Who do you tell you have a CHP?

[bluegrassarms]

Teaching the classes means it's not exactly a secret for me but I don't go around announcing it to the world either. It usually only comes up when you meet someone and they ask what you do. When they find out I'm a ffl I will often get asked about carrying. I will tell them I teach it, answer questions about the process and such, I never explicitly say if I'm carrying or not. I'll talk about what I carry if asked but I don't volunteer it.

What i don't do is go around bringing it up so I can tell people I'm carrying. On a personal level my wife, mother and 1 person I work with know that I do in fact carry near constantly. They're the only ones that "know" other than the obvious inference that an instructor will probably carry, and they all know it's bad form for them to tell others, so they won't.

IMO from a safety standpoint on many levels it's best to keep it private when possible. You can just avoid a lot of poor decisions by not having it come up in conversation, esp. decisions by the other person who thinks it is "cool" and doesn't take it seriously. I've heard stories of guys playing around trying to grab a carry gun, or bugging them to take it out and show it off. Best to just avoid all that elementary school recess level thinking.

 

[wildenout]

Close family knows, I told them. Don't really tell anyone because it shouldn't be talked about I feel. When/if it comes up I just say I'm trying to be responsible and that I don't like to talk about it.

 

[MichiganScott]

No one, including family, knows when I carry.

Funny thing is at the family reunion back in July, the topic came up. Turned out about half the adults were armed, although most had locked the gun up in the car because the reunion was being held at my nephews beach house.

 

[Old cop]

Immediate family only. Many may guess I do carry as a retired LEO, but if asked directly I'll usually say something like: state & federal law allow me to carry concealed. After that I try and change the topic.

 

[Smitty357]

Absolutely no one aside my closest friends and family whom also took the CHP class with me. If they didnt take the class with me, then they dont know. Its pretty simple.

Outside of those people, the only person i'd tell is the obvious LEO during a traffic stop.

 

[Hodgin]

My wife and one of my daughters know. The daughter only knows because she saw the paper work for the permit by accident. She's 32.

I don't want people to know about my permit for various reasons, ranging for them broadcasting it all over town to thinking it's stupid to carry. Just rather no one know other than the wife.

 

[Mule Packer]

I live in a rural community where it's practically assumed that many, if not most, of the locals have a concealed carry permit. We don't talk about it and never mention it. That's why it's called a "concealed carry" permit.

Utah is also an open carry state, so the few folks in my town who don't have concealed carry permits don't worry about it anyway because there's always the ever-present shotgun or rifle in their pickup.

I have found that those who do brag about the fact that they have a permit, are usually the ones that have the attitude of, "Hey, look at me everybody. I'm somebody you don't want to mess with because I got me a gun!!!" When I hear somebody dropping the fact that they carry, I usually just ignore it and don't mention the fact that I also carry. After all, as has been stated several times previously...that's why it's called "concealed."

On the bright side, though, I think you've learned a great lesson from your experiences. And that is, don't tell anybody else that you have a permit.

 

[Arik]

All my friends know. No one cares. Some of them arnt gun people but have been around guns and war all their lives. No one cares. Most have carried machines guns, bazookas, granades... at one point in their lives. So im not impressing anyone with my pistol. Besides its not something that just pops up in a conversation anyway

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[LenS]

WHY??

It's not a subject for discussion in my circles, not even amongst fellow gun owners. In MA we need a permit for mere possession so having a permit does not indicate anything wrt whether the person carries or not.

I usually just deflect any such busy-body questions. It's nobody else's business but mine if i am or not carrying at any given time/place.

 

[shouldazagged]

I have found that those who do brag about the fact that they have a permit, are usually the ones that have the attitude of, "Hey, look at me everybody. I'm somebody you don't want to mess with because I got me a gun!!!"

Exactly. Sometimes the ones who like to tell fanciful stories about facing down bad guys by drawing on them and bravely issuing stern warnings.

"Fanciful" is as nicely as I could have put that.

Pathetic.

 

[Budasac]

P

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[USMCHEROS]

Don't tell anyone you have a weapons permit no one needs to know anyone accept for your family just in case they find something on your waist area. Also keep in mind if you get stop by Police, Sheriff or Highway Patrol or some other Government service that is when you tell the officer of the law that you have a weapon and you have a permit to carry it so you don't get thrown on the ground and etc.

 

[Smoke]

Also keep in mind if you get stop by Police, Sheriff or Highway Patrol or some other Government service that is when you tell the officer of the law that you have a weapon and you have a permit to carry it .

Yeah, not gonna happen.

I do not disclose that fact that I am armed during a traffic stop unless I am specifically asked but that's a topic for another thread

 

[2hawk]

Yep, no duty to inform for Oregon, so I don't bring it up unless asked. I'm pretty sure it pops up as soon as they run your license anyway. I leave it up to the officer if he wants to know or not.

Good site:
http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/colorado.pdf

ETA for those in other states, just put the name of your state in the url instead of "colorado"

 

[shouldazagged]

It shows up when they run your license, in KY. We're advised in the licensing course to volunteer the info, or were fifteen+ years ago.

I have no problem with it. Traffic stops can be so dangerous nowadays, if I were an LEO doing one I'd appreciate it as a good-faith gesture.

 

[Hodgin]

TN does not require permit holders to inform LEOs in the event of a traffic stop. However, my CP instructor and other stuff I've read strongly suggest that I hand over my CP along with my driver's license since these are linked and the officer will know about the CP when the license is run. Fortunately, I haven't been stopped since getting my permit. Maybe it'll stay that way.

 

[bluegrassarms]

It shows up when they run your license, in KY. We're advised in the licensing course to volunteer the info, or were fifteen+ years ago.

I have no problem with it. Traffic stops can be so dangerous nowadays, if I were an LEO doing one I'd appreciate it as a good-faith gesture.

It's still that way. It's legally optional to tell LEOs, but it's advised to disclose it in a stop situation and it's good advice. They'll know anyway, might as well be forthcoming.

 

[2hawk]

See, that's funny (peculiar)- the only time I did that (present my CCH permit with my DL), the officer said, "I don't want to see anything but your license" in a tone that left no doubt as to his sincerity. Later he told me everything they need to know comes up on the computer, but since that experience I just hand over ONLY what they ask for, unless I am traveling in a "must inform" state.
ymmv

 

[ISCS Yoda]

First, I'm in Texas, hardly anyone cares one way or the other except newbies from CA, MI, and NY (and similar) and I can assume 30% of the people I know carry a gun in their cars and a way higher percentage have guns in their homes. Second, I'm also a certified CHL instructor so, when the gun subject comes up, and in today's world it often does, I frequently volunteer to instruct people or get them into a class, so it's no secret that I have a CHL. Third, among certain places that I go, my not only having a CHL but having a gun with me at all times is not only acceptable, it is appreciated. Fourth, so many of my friends also have CHLs (kind of a birds of a feather thing) that the only real subject is "what are you carrying today?"....

If you make it a big deal then it IS a big deal. If you treat it the same way you treat everything else that you do then it's just a part of life, like getting dressed in the morning, and it's easily forgotten and hardly discussed. I don't announce that I have a CHL when it's not necessary, I don't announce that I'm armed, either, and if asked I always tell people that it's not polite to ask that question. But everyone who knows me well knows I'm armed 100%* of the time and it becomes a non-subject, it's just a "oh, yeah, he does that, no big deal" kind of thing.

*Here in Texas, as everywhere, I guess, we have rules for when you cannot be armed. I do my best to avoid such situations but you can't always, in which case you go with the flow and hope for the best. But, at such times, what I never do is tell people that I'm NOT armed. It's not their business.

Unless you folks live in places where CHLs (CCW, CHP, whatever) are looked at askance it's just no big deal. in 1997 it was a big deal because it was new here. Now, with probably 600,000 CHLs in the state and growing, and probably 20 million or more guns owned by Texans, and concealed carry in all forms of motor vehicles legal without a CHL, it's simply a yawner....

Here, check these numbers out:

United States Concealed Carry Statistics

***GRJ***

 

[ISCS Yoda]

See, that's funny (peculiar)- the only time I did that the officer said, "I don't want to see anything but your license" in a tone that left no doubt as to his sincerity. Later he told me everything they need to know comes up on the computer, but since that experience I just hand over ONLY what they ask for, unless I am traveling in a "must inform" state.
ymmv

I have had LEOs do that very thing but the law requires that if I'm carrying a gun then when stopped by a police officer I MUST show my driver's license AND my CHL. If I don't I'm in trouble, even though it pops up on the computer with my driver's license. So I follow the procedure that's required - LEOs can get really miffed if they run your DL and discover you might have a gun and you failed to mention it.

The funny thing is, the reverse is that if you're not carrying a gun then you don't have to show your CHL. Which begs the question - why do you NOT have a gun with you? But you'll still have an irked police officer when he THINKS that you might have a gun and didn't tell him.

***GRJ***