I Have a Loaded Gun!

“You guys wanted us to tell you if we ever had an incident with our ccw.”

“Oh my God!  Are you ok?”

“Oh yeah… well it wasn’t with a bad guy or anything.  I didn’t shoot, I actually didn’t even draw my gun.  It was with the police.”

“Ok… you gotta tell me about this one.”

“I was driving along on Crown Valley Parkway.   I was behind a truck and he was going really slow.  I got annoyed and decided to pass him.  As I was passing him I guess a motor cop saw me speeding and decided to pull me over.”

“Gotcha”

“Anyhow,  the cop comes up to the passenger side window and asks me for my drivers license and registration.”

“What did you do?”

“I said ok, but I have a loaded gun on me.”

“You said what?!?!”

“Well… I was told by my CCW trainer that this is how we should handle a law enforcement contact.”

“Really?  Wow!  How did it work out?”

“Five patrol cars, guns drawn, me on the curb.”

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“You ok?”

“Yeah… just a little rattled.  I thought I was doing everything right.”

“Well,… we don’t advocate exactly what your CCW trainer suggested that you do.  Actually, what happened is probably an expected response.”

“What should I have done?”

“Well, we tell our students that as a CCW holder you have a positive duty to disclose to law enforcement your status as a CCW holder.  The policy does not state that you have to verbally articulate that information though.  When the officer asked you for you license and registration you should have removed your license from your wallet, along with your CCW and handed both documents to him.”

“So I shouldn’t have mentioned that I had a loaded gun?”

“Not as a way of starting out the conversation, no.  After handing him your permit he may elect to ask you if you have your weapon on you… if he does ask you, tell him yes… and let him take it from there.”

“So what happened to me is not normal?”

“No… we have had a few CCW holders report that they have been pulled over from Law Enforcement and the exchange has been pretty low stress for all parties.”

“I feel like an idiot.”

“Why?  You did what your trainer told you to do… I’m not going to lie, I think that was misguided information, but it seemed reasonable to you and you followed his instructions.  I think it is important to remember what the thought process is of the officer that is approaching your vehicle.  They have no clue who you are, what types of meds you might be one, what your mental state is, or frankly whether or not you are purposefully looking to get pulled over so you can mix it up with a cop.  Car stops are dangerous, and when the first information they get out of the driver is ‘I have a loaded gun.’ there is the real possibility that you are going to elevate that cops adrenaline levels pretty rapidly.  Especially, if what you look like and the car that you are driving, that was the last thing they were expecting from you.”

“You have a point.”

“We suggest that if you are being pulled over… especially at night… pull your wallet from your pocket before you even begin to move over to the curb.  Place your wallet on the dash and lower all four of your windows, before the officer even exits his vehicle.  If it is particularly dark turn on our dome light… (This is more for show than anything…the large spot light on the back of your neck is probably doing enough to illuminate your car, but hey… at least it shows the you care!).  When the officer shows up and asks for your license and registration you simply give him your Drivers License along with your CCW and let him take it from there.”

“Done… ok… live and learn.”