by jshuberg on Mon Nov 21, 2016 1:27 am
I've been pulled over, and notified the cop that I was carrying. I'm an older white guy though, if I was a minority I think about it differently.
The reason in general I think it's a good idea is that if you present your permit to a cop, is it's evidence that you a probably a good guy as you've been through a background check. Also, the majority of cops lean pro 2A, and see permit holders as contributing to the public good. There's always a chance you'll meet the cop that thinks otherwise, or be prejudiced against you if you're a minority, but in general if you notify them they will perceive it as a good thing. If you *don't* notify, and the cop becomes aware you're carrying, expect it to go badly and be held at gunpoint until the facts all come out. Personally I'm not a fan of a scared cop pointing a gun at me with an unknown level of training and trigger discipline, so I choose to deescalate the situation before it has the chance to escalate.
More important than *if* you should notify the cop you're carrying is *how* you notify them. When he comes to your door have the engine stopped, window open, interior lights on, and hands at the 11:00 and 1:00 positions on the steering wheel. Passengers should have their hands on the dashboard, palms down. No one should move their hands unless asked/ordered to do so by the cop, and you should repeat his instruction as you move. If the cop tells you to unbuckle the seatbelt, repeat to him "I'm unbuckling my seatbelt" while moving your hands slowly to the seatbelt. This might seem a bit overly cautious, but you're in a situation where the cop is prepared to shoot you should he feel his life is in danger, and you're wearing a gun. Anything that you and your passengers can do to keep the encounter from escalating is a good thing.
The best time to tell the cop you're carrying (if you decide to) is in response to his very first question. If he asks "do you know why I pulled you over", you should reply "I'm not exactly sure, but before we go any further, I want you to know that I have a permit to carry card in my wallet, and I'm carrying. How would you like to proceed". Under no circumstance say the word GUN, first you tell him you have a *permit*, and then tell him that your *carrying*. If you say gun or firearm or pistol, that will be the only thing he hears and the likelihood of it going bad goes up significantly.
He'll ask you where the gun is. Tell him, don't move your hands to it or point at it. If he asks you to get your wallet, or undo your seatbelt, or anything that would require you to move your hands closer to your gun - tell him "I am carrying down there, but I'm not going to touch it, I'm going to get my wallet for you as you've asked." Again, never say gun, never say pistol. Move slowly, and get your ID and permit when asked.
It may be a minor traffic violation, but you are in an armed encounter with law enforcement, and they have no idea who you are or whether you will pose a threat. You should treat it as a potentially life threatening situation, because it could become that for something as simple as a miscommunication, as it did with Castile. This isn't the time for the rights and wrongs of how an encounter with police should go down. This is the time when you are polite, compliant, echo back to him any commands to move you are given to prevent any miscommunication from happening.
On the occasion when I was pulled over, I was doing about 15MPH over the limit. I have the encounter recorded. When he asked if I knew why he pulled me over, I told him I was driving too fast, and that I had a permit and was carrying. He had me get my wallet, I showed him my ID and permit, told me to slow down, gave me my stuff back, and to go ahead and drive on. The whole thing took around 40 seconds. Notifying a cop your carrying isn't necessarily going to get you out of a ticket, but it can prevent things from escalating out of control and winding up shot.
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