You’re Carrying and Are Contacted by the Cops Posted on June 28, 2013 by Matt One Simple Act Can Make This Encounter Much Smoother For You and the Cop Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. I am not a lawyer. Carry laws vary by state. Make sure you know yours and what you are legally required to do if you are contacted by the cops in your state. So there you are, walking down the sidewalk or driving down the road, minding your own business and you get stopped or contacted by the cops. If you are like me, you will have a gun on you, no matter what you were doing or where you were going, because the first, most important step in using your gun to protect yourself is having your gun with you. This situation can be quite nerve wracking for some, so I am going to try and shed a little firsthand light on this situation. I have the distinct pleasure of having been on both sides of this equation, and how you handle yourself as the concealed carrier plays a big part in how relaxed or how stressful this encounter will turn out. First, let me say that carry laws vary dramatically state to state, as do the laws requiring you to inform law enforcement if you are indeed carrying. That said, my suggestion is to ALWAYS, politely let the cop know you are licensed (if applicable) and that you are carrying. My suggestion would be to say something along the lines of “Officer, I just want to let you know that I am licensed and I have a concealed firearm on my right hip (or left hip, front waistband or where ever it is).” Having been stopped in the past while carrying, I not only let the cop know I am carrying and where, but when reaching for my wallet to produce my ID, I am sure to make slow, deliberate motions as my wallet is generally in the back pocket on the same side as my gun. Doing so is another way to ensure you do not end up on the muzzle end of the cop’s gun. Please bear in mind during any cop initiated contact with law enforcement, you may have no idea why they are contacting you. You or your car may match the description of a suspect in a recent crime, and if that crime involved a gun, any perceived aggressive acts on your part, or the unexpected spotting of a gun, will likely put you on the wrong end of the officer’s gun. This is clearly not legal advice, but my personal opinion is that honesty is truly the best policy. Being upfront and honest at the onset of any encounter with the cops always worked well for me long before I became one, and since becoming one I have always tried to remember that. Wrong end of the gun No one wants to be here That simple act of politely letting the cop know you are armed and licensed can prevent the otherwise innocuous motion of reaching for your wallet from looking like you reaching for a gun if the cop were to see your weapon and you had not said anything to him. That mishap could end very badly for one or both of you. None of us wants to be on the receiving end of a firearm, and cops, by the very nature of our jobs, are very distrustful of people. People, even otherwise good, law abiding citizens lie to us every day (no officer, I wasn’t speeding, I stopped completely at that stop sign, I was not tailgating, I was not talking or texting on my phone, etc). By letting the officer politely know you have your gun, you are introducing a level of trust into your encounter, which will likely play in your favor. If nothing else, it will probably lower the stress level of both you and the officer, because he is no longer worrying about if you are armed and you are no longer worrying about printing or exposing your gun. There are those reading this that will say I am trying to get you to give unnecessary information to “the man”. To those people, there is nothing I can say that is ever going to convince you that I am trying to watch out for yours and my best interests. It really is in both the cop’s and the armed citizen’s best interest that any encounter go smoothly. Yes, some cops are pricks, but so are some people and after all, cops are just people too. Thanks Jeff
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 13:15:33 +0000
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