This morning I was walking out of my shop to visit my pistol range about 40 feet from my door. I opened the door and was nose to nose with a deputy sheriff standing at my door about to knock, who came to ask about a stray horse.

We were talking, in my hands were a pair of binoculars, box of 22 ammo and in the other hand was a S&W revolver 617-7. I was holding it with my hand wrapped around the closed cylinder, the top strap against my palm and never even thought that she might feel a little obvious.

There was no place to lay the revolver down other than the ground and I was not about to consider that option.

Finally after some discussion she said "this is the first time I ever talked to someone with the butt of a pistol pointing at where he was gesturing with it in his hand, she laughed! Then I laughed also.

I had no idea she was coming, she had no idea why I was leaving my shop with the pistol in my hand, although to an experienced hand it should have been obvious.

I shoot about 50 rounds every morning, and that was all that was on my mind when I opened the door and saw her standing there. I have known her for about 25 years and we have not spoken much, but still I believe that this situation could have been pretty darn serious if we not interested in a stray horse to distract us.

Lucky to live in Wyoming.

Wyoming law enforcement tends to be fairly calm about firearms. Year or so ago I was stopped on the way home by a Wyoming Trooper for 61 in a 55. He noted a Glock 19 tucked between the driver's seat and the console. Said "please don't touch that until we are done here."

Got a warning, no ticket. I suspect in some states, I would have been face down on the asphalt. Gotta love my state.

A few years ago I was stopped by a Delaware, Ohio city policeman about a broken headlight. (A deer run into my wife's stopped car and did all kinds of damage.) In Ohio our car tags are tied to our CCW, so he knew in advance I had a CCW and I informed him at the first opportunity I was carrying. "OK, Where is the gun?"; "In my right front pocket.": "OK, for now just stay out of that pocket." He ask about the headlight, and did me the favor of writing a warning. That gives me 4 days to get it fixed, an no other jurisdiction in state can write me a ticket for that. Most cops are not too worried about an old fat guy that stays out of trouble!

Ivan

I was days out of the Academy, when my Coach/FTO & I stopped an older couple for speed on the Interstate south of Columbus OH. I still had butterflies with every stop at that point and fumbled though my opening contact. When the older gentleman opened the glovebox for his registration, a S&W M36 rolled out. I stepped even further back behind the driver and put my hand on the grip of my revolver but didn't draw down on them. I saw the lady in the front seat just about jump out of her skin and the driver instantly pulled his hand back and then didn't make another move. The old guy immediately informed me he was a retired detective from a large metro PD in Kentucky and ASKED if he could reach for his retirement creds in his sport coat pocket. Everything unclenched as he proved to be what he said and he obviously sensed that I was VERY new on the job. As they pulled away, I heard the lady giving him hell for having the gun in the glove box, "you could have gotten us killed".

I've told this before, but I was stopped in a small Texas town close to me due to just hitting cancel on the cruise control rather than using the brakes to reach the lowered speed limit.

Young city officer approaches and asks for license and proof of insurance. I inform him that I have a permit and am armed. His response, "Aw hell, this is Texas, everybody has a gun." Didn't even ask where it was or anything.

After going back to his vehicle and running my info he returned and said, "Your driving record is better than mine; have a nice day." He then handed back my credentials and strolled back to his car. I couldn't help but laugh.

I no longer associate "slowing down" with "observing the speed limit."

Long, long ago in a different universe I was stopped by a deputy at about 2:30 AM (Bar closed time) for the old "shake down", Where ya been, where ya going? Told him that he knew darn well where I had been and where I was going(I was 1/2 mile from home on a lonely gravel road) He then proceeds to "feel me up". I informed him that he had best stop that.
He says "who's going to stop me?"
Me Mr. 357 Smith
He quickly skedaddled back to his car.
I reported it to the head sheriff the next day, turned out I was the 3rd female that had complained about him. The next week there was an ad in the paper, Looking to Hire, Deputy Sheriff.

If he had been doing his job, he could have arrested me for DUI but nope. Think I handled that well.
The gun was a S&W M19 and was under the seat, no such thing as permits back then.

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Super Snooper

I got pulled over a couple of years back. when the officer approached my window I informed him that I was wearing a concealed fire arm. He said, "you weren't planning on shooting me were you"! He couldn't suppress the grin on his face.

I told him that I was not and we talked a bit...about fishing. He showed me some pics from his wallet of him and his son. He let me off with a warning.

BUt it is a good idea in Texas to notify the officer if you have a weapon on you. if you don't and he finds out you have one that might go badly for you. Some police are more sensitive about that than others.

Generally the cops around here are all supporters of 2A

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Real men love cats!

I hate that kind thing. He was committing assault. You shoulda plugged him.

I don't know the exact language but there is a law in Texas that deals with disparity. EG, I'm 76 years old, 5'5" tall and 165 lbs. I get confronted by a guy 35 years old 6'1" 210 lbs I can shoot him. I could not allow THAT guy to hit THIS me in the head. I know my head would come clean off. So I can shoot him if I was in fear of my life...which I would be.

Do you have such a law in your state?

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Real men love cats!

If he had opened the car door I likely would have

Interesting, I had never heard of that.
At that time I was 5'6" and 125#. The Deputy was 6' plus, at least 250, a big fat old slob. In other words, a dirty old man.
I could probably have kneed him and pinned him on the ground.
I was a bit of a bad b**** in my younger days!

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Super Snooper

Got pulled over in a swanky suburb north of Chicago a while back muting a cell phone call. While pulling out my license the cop saw my "blue" card (CCW).

Asks me are you carrying a gun? Me: No, c'mon it's Lake Forest! That's for going into the City. (I wasn't carrying at the time)

Talked about his Glock for a while and that was it. CCW are tied to plates here as well.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

Trooper: "Can I see your license, registration and proof of insurance?"

Me: "Of course, but the registration and insurance cards are in the
glove box, and I have a revolver in there."

Trooper: "Are you going to shoot me with it?"

Me: "No."

Trooper: "Well, that's good."

Glove box is not a good place for a gun, especially if your registration/insurance papers are in there, too. Years ago a friend was pulled over and her son's cap gun spilled out of the glove box when she reached for her papers. The officer jumped back, let fly with every swear word he knew, and she found herself looking down a gun barrel.

What?
An officer who lacks the training and seasoning for this situation is likely a risk across the board. Olden days were a bit more lenient, but negligent hiring, training and retention has (1) gotten a number of innocent people killed and (2) made trial lawyers very rich.

Usually I read these stories and then puzzle for a second... Then I notice they all seem to happen in the Northeast.

When I ride my Indian Springfield I always have a pistol in the right saddlebag and my registration and insurance in the left. If stopped I hand over my license and carry permit and ask permission to go into the left saddlebag for the the other documents carefully noting what is in the right.

It has never been a problem and full disclosure has always been appreciated.

First words out my mouth are always, "I have a loaded handgun on me".

It never comes up again.

Last time I was pulled over as the Trooper started to walk back to his car he turned to me and said, "and thank you for exercising your 2nd Amendment rights".

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

The last time I was stopped it was in East Texas along I30. I had made
an exit trying to get some breakfast at the Ihop. The local policeman
said I did not signal when changing lanes, he was probably correct. I
got my license and permit and presented it and when ask for insurance
and registration I told the officer that I had a pistol in the glove box
and one in my pocket.
He then went on to tell me that they had a lot of drug runners on I30 and
I ask if any self respecting drug runner drove a 20 year old car. He sort
of laughed and said probably not. He then said he would let me off with
a verbal warning and I thanked him and offered to buy him a cup of
coffee at the Ihop and he said couldn't but thanks anyway.