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Total overreaction by the officer. He needs some retraining about his state's firearm laws.
Perhaps in your state there is an legal obligation to inform the officer? There is none in Florida.
Either we have the right to carry or we do not.I don't blame the cop. The guy had an opportunity to tell the cop he was carrying and didn't do so. THE COP SAW THE GUN. "Oh, by the way, sir, do you have a license to carry that firearm?" Really? You expect a cop to do that?
I don't. He did just fine.
I will just leave this. This is in Florida, where concealed carry is legal. Also, per Florida law, he does not have to advise the officer that he is armed unless asked.
Aside from the f-bombs, I have no problem with the officer's actions.
In this case the charges against the driver were dismissed. The driver sued the deputy and those charges were also dismissed.
I don't have any problem with the charges against the cop being dismissed as he didn't actually do anything wrong but he should have received a whole lot of additional training because he also didn't do much of anything right.
The officer was absolutely within his rights to respond once the gun was flashed (yes...carrying concealed means carrying CONCEALED...when the weapon became exposed the officer was just dealing with a man with a gun). There was absolutely no cause to threaten to shoot him in the back and his language was certainly unprofessional. His RESPONSE was unprofessional. He SHOULD have had the man stand with his hands on the vehicle, cuffed him, removed the weapon, asked the man to produce his CCW, and then uncuffed him, returned his firearm, discussed with him his reasons for responding, issued the citation for expired plates, and sent him on his way. Could have been a pretty quick process.
If you are going to carry concealed you HAVE to ensure the weapon is concealed. And even if the law doesnt require it...its a good courtesy to hand the officer your drivers license and CCW IMO.
The officer was absolutely within his rights to respond once the gun was flashed (yes...carrying concealed means carrying CONCEALED...when the weapon became exposed the officer was just dealing with a man with a gun). There was absolutely no cause to threaten to shoot him in the back and his language was certainly unprofessional. His RESPONSE was unprofessional. He SHOULD have had the man stand with his hands on the vehicle, cuffed him, removed the weapon, asked the man to produce his CCW, and then uncuffed him, returned his firearm, discussed with him his reasons for responding, issued the citation for expired plates, and sent him on his way. Could have been a pretty quick process.
If you are going to carry concealed you HAVE to ensure the weapon is concealed. And even if the law doesnt require it...its a good courtesy to hand the officer your drivers license and CCW IMO.
If you carry on a regular basis you will, at some point, end up exposing your weapon. The only way to reduce the chance of exposure is to conceal in such a way that the weapon becomes inaccessible and then there's no point in carrying. You can use a holster bag but doing so generally looks out of place and it's nowhere near as convenient or as comfortable as it might look. If the law in your state is something to the effect of "concealed means not showing any part of the firearm under any circumstances" that's simply an unrealistic expectation and it should be treated as nothing less than a method for the state to circumvent concealed carry rules.
Ive carried for 33 years. I can honestly say Ive never flashed a weapon in 33 years. But lets be honest...if you raise your arms above shoulder level and your gun becomes exposed, you are not carrying concealed effectively.
I didnt say he should be arrested for flashing his weapon...I said the cop should determine if he actually had a CCW and then send him on his way.It is not a crime to have an accidental exposure here. This is part of that reason I bet.
Not really trying to argue with you. Conceal-ability and accessibility is not that difficult. Its just not.The object of carrying, concealed or open, is to have ready access to a firearm should the need to use one come about. It is not to merely be as sneaky as possible while lugging a chunk of steel around. If you prioritize "hidden" over "accessible" you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. If the state mandates that you prioritize hidden over accessible then the state is putting you at a disadvantage.
Ive carried for 33 years. I can honestly say Ive never flashed a weapon in 33 years. But lets be honest...if you raise your arms above shoulder level and your gun becomes exposed, you are not carrying concealed effectively.
I also disagree but this will be my last comment on it. Im REALLY not trying to argue.I disagree. It REALLY depends on environment. I live in Florida. It was 98 degrees excluding humidity the other day. You can't dress well enough to cover all the time. Especially if you enter and exit vehicles. That kind of thing. My shirt got pulled up as I was dealing with my dog the other day. Someone at the gas station next to me saw my piece. He was a fellow NRA member though and told me. It happens. Rarely. But it does.