted as genuine, but it's better than nothing.

Man don't lose that phone. I'm sure it's password protected right? I'm not sure if I were a police officer I would take that as you having a license. A picture on a cell phone? For insurance I don't see a problem because it can be checked against your actual DL. Do the police departments have a policy on this? Is it acceptable? Hard to tell if a license has been altered when looking at it on a cell phone. Would be very easy for me to photoshop my picture onto your license.

I can wipe my phone remotely.

Like I said.... Not genuine... but... I can give the officer the image and he/she can confirm using the license number.. Better than nothing. Shows you made the effort to cover yourself in case of a mistake.

[Vol Texan]

I keep scanned images of important documents in a separate folder on my phone.
FCC license, CHL, DL, insurance card, eyeglasses prescription, other health information, etc..

They may not be accepted as genuine, but it's better than nothing.

Man don't lose that phone. I'm sure it's password protected right? I'm not sure if I were a police officer I would take that as you having a license.

I also do this. Instead of just taking pictures on the phone, I use a password-protected app that is specifically designed for this purpose: Card Mate Pro.

I keep copies of my TX DL, CHL, Global Entry Card, both passports, insurance cards, library card, NRA card, shooting range membership cards, etc.

If I minimize the app for even a second, it requires another password to open it back up. Luckily, it's a 'drawn' password, rather than a 'typed' one, so it's quite quick for me to get back in.

Does this guarantee that the LEO will accept it? No, of course not. Nor does it guarantee that if I need to get into an American Embassy, this will work in lieu of an actual passport. But it can't hurt, and it's always good to have options if your first layer of ID (the actual document) is missing, lost, or stolen.

[PaJ]

2 stories:

#1. I had a coworker traveling in China and lost his passport while there. The thing that saved him was our administrative assistant had a copy of it at the office. We were able to get it to the US Embassy and expedite getting him home. This was circa 2000 so before cloud storage, etc. Now I keep copies of those things in the cloud so I can get them if/when needed. I probably need to put more there now that I think about it.

#2. One fine morning on my commute, I saw a man driving very erratically like he was drunk. I called 911 and followed him. Eventually the cops caught up to us and pulled him over. I pulled over as well to give a statement, etc. When the cop asked for my driver's license, I'd forgotten my wallet at home. He gave me the "what an idiot" look. I apologized profusely. He shook his head and took my other info, and let me be on my way. My CHL stays next to my DL, so if I forgot it again, I'd have neither with me. I've worked really hard since that experience to always do things the same way every day so I don't make the same mistake. Regarding the man, he'd worked all night and was tired driving home. Dangerous none the less, but was glad he wasn't driving while intoxicated during morning rush hour.