First, don't get stopped. Don't drive like an idiot. As a general rule, if you are stupid enough to get stopped, you have failed. Don't have any kind of gun or political bumper stickers. Be gray. If you are within 5MPH of the speed limit, the odds getting stopped are low.
Most agencies are grossly understaffed. I used to count the troopers seen driving from here to Illinois, and typically it was single digits (total), especially in the big western states. A friend of mine retired from WSP and when he worked in this area, often spent 7-8 hours of a 10 hour shift running from one disabled car to another. When I was in Illinois, the same was true. A trooper who lived in the town where I worked had so many miles of State and Interstate road he was supposed to check that he would have to average 80 mph to do that.
Never ever consent to a search. If you consent, you are a dolt. Among other things, a competent search will take hours. Most agencies are looking for drugs, not guns. Some states are exceptions to that; I do my best to stay out of them.
. I’ve been through that area a bunch and do the same thing heading west (otherwise it’s a LONG way out of the way to avoid the People’s Republic of Illinois). A truly smart puppy’s probably unload it and put it in a locked box before entering the state (which I do on those very rare occasions I’m required to actually spend any time there)
