Optimistic Paranoid
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- Jan 12, 2013
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No politics, no cop-bashing, please.
As of right now, based on preliminary information, a man was pulled over for a broken - or burnt out - taillight. After being asked for his license and registration, he informed the police officer that he had a CCW permit and was legally armed. He then reached for his wallet. The cop heard him say that he had a gun, saw him reaching for his wallet, and immediately ordered him to stop. This apparently confused the driver, who was trying to obey his order to produce his license and registration. When he didn't stop reaching, the officer panicked and shot and killed him.
The driver was black. The officer was white. I won't speculate on how that influenced the events. I will not assume that because I'm white, it can't happen to me.
Since many of us carry, and travel a lot outside our home states, lets discuss any lessons we can learn from this.
Some states have a LEGAL REQUIREMENT that someone carrying CCW must inform any LEO he comes into contact with. Last time I checked on Handgun Law, they were:
AK, AR, LA, MI, NC, NE, OH, OK, SC, and TX.
Personally, If I'm travelling in any other state, I'm not going to tell the cop I'm carrying.
Lets note that MN is NOT on that list, so the driver was NOT required to inform the cop that he was armed. I have to wonder if the driver was told to do so in any course he might have taken in connection with applying for his CCW? Has anyone here taken any of the NRA courses recently? Any idea what they have to say about this?
I suppose if we're from out of state, we could just pretend we weren't aware of the requirement. If it comes up somehow, "I'm sorry, officer. My home state doesn't have any such requirement and I didn't realize this state does." Might work, although you might get the old "Ignorance of the law is no excuse!" lecture while he's writing you up.
I was stopped for a minor traffic infraction here in NY a few years back. When I was reaching for my license, the trooper saw my CT non-resident CCW and freaked. Asked me no less than three times if I was carrying a gun. As part of the - polite - discussion we had, he made it very clear that he did NOT agree with the theory that someone who passed all of the background checks must be one of the good guys. "Lots of people with CCW's shouldn't have guns." was the way he put it.
Anyway, I have since re-organized my wallet so that none of my CCWs are visible unless or until I dig them out.
I'm also considering leaving my driver's license with my registration and insurance card on my sun visor. I can carry my passport card in my wallet to provide legal ID while I'm away from my vehicle. Of course, this only works if you only have one vehicle that you drive.
The other possibility is that if you're being pulled over, you immediately take your wallet out and put it on the dashboard as soon as you stop, so you won't have to reach into a pocket when the cop asks for it.
Other thoughts and ideas?
As of right now, based on preliminary information, a man was pulled over for a broken - or burnt out - taillight. After being asked for his license and registration, he informed the police officer that he had a CCW permit and was legally armed. He then reached for his wallet. The cop heard him say that he had a gun, saw him reaching for his wallet, and immediately ordered him to stop. This apparently confused the driver, who was trying to obey his order to produce his license and registration. When he didn't stop reaching, the officer panicked and shot and killed him.
The driver was black. The officer was white. I won't speculate on how that influenced the events. I will not assume that because I'm white, it can't happen to me.
Since many of us carry, and travel a lot outside our home states, lets discuss any lessons we can learn from this.
Some states have a LEGAL REQUIREMENT that someone carrying CCW must inform any LEO he comes into contact with. Last time I checked on Handgun Law, they were:
AK, AR, LA, MI, NC, NE, OH, OK, SC, and TX.
Personally, If I'm travelling in any other state, I'm not going to tell the cop I'm carrying.
Lets note that MN is NOT on that list, so the driver was NOT required to inform the cop that he was armed. I have to wonder if the driver was told to do so in any course he might have taken in connection with applying for his CCW? Has anyone here taken any of the NRA courses recently? Any idea what they have to say about this?
I suppose if we're from out of state, we could just pretend we weren't aware of the requirement. If it comes up somehow, "I'm sorry, officer. My home state doesn't have any such requirement and I didn't realize this state does." Might work, although you might get the old "Ignorance of the law is no excuse!" lecture while he's writing you up.
I was stopped for a minor traffic infraction here in NY a few years back. When I was reaching for my license, the trooper saw my CT non-resident CCW and freaked. Asked me no less than three times if I was carrying a gun. As part of the - polite - discussion we had, he made it very clear that he did NOT agree with the theory that someone who passed all of the background checks must be one of the good guys. "Lots of people with CCW's shouldn't have guns." was the way he put it.
Anyway, I have since re-organized my wallet so that none of my CCWs are visible unless or until I dig them out.
I'm also considering leaving my driver's license with my registration and insurance card on my sun visor. I can carry my passport card in my wallet to provide legal ID while I'm away from my vehicle. Of course, this only works if you only have one vehicle that you drive.
The other possibility is that if you're being pulled over, you immediately take your wallet out and put it on the dashboard as soon as you stop, so you won't have to reach into a pocket when the cop asks for it.
Other thoughts and ideas?