That makes no sense to me at all. Why would you hand the officer your CCW permit if he did not ask for it? I can't see anything good coming from that. I also fail to understand how that could have saved your friend's life.

What is a DMV stop?

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

Expired plates?

Probably because there's no rationally plausible causal mechanism.

Your showing your license where not required by law would no more have prevented that shooting than your throwing a virgin into a volcano would have. The two acts are COMPLETELY unrelated.

While I may disagree completely with the whole "courtesy" meme, at least it doesn't assert some impossible ability to prevent criminal violence totally disconnected in time and space from the parties involved..

In NM, when I used to drive for a living, I've heard the "Do you know why I stopped you?" and "Do you know how fast you were going?" questions.

__________________
Thread Killer.

I have been taught that it's and attempt to get confession.

Example: The cop notices you have a tail light out, pulls you over and asks

"Do you know why I pulled you over?"

"Speeding?" (Whether you were or not you just confessed)

" Do you know how fast you were going?"

"5 over?" (You just gave a statement against yourself)

"Do you know know the speed limit here?"

"35?" (You just admitted you knew the law and broke it anyway)

And the report the cop writes on the ticket is going to say you admitted to speeding, admitted how fast you were going and admitted that you did it deliberately.

And remember the cop only pulled you over for a tail light.

All that said every State Police officer I've encountered in the last 7 years has introduced himself in the exact same way

"Good afternoon. I am Trooper So and So of the Colorado State Police. I pulled you over because, ------ . I observed you going X amount over the speed limit. I will / will not be citing you for this infraction today."

They say all that before they even ask for your paperwork

__________________
Retired Career Security Guard

I was never really "put at ease" by someone informing me they were armed. Especially when the guy informing me was wearing a vest that said "Outlaws M/C" on the back.

Some older (60's?) moron locally just went to prison for shooting a guy who wasn't a threat during a road rage incident. He didn't look particularly threatening and he had a CPL, but he was a whackjob nonetheless. Informing or not informing, CPL or no CPL never meant anything to me on a traffic stop. Never influenced whether they got a ticket or not, and never resulted in a half-hour roadside conversation about guns either. I would estimate that my department sends at least a couple of letters per week to the county gun board regarding CPL holders who have screwed up. A CPL only means you met the minimum standards for getting a CPL. That's all, and that ain't much. It's not a "good guy card" by any stretch of the imagination.

Just follow the law and use common sense.

Incidentally, I never wrote anyone a ticket for something I didn't observe myself. And I certainly never wrote them a ticket when they had an tail light out and they said they thought they were speeding. That's ridiculous. I don't even KNOW anyone who wrote a ticket under those circumstances. If they said: "Because you saw the blood from the guy I just shot and put in my trunk draining into the street in front of the liquor store I held up", yeah, I might write him a ticket for littering......

My traffic stop line went like this: "Can I please see your license and registration sir?" "Why did you stop me?" "I'll be glad to let you know after you show me your license and registration." I'm not about to argue with people at the side of the road about whether they ran a light or not. People like to argue with you before they give you their license. If they give me their license, I tell them why I stopped them. If they want to argue, they can argue with the vacant space at the side of their car while I'm in mine running them on the computer and writing a ticket, or not writing a ticket. If they refuse to give me their license, I tell them to get out of the car. If they refuse to get out of the car, I call a tow truck and stand there and watch the wheels turning as they try to decide if I'm bluffing or not.

Lots of cops are killed on traffic stops every year, whether from getting hit by other cars or as a result of more nefarious means. I try to minimize my time standing at the side of the road at bar closing time, arguing a civil infraction with someone who is not used to not being in charge. It can be done in a professional, yet firm manner so as to let the person stopped know that they're not in charge of the stop, and that the sooner they comply with lawful orders, the sooner they can be on their way with a ticket, or not. Also, lest you think I get off on being "in charge" of some poor schmuck who ran a red light; A bad attitude from someone, unless it's REALLY over the top, is not likely to influence me one way or the other as far as giving them a ticket. Most cops HATE doing traffic enforcement just for the sake of doing traffic enforcement, but a LOT of actual bad guys are caught as a result of traffic stops. And not all of them "look" like bad guys.

In West Virginia, they ask for license, registration and proof of insurance. If I get pulled over, I'll have these ready by the time the officer gets to my open drivers window. Do I tell him I'm packin' a gat? Nope.

__________________
Keep on Chooglin'

Michigan law requires all CPL holders to notify LEO's of their carry status in the event they are pulled over, so the decision is made for us.
As to what I'd say? Pretty much what the op said, except I would use the phrase ..."and I am carrying" (rather than "and I have it with me", which could be misunderstood to mean the permit rather than a gun).

__________________
Stay protected my friends.

Do you let him know if you're totin' a roscoe?

__________________
Retired Career Security Guard

In North Carolina, we have to notify. I've done it three times. Each time I said, "I need to inform you that I'm carrying a firearm."

First time I was changing a flat tire at night. Sheriff's Deputy rolled up to see what was up. He must have been fresh out of training because he didn't look much older than 12 years old. He wanted to know where the gun was, he lifted up my shirt to see it, and he wanted to see my carry permit.

Second time one of my kids had a minor one vehicle accident. I arrived on the scene to talk to the cop, and told him I was carrying. He just thanked me and continued with the conversation.

Third time one of my kids was at a party that got busted for underage drinking. Luckily my kid wasn't involved, but they were there, so the cops called me to come get 'em. Told the cop I was carrying a firearm and he said, "Hey! I'm carrying one too!"

Smoke, you must have misunderstood me. I never said chosing to NOT inform a LEO of your CCW, or NOT consenting to a search was you being a jerk. Your rights are your rights. Just like I didn't say a cop deciding to issue a citation is him being a jerk, he has a right to do his job. I just recommend being polite (as possible) when doing either. That's all.

__________________
"to protect and to serve"

Quote:
"My wife was stopped about 4 years ago and advised him she was a CCW holder (not required in AZ)
"
Just an FYI here:
What you said is true However; In the City of Phoenix Concealed Carry permits are cross referenced with your drivers license. I know this because I was stopped once and as soon as the officer ran a check he came back and asked if I had a firearm on me since I had a permit.
Jim

Well here in Wyoming police don't seem to ask. Since it is a no permit state they assume everyone carries, I think. I have been stopped twice in the last 10 yrs or so. once for a safety chain that came off and another for a tail light malfunction. Cops were courteous and friendly. In fact I had just bought 3 handguns at a yard sale..and they were lying on the passenger seat. Cop saw them there and didn't bat an eye..of course they were in plain view and I never reached for them. After fixing the tail light(wasn't locked in the socket) officer did mention the guns. Told him I had bought them at a yard sale down the road. He said about 5 miles down the road?..Said he had considered stopping there but it always looked bad to have a cop at a yard sale. He was kinda annoyed as one was a Nazi marked Browning HiPower. I must admit Wyoming is truly different than the state I moved from... The People's Republic of Maryland.

In MA it's very likely that they will know you have a LTC as soon as they run your information. It's fairly recent, but it seems that LTC information is now linked to DL and registration information.

At least that's what I gather from listening to police channels on the scanner.

Personally, I think it's the guy with no LTC who has a gun that they should be more concerned with.

__________________
Can open, worms everywhere.

Just for the record, Ayoob was not the first guy to recommend this, it's quite commonly known. Until I read your post, I didn't even know that he did recommend it. I've been doing this on the few times I've been stopped for about 20 years. It seems to work well, because every time I've done it, I drove away with a verbal warning and "Have a nice day sir.", from the officer.

Not that I get stopped all the frequently, about once every 10 years or so.

__________________
Can open, worms everywhere.

Personally I would take my wallet out and place it on the dash before stopping. Yeah I know such movement will present a red light for the police officer when approaching the car but I don't want to be reaching, even slowly toward my waist while carrying.

FWIW, I have been asked, "Do you know why I stopped you?" It happened in Newton MA on a radar setup on a main drag through a residential neghborhood. I answered, "Probably for speeding." I got a warning ticket. Don't know whether that was for honesty, or because he was mainly set up to give warning tickets, or some other reason. I also don't know what my speed was.

Last time I heard from an LEO, LEOs in MA could find out whether the registered owner had a permit, but they had to ask for it, and generally didn't. I have also heard from at least one MA LEO who thought that people who volunteered such information were a little off, and were usually trying to say something that the LEO really didn't want to hear.

When I carry, I have a duo-fold card wallet that holds two items, one on each side. My ccw is always there and when I carry I put my CDL in the other side and carry it in My shirt pocket. I always wear shirts with pockets and this keeps My hands away from My weapon, and the LEO can always see My hands. Saves trouble.

No duty to notify in Tennessee.

Our DL and HCP are both the same number. If they run the plate on my truck they know who the registered owner is, DL and HCP linked.

Only been pulled over once. Handed over both DL and HCP. Never mentioned anything about a gun nor did the officer. That's the way it should be. Unless you look like or asking for trouble, I can't imagine anyone around here being disarmed during a traffic stop as SOP. I don't do anything out of the ordinary like keeping my hands on the steering wheel or anything like that. I doubt many do. Having a loaded gun in the car is now legal without a HCP. So far I haven't heard of any big problems.

Officer asking me why I was pulled over?? The officer is the one who pulled me over. He's the one who needs to explain why, not me.

Be polite.
Comply with instruction.
Deny requests as you see fit.
Be polite.

In Illinois your CC is flagged on both registration and license.

The county sheriff I took my CC class from told us LEO's had been told to say, I'm officer SO&SO are there any weapons in the vehicle? Then will ask for license and registration and then your CC if you are carrying at the time. They may also ask where the weapon is in the vehicle, weather it is on your person, which mine always is ! They will instruct you what to do from that point.

I haven't been stopped in over 25 years except for a drive through inspection when vacationing in Arizona, they just had an officer on each side of the lane with a dog, just slowed down and was waved through they didn't even speak just waved us through. There was a little pull over lane looked like it was used all the time. Looking for illegals was close to the border .. Was driving a Jeep with the top down. No place to hide anything.

In my very few traffic stop encounters with State Police I have been asked that question. My belief is that they are looking for an admission and will make note of it. If you choose to appear and contest before the magistrate, in lieu of paying by mail, the admission will be used. In NY the issuing officer is required to appear for a requested hearing on any tickets issued.

When driving I keep a dozen freshly baked jelly doughnuts next to me.
If I am stopped by a Cop:
Officer: Sir, do you know why I stopped you"?
Me: Why yes I do Officer, You wanted a doughnut, and I have a dozen right here.

****I will not be available for the next 30 days

IF I am stopped for lights out, rolling through a stop sign, exceeding speed limit; whatever - what reason does the officer have to inquire what I may or may not have in my vehicle???
I don't understand the question!!! JMHO.............

Bit off topic, sort of, but the dumbest thing I ever saw on a traffic stop was an idiot who had purchased a 'Concealed Carry Permit' badge. Yeah, a badge. Had it in a wallet, flipped it out like he was Kojak.

I presume we all love guns on this forum, but that is too far out, man. Whack job. Best advice I can give anyone vis-à-vis CHL's and police contact is DON'T BUY A DUMB CCW BADGE! And if you do, leave it at home as a desktop decoration or something.

I think the logic behind handing the LEO your CCW license is , it is a more relaxed way of informing him vs. stating "I have a gun" type of thing.

Unless I thought it was going to come up , I'd not mention it.
If I had to get out of the car during the stop, this would be one of those times.

I gave a LEO a ride one time. I knew he'd be getting in so I tossed a rag over my pistol that was out in plain view.
When he got in , I told him ..... "just so you know I have a firearm under there"
He asked me if I was planning on shooting him.
He didn't sound very serious about it.
I said , I have no reason to shoot you.
He took a little peek under the rag and we drove away.

While I guess there may be some officers out there that won't ask, you can bet most will.

They have a difficult job and deal with the lowest denominator in society all the time. It is wise for them to assume the occupant intends them harm until they determine otherwise. Therefore, they are likely to ask if you have any weapons.

The US Supreme Court has determined that a police officer has the right to make the scene safe. This could include holding on to a gun until the situation is resolved; regardless of what that situation is. Yes, including a headlight being out.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

I would guess that in most jurisdictions in Georgia, at least 60% of vehicles have firearms in them. In rural areas, you can probably bump that to 90%. It is legal to have a loaded handgun in your vehicle without a Georgia Weapons License.

Why would a GA LEO need to ask? I would think they just automatically assume everyone is armed.

__________________
Georgia On My Mind

Those numbers seem awfully high to me. I'll bet it's more like 10% with 20% in rural areas.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

Ayoob is generally very knowledgeable, but if he is telling you to have your license out before the cop walks up, then I say he is wrong. Reaching for anything until you are told is not wise. Is it your wallet or a gun? Just sit there with hands at 10 and 2 and wait to be asked. Ignorant but well meaning people reach for it all the time before the cop is even there. Same with getting out of the car.

And as pro-cop as I am, you're not searching my car without probable cause. Shining a light everywhere is fine to make sure there is nothing illegal, but that's it.

If the police around here were routinely asking people if they were armed and disarming everyone who said yes, both the Mayor and Sherrif would be tarred and feathered. Free people don't put up with such nonsense.

Somebody must be buying these stupid things because Amazon has a bunch for sale The Vintage one looks like an old Texas Ranger badge.

Yeah, that's brilliant. Just think how happy your friendly neighborhood police offer will be when he contacts someone for speeding and they flip this thing out. There's places, I imagine, that that might get you arrested for impersonating an LEO.

Because a lot of criminals are pretty stupid and some of them actually answer honestly when you ask them a question like that and they're carrying a gun. Same goes for: "Do you have any drugs in the car?" They answer to questions like that, more often than you might think, is something like: "Just a small one that I carry for protection because I live in a rough neighborhood" or "Just a blunt in the glove box". Even when you say "no", the next question may be: "Do you mind if I check your glove box?" It's not our fault some people practically jump into the back seat of our cars and put the cuffs on themselves.... On a typical stop for traffic, the police really don't need a reason to ask you anything they want to ask you. "Do you walk to work or take your lunch?" "No officer, just one dime bag of weed and it's not even mine!" Some people are just dying to talk to you. You just have to talk to them first sometimes.....

Here in oppressive NY, no duty to inform, no link to DMV(yet), and able to carry in restaurants selling liquor.

Haven't been stopped in 20 years.

__________________
Sure you did

And how do you think NY will treat you if you shoot a guy after drinking 2 beers? They locked up an off duty cop about 5 years ago when he stopped a robbery or rape or some other serious felony. The cop had a few beers in his own backyard and was going to be fired. I believe the PC spared him after the outrage made it to the public.

Hey, you really ARE from California, aren't ya!



(Just kiddin' Rastoff, you have my respect)

__________________
Halfway and one more step

LOL! Ras, you ain't spent much time in the south have you?

1st, if you have a CCW permit, it's on your record, not just your DL. The LEO scans your plate into the computer. He knows your whole life history before he gets out of the car. Assuming it's your car he knows you have a CCW permit before he gets to the car. Keep you hands on the top of the steering wheel until he asks for your DL. You definitely don't want to reaching for anything that removes your hands from his line of sight.

Not all states include ccw info with DMV info.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

Being a country type I've almost always has a gun or three in my vehicle. And I lived in Md. I one time went to pick up a gal for a date. She lived in Cambridge Md. The National guard wouldn't let me in town cause I had a shotgun and ammo in the car. There was a fellow Named H. "Rap" Brown inciting riots in Cambridge. So I parked outta town a bit and she came and picked me up... Found out she was a bit wilder than me. Here In Wyoming(mostly rural) the percentage of vehicles with guns in then probably approaches 90% including the people that carry concealed. Montana is probably pretty close to that figure too

Things have changed in MA over the past few years. More and more departments have converted software for their MDTs from text-based to CJISWeb. CJISWeb on a query will pull up the driver (DL query) or registered owner (Reg query) info including DL picture, gun permits, any wants/warrants all up on the header page.

Still no duty to inform however.

They can "ask" whatever they want. You don't have to answer, but be polite with whatever you do and don't lie.

Smart officers anywhere should assume that whoever they stop may be armed and conduct themselves with caution.

I know Mas and like you disagree with him on that point.

Agree with you, you can search my car . . . but need a warrant to do so unless you have PC, in which case you won't be asking.

MA is one of those. You will almost certainly be arrested for impersonating an officer (felony).

__________________
MA Gun Law & NRA Instructor

I've been stopped twice since I've had my permit and was carrying each time, once a few miles from the rifle range with half a dozen black bags in the rear seat in view.

Each time I had time enough to have all licenses and paperwork out in left hand with right hand on the wheel. Once he took my intel, my hands stayed on the wheel. When he handed it back I moved slowly to take it back and placed it up on the dash and slowly put my hand back on the wheel and kept them there until he was finished. SC is a must present permit State.

Both times just a warning ticket for excessive velocity.

__________________
Isaiah 41:10

I do this and also pull over at a safe location and stop as far off the road as possible. This all helps in getting off with a warning instead of a ticket.

This is controversial because it's not a good idea to be seen fidgetting when stopped but I get my license, both driving and gun license, out before hand and hold it while grabbing the wheel with both hands sometimes it's just one hand on the wheel with my other hand hanging way out the window to look cool. Window down looking straight ahead.

I'm not required so I don't normally tell them if I have a loaded gun with me. I have before and they have freaked out and take it from you and/or unload it which I feel is totally unecessary.

I also sometimes get asked if I'm carrying any illegal weapons or drugs. When I say no and they ask me if I mind if they check and search I always so no, I do mind and you do not have my permission to search. Then they almost always say well if you don't have anything to hide...

Must just be me, but the Golden Rule applies. I would notify the cop, if I were a cop, I would want the person I am conversing with to tell me. If the cop somehow found out, there would be an increase in suspicion, not less.
Everyone is different though. We dont seem to a polite society anymore.
I couldnt find my registration in the glove, the cop told me NOT to look for it and to just bring it into the station to prove registration, just gave me a warning.

here is the matching mask

You're not from around here are you?

How may gun racks do you see in pick up trucks your way with umbrellas in them?

Maybe not that high but It's a lot closer to 90% than 20%

What does that have to do with anything?

Most statistics are made up on the spot and this one is no different. 90%? Really?

Let's look at it another way. If we were to poll the members of this site we'd find that a huge percentage have guns in their car often. This is because this is a gun site. So, it stands to reason the bias would be toward guns.

The same goes for you and I in our personal lives. We are gun people so, we tend to surround ourselves with gun people. This it seems that everyone around us has guns.

However, the vast majority of people in the US aren't gun people. Therefore, I suspect that the 90% number is based off those you know and is likely skewed because of it.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

I don't get this "polite" thing.

Do you announce to people behind the counter at McDonald's?

The checkout person at the grocery store?

If not, are you "impolite"? After all, in all likelihood they're completely disarmed and helpless in the face of an attack from you. Doesn't their "safety" count for anything?

Sometimes it matters coinsiderably. As a case in point..I am originally from Md...a decidedly gun unfriendly state. But I lived on the Eastern Shore of Md...Nothing at all like the wrong side of Maryland. And although carrying concealed was not an option(even as a Licensed dealer) approx. 40% of people usually had a firearm(mostly shotguns or a 22 rifle in their vehicle.. It was country. Things have changed in the last few years with all the people moving out of the city trying to get away from it and bringing it with them. The rate may be higher. More crime ya know?

Statistics quite often are made up even when the lying gummit or a lying media person does it. But having been in many rural areas in the south..the 90% figure may be high..but maybe not as much as you may think. Here in Wyoming it is very high..probably approaching that 90% figure. But most of Wyoming is very rural. In much of rural Arkansas where I spent a little time..that figure of 90% would have probably been close.


You could be correct on this BUT..in the rural regions discussed most people know other people. Heck In the area of Md I lived in I was related to about 40% of 'em(the native residents) and knew most of the rest. There were only about 6000 people in my part of the county excluding the city folk who resided on Kent Island. My family has lived within 10 miles or so of where I lived since the 1660s. So the fact that you may know people also skews the results...in the country anyway. Yeah..the country is changing and becoming more citified..Hopefully it doesn't gain momentum. Living in the country is great as long as you don't try to change IT.