minuteman32
Expert
There seems to be some question on what one is to do during a traffic stop, or other "official" interaction with a police officer, when they have a gun on them or in their car. My recommendations, as a firearms instructor and police officer are;
Before the traffic stop:
Know the law at the location you are in. The law will be different from state to state. Some require notification, some do not (IN does not). You should already know whether your license or permit is recognized in that state before you get there. There are several websites with information on gun laws. The one I recommended is; http://handgunlaw.us/. You can get contact info for the various states firearm regulatory agencies to confirm the information on the site.
During the traffic stop:
Pull to the right as far as possible, as soon as possible. Put car in park (if automatic) or out of gear (if manual). Roll down window, turn off engine and, if after dark, turn on your interior light.
If at all possible have your drivers license, registration and proof of insurance in your hand, with both hands on the steering wheel. Most of us don't like people digging around in their car while we're standing there!
If you are in a state that requires notification, have your carry license/permit on top of your drivers license (so that is the first thing the officer will look at). Again, if required to notify, ..... verbally notify the officer as you hand them your documents, too. Something along the lines of, "Officer, as you can see, I have a license to carry a handgun. It is on my right hip/in the glove compartment/etc." Follow the officer's directions. They may take the gun back to their car, they may not. If they do, they may unload it, they may not. There is no law dictating the procedure, but there may be a policy for their department, or a personal policy.
Remember, we don't know you. We don't know if you are an average law abiding citizen who was a bit distracted or unaware of a problem with your vehicle. You could be a sociopath with 20 lbs of drugs under their seat or a kid tied up in the back seat or trunk. You could be speeding because your late for an appointment or because you just robbed a store or shot your significant other 10 minutes ago. Unfortunately, we can't assume that you are "Joe or Jane good guy". Doing that would eventually cause us to violate the 1st rule; "Go home in the same condition we came to work in!"
Hopefully this will answer some of the questions.
Before the traffic stop:
Know the law at the location you are in. The law will be different from state to state. Some require notification, some do not (IN does not). You should already know whether your license or permit is recognized in that state before you get there. There are several websites with information on gun laws. The one I recommended is; http://handgunlaw.us/. You can get contact info for the various states firearm regulatory agencies to confirm the information on the site.
During the traffic stop:
Pull to the right as far as possible, as soon as possible. Put car in park (if automatic) or out of gear (if manual). Roll down window, turn off engine and, if after dark, turn on your interior light.
If at all possible have your drivers license, registration and proof of insurance in your hand, with both hands on the steering wheel. Most of us don't like people digging around in their car while we're standing there!
If you are in a state that requires notification, have your carry license/permit on top of your drivers license (so that is the first thing the officer will look at). Again, if required to notify, ..... verbally notify the officer as you hand them your documents, too. Something along the lines of, "Officer, as you can see, I have a license to carry a handgun. It is on my right hip/in the glove compartment/etc." Follow the officer's directions. They may take the gun back to their car, they may not. If they do, they may unload it, they may not. There is no law dictating the procedure, but there may be a policy for their department, or a personal policy.
Remember, we don't know you. We don't know if you are an average law abiding citizen who was a bit distracted or unaware of a problem with your vehicle. You could be a sociopath with 20 lbs of drugs under their seat or a kid tied up in the back seat or trunk. You could be speeding because your late for an appointment or because you just robbed a store or shot your significant other 10 minutes ago. Unfortunately, we can't assume that you are "Joe or Jane good guy". Doing that would eventually cause us to violate the 1st rule; "Go home in the same condition we came to work in!"
Hopefully this will answer some of the questions.
???
