Concealed Carry traffic stop goes right

Lutherf said:

Yesterday I was driving back home from Phoenix and got pulled over near Casa Grande. I wasn't sure what I was getting pulled over for but figured it would be a good idea to stop and find out. Turns out the DPS officer was concerned about a crack I had in windshield. That kind of thing happens out here when it's 120° and I just hadn't got it fixed yet. Anyway, he asked for my driver's license, insurance and registration so I figured it would be a good idea to inform him that I had a 1911 on my right hip pretty close to where I was going to need to reach for my license. He was cool but I did notice a little bit of an "oh ****" eye roll from him. Please note that I had not moved my right arm from the top of the passenger seat and wasn't planning to until he was comfortable. He asked a few questions about how it was holstered and whether there was a round in the chamber then decided that it would be best if I used two fingers and disarmed. I suggested that I could just unclip the holster and give him the whole thing which seemed to make him a good bit happier. I also noticed that just about that time another cruiser pulled up behind his.

Anyway, he went back and did his ID check, wrote me a repair order and asked if it was OK if he just put the pistol under the passenger seat of my vehicle for the time being. He also pointed at the next exit and told me I could pull up there and rearm.

I realize that not every state is Arizona and the rules might be different elsewhere but if you are armed when you are engaged by the cops it's important that YOU are the one who remains calm, cool and non-threatening. Let that cop get control of the situation and don't spring any surprises on him. If you're armed, don't panic and start blurting stuff out. Even if your state has a "duty to inform" you need to do so in a calm and controlled manner. Odds are that he'd never have seen the gun when I pulled out my license but if he did and I hadn't informed him things could have gone differently. I also let him make the decision about what he wanted me to do. His training is to look for problems and stay in control. By explaining that I was going to have to reach for an area where there was a gun before I reached, he was afforded the opportunity to decide how he wanted to handle things. The end result is that all of us we able to continue our day without any unpleasantness.

I don't care what the laws are and what your rights are when it comes to these situations. The ultimate goal is to go home alive and that works best when all parties involved have a clear understanding of the situation they are in.

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Cigar said:

I told (Illinois - during my CCW and Defensive Shooting Class) by The Illinois State LEO's conducting the training, don't bother bring up the Gun; let them do the worrying. In Illinois, if you're stopped, our CCW Licences is already flagged and if The LEO has a question, only then should you offer that information.

In summary; they told me, simply saying the word weapon of Gun doesn't always translate the same from everyone to any cop. If you're pulled over because of a cracked windshield, that's their concern, and leave it at that and have a nice day.

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Lutherf said:

I understand that mindset but the last thing I want to do is accidentally flash when I'm grabbing my wallet. Out here there is no permit required to carry concealed so the cop isn't going to have that information.

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Aberration said:

Pretend like the police think you just robbed a bank and they might let you live.


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