Official Police contact- What do you say?

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Rastoff said:
redlevel said:
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.
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Those numbers seem awfully high to me. I'll bet it's more like 10% with 20% in rural areas.
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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%
Rastoff said:
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.
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I don't know anything about you and you don't know anything about me. I moved to GA in 1987 thereabouts. That gives me more insight into the general populace than you. I don't know how long you lived in Barstow or Victorville in the gun un-friendly republic of kalifornia.

It was a serious question when I asked how many pick up trucks you see with gun racks. We see things from a different frame of reference.

You accuse me of making up my own stats so I suspect you do the same Mr 10% - 20%. I thought 90% may be high and if you read my post carefully I said I think it's CLOSER to 90 than your guesstimation of 10-20. If we meet in the middle it's 45-55 and I said closer. If you watch the price is right 56% is closer so anything higher than that wins. It was an educated guess based on observing people here for over 25 years.

Some concepts may be foreign to you. Recently there was a guy with an AR at Hartsfield, sometimes the busiest airport in the world. He was legally exersizing his gun rights. Can that be legally done at LAX? I don't know. Cancel that he had a 40+ rnd mag and I'm pretty sure he couldn't. Different mind set of the entire population not just gun people.

It's a discussion but you seemed to take it personal somehow.
 
Smoke said:
If I'm not required I say nothing. Telling a cop you're armed is a **** shoot, sometimes the cop doesn't care sometimes you get an earful of GLOCK and once you open your mouth you can't go back.

If I'm asked or otherwise required to inform I say nothing and simply hand them my permit
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This.

Quite frankly, it's simply none of their business, absent a legal requirement to inform of course. If they don't ask about it, I'm certainly not going to volunteer it.

If we want to make the carrying of guns ubiquitous like cell phones etc. we need to start acting like there is nothing special about them. Telling them when it's not required by law is a crapshoot, I don't care how many people talk about their so-called "wink, wink, got off with a warning" stories.
 
Were I the officer I would appreciate it so I do it.
 
norm said:
Were I the officer I would appreciate it so I do it.
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Why would you appreciate it?

In what way would you benefit from it?

If he were planning to kill you, do you think he'd tell you beforehand?

"Hi officer, I'm a two time loser with three felony warrants. I've got a loaded handgun and I'm going to shoot you in the head five times when your attention is diverted."

Do you figure somebody's going to say that?

If NOT, how is YOUR notifying going to make that cop ONE iota safer... assuming you're NOT planning to kill him?
 
It may not make anyone actually safer. However, it does a few things for all concerned. Not the least of which is to calm things down.

Because a murderer won't tell that they have a gun, disclosing immediately tells the policeman you're not a bad guy. Further, no criminal will obtain or keep a license to carry. So, you're presenting documentation that you're a fine upstanding citizen. This could help them lean more toward a warning rather than a citation.
 
Rastoff said:
It may not make anyone actually safer. However, it does a few things for all concerned. Not the least of which is to calm things down.
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Calm WHAT "things" down?

If you're not REQUIRED to disclose, and there's not an immediate likelihood of the firearm being visible, what exactly is there to "calm down"?

By pointlessly disclosing when not required to, and there's no immediate likelihood of the firearm being displayed, you're not lessening tension, you're INCREASING it.

You're bringing an irrelevant element into a situation that already has the potential for a negative interaction (and potentially a catastrophic one), AND giving someone who may be virulently anti-gun an opportunity to act out.

Absent imminent possibility of discovery (exiting the vehicle), voluntary disclosure serves NO purpose, certainly not a good one.
 
Rastoff said:
It may not make anyone actually safer. However, it does a few things for all concerned. Not the least of which is to calm things down.
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How does "There is a gun in the car" calm things down anymore than "There isn't a gun in the car" or no declaration of a gun in the car one way or the other? If there isn't a gun in the car should I say there is a gun in the car to calm things down?

In a situation that is apparently not calm, how is any answer calming other than removing the driver from the car, frisk and cuff?
 
It may not make anyone actually safer. However, it does a few things for all concerned. Not the least of which is to calm things down.
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Gun laws, like police academy training, is generally designed to benefit the lowest common denominator. They're not designed to benefit the person who is capable of keeping his gun concealed on a traffic stop. "Shall disclose" laws are designed to save the life of the moron who reaches for his wallet which is located two inches away from his concealed pistol. Has nothing to do with keeping the cop safer. We assume you may be armed whether you are or aren't and whether you tell us or not.

Personally, as a cop, I couldn't care less whether you tell me you're armed on a traffic stop. I'm going to watch your hands either way. And if you tell me, I'm going to say "OK" and that's about it. It's not going to be an ice-breaker, it's not going to make me think you're a "good guy" because you have a permit and it's not going to get you out of a ticket. It's just going to be you complying with the cpl law (in my state). Nothing more, nothing less. If you DON'T tell me and I find a gun after a reasonable suspicion or probable cause search, I may write you a ticket, or not. Or I may take your gun, or not. All depends on the situation. I've let people go with ILLEGALLY carried guns before, based on the circumstances. Cops with lots of time on the job tend to use a lot of discretion.
 
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Past experience working for my PD for >15 years and current discussions with those on the job over the past 10 years, I can tell you that only a handful are gun people. The rest couldn't tell you what brand/model/caliber gun is in their holster, what ammo they use, etc. MA is very anti-gun and these officers were raised in a culture to believe that only LE and MIL should ever have access to weapons. If you notify (not required by MA law), you can expect a very unpleasant experience (felony stop).

Additionally if they try to disarm you, and due to lack of knowledge about different guns you can expect them to point your loaded gun at you as they fiddle with it trying to unload it. Not a safe situation for you and if it goes off and injures you they will not face criminal charges or anything more than a paid leave while it is being investigated as an "accident"!

Think twice before you decide to make LE "feel safe" by telling when not required or when you aren't asked (given that the law doesn't require disclosure).
 
I've recently been shooting with a friend who is a Fed in charge of a SWAT team. He's a real gun person and he was shocked that his team (8 agents IIRC) were unfamiliar with many of the guns they encounter in raids. His concern for their safety led him to ask me if I'd be willing to bring some toys to one or more of their range sessions to educate them on how they operate so that they would improve their knowledge and safety in their work.
 
In New York State, I think that Troopers/Deputy Sheriffs/Local Police know if you have a pistol permit before they even walk up to your window, after you are pulled over.
 
So Were Still Buddies?

Rastoff said:
Hmmm, not sure how you read that into what I said. It's just a discussion about numbers and estimates. No offense intended.
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Good to know were not arguing over nothing. (even though I'm correct)

Let me know if you stop by Hartsfield. I'll buy you a beer.

Don't be alarmed but chances are I'll be carrying a gun at the Airport because I can.
 
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I think only 9 or 10 states require you to tell. Don't know the reason, but it's sort of a guide. Communist IL doesn't even require it.
As I do not travel in states that require it, I don't offer the information unless asked to exit the vehicle. Why an officer can't ask and requires you to tell is beyond me.
I turn on dome lights and keep my hands visible and remain courteous as I have always done.
Leo doesn't know what he's got to deal with, but neither do I.
 
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