Shall Inform...

[Guest canynracer]

My HCP instructor said it is NOT the law...but being a cop, he pleaded for us to tell anyway to avoid confusion

like I said, I hand both HCP and DL at the same time, I have never had a problem, and I am thanked for it...

I have been pulled over twice since I got my permit in nov...LOL

[Fallguy]

i can almost promise you that my hcp instructor stated it was the law or a provision of a hcp(dont remember how he worded it) that you must tell an officer you are carrying.

though it dont matter to me if is or isnt,i would.

nice to hear a few stories on this that are good

You do not have to inform an officer you are carrying but you do "have" to show your HCP upon request of an officer.

[Guest ETS_Inc]

i can almost promise you that my hcp instructor stated it was the law or a provision of a hcp(dont remember how he worded it) that you must tell an officer you are carrying.

though it dont matter to me if is or isnt,i would.

nice to hear a few stories on this that are good

It is not required that you notify an officer that you are carrying. I would wager that what you are remembering is one of the points in the video, where the attorneys say that within the law that grants you the privilege of getting an HCP, it also allows the officer to temporarily disarm you for the duration of the traffic stop, to ensure their safety.

[dralarms]

As stated before I always hand the officer my DL and my HCP at the same time so there is NO question.

I look at it like this, they have a job to do and if I make their job any easier by letting them know I am one of the good guys (no I'm not looking for any favors) then maybe they will be a little more at ease when dealing with me.

But no you still can't search my truck, sorry.

[The Rabbi]

Law states that the permit holder must produce his permit on request from the officer. That's it. No request, no permit. I don't see any reason whatsoever to announce the fact in advance.

And don't do like the one idiot who, when stopped for a traffic violation, shouted out the window to the approaching officer "I've GOT A GUN!"

I am going to be polite. I am going to be truthful. But I am not going to be particularly helpful.

[Guest Steelharp]

Having been hauled out of a car, my gun thrown on the roof, and my chest held against the patrol car during a routine traffic stop because I failed to announce I had a permit... and having NO problems when I did offer the info... I believe I'll let 'em know. They're trained to react, don't forget. I don't care what "the law" says regarding this particular point; sometimes good judgment has to come into play.

[Guest triggertime]

Having been hauled out of a car, my gun thrown on the roof, and my chest held against the patrol car during a routine traffic stop because I failed to announce I had a permit...

You need to stay out of Lavergne!

[The Rabbi]

You need to stay out of Lavergne!

It wasn't Lavergne.

That still isnt a good reason in my book. That kind of behavior is a good reason to lodge a formal complaint and/or sue the bastards.

[molonlabetn]

If my possession of a firearm is not relevant to the situation, I will not try to make it relevant. If asked, I would answer honestly... if everyone plays by the rules, it won't matter if I'm armed or not.

The only time I have been pulled over in the last 6 years was for a headlight issue... the THP trooper who issued the ticket noticed my HCP in my wallet as I was retrieving my information (which is in my wallet). He asked if that was what he thought it was, I responded to the affirmative, and he went on about his business without further ado.

The point is, I'm not going to try to conceal the fact that I am armed (pun intended)... but I'm not going to interject irrelevant information into a simple encounter.

[Fallguy]

sometimes good judgment has to come into play.

Yes...but on both sides of the coin.

It wasn't Lavergne.

That still isnt a good reason in my book. That kind of behavior is a good reason to lodge a formal complaint and/or sue the bastards.

+1

[Guest Steelharp]

But the coin is always on the badge side first.

[Fallguy]

But the coin is always on the badge side first.

Maybe, but there is still no excuse for what happened to you. The officer should know there are legally armed citizens in the state and they do not have a duty to inform. To me his actions would be the same as running a car off the road or using spike strips to stop a car without even turning on his blue lights first.

I have only been stopped one time since having my HCP and I did inform the officer. But I agree with others that it depends on the situation, no sense in making an issue of something that is a non-issue.

Depending on how long ago this incident happened to you...you should contact the officers supervisor.

[creeky]

I'm confused a little... what harm is it in telling, or showing the

officer that you have a conceal weapons permit?

If (and I have never been a cop, but do have retired relatives and friends that are active duty) pulled someone over and in the course

of it they leaned over to the glovebox to get additional information for me

I saw the butt end of a handgun sticking out of his shirt the first thing I would

think would be "CONCEALED WEAPON!" and would stand to reason I would

be alot more concerned for my saftey. If the guy had a permit, showed it to me,

then I saw it sticking out It would seem that I would not be so alerted.

I don't see how my liberties are been intruded on, because when they run

my DL (which the permits are tied to) it's going to come up. To me it is more

of a common curtisee(sp?).

Am I missing something?

[Mike.357]

Up to the point that a cop is asking for my drivers license I see no need to inform him of anything about me. Once he asks for a drivers license I am going to inform him of my permit and ask him how to proceed.

I really do not trust that all cops have all the training and job skills we hope they have.

[Guest Steelharp]

Creeky, you're not missing anything. It's personal choice, nobody is giving up any right/privilege by informing an officer of a law abiding status and activity. Some people think open carry is smart and a proper choice. If it works for you, do it. I think it wisest to let the officer in on it.

It happened a while ago, the officer realized he was a d**k, he was apologetic; turned out fine.

[creeky]

I really do not trust that all cops have all the training and job skills we hope they have.

The worst traffic stop I ever had ended up with me, and my truck being

searched for a "weapon" because I had about twenty or thirty .223 brass

casing in the bed of my truck. Everytime she asked me for something and

I would slowly go to get it she would order me to stop and ask me if I had a gun in there. A couple of times she actually said "YOU BETTER NOT HAVE A GUN IN THERE!!!" It was 4:OO am, I was 23 (before I had a Permit) and I'll be straight up honest... She scarried the CRAP out me. I thought for sure she was going to shoot me. I was searched with my arms placed through my window. It was then I asked that another officer be present for the remander of the "stop". I was never so glad to see another cop in my life.

We ended up talking about guns the whole time she searched my truck And found nothing but a piece of foam with a "v" cut into it, some targets, and hearing protection under the seat. (He was nice and professional.)

I got a ticket for speeding, and expired tags. On the ticket she got my Age, sex, model of my truck, and year of my truck... WRONG! (Total time: 40 minutes.)Since then I assume all cops are "new hires" and "nervous" until they prove otherwise.

[strickj]

I dont see the big deal about saying you have a hcp up front.if nothing else just to be nice.LEO's deal with drugies,gang bangers...etc...all day long.when they pull you over they dont know you from joe blow with 20 lbs of dope in his car or a dead body in the back seat,and they know a simple taillight ticket could end up being a shoot out that ends there life,so they treat every stop as if it could turn out that way.if they see a gun and you have not said anything about your hcp,he will think you dont have one.and like said above that will include you getting pulled from your car a gun point.it seems like a supoer big hassle to go through just cause of your "rights"

[Fallguy]

I'm confused a little... what harm is it in telling, or showing the

officer that you have a conceal weapons permit?

If (and I have never been a cop, but do have retired relatives and friends that are active duty) pulled someone over and in the course

of it they leaned over to the glovebox to get additional information for me

I saw the butt end of a handgun sticking out of his shirt the first thing I would

think would be "CONCEALED WEAPON!" and would stand to reason I would

be alot more concerned for my saftey. If the guy had a permit, showed it to me,

then I saw it sticking out It would seem that I would not be so alerted.

I don't see how my liberties are been intruded on, because when they run

my DL (which the permits are tied to) it's going to come up. To me it is more

of a common curtisee(sp?).

Am I missing something?

Just to clarify TN does not issue a Concealed Weapons Permit, it is Handgun Carrry Permit, it is only good for Handguns not other weapons (as in some states) and allows you to carry them open or concealed.

If I was going to have to reach anywhere near my pistol I for sure would inform the officer first. I think the reason many people don't always volunteer the info right of the bat is because I have read many stories of what happened to steelharp

Having been hauled out of a car, my gun thrown on the roof, and my chest held against the patrol car during a routine traffic stop

even after or because they told the LEO they had a permit. While if they hadn't said anything the whole encounter may have just passed without incident.

To me there is obvisiouly no blanket rule that can cover everyone in every situation.

[Fallguy]

The worst traffic stop I ever had ended up with me, and my truck being

searched for a "weapon" because I had about twenty or thirty .223 brass

casing in the bed of my truck. Everytime she asked me for something and

I would slowly go to get it she would order me to stop and ask me if I had a gun in there. A couple of times she actually said "YOU BETTER NOT HAVE A GUN IN THERE!!!" It was 4:OO am, I was 23 (before I had a Permit) and I'll be straight up honest... She scarried the CRAP out me. I thought for sure she was going to shoot me. I was searched with my arms placed through my window. It was then I asked that another officer be present for the remander of the "stop". I was never so glad to see another cop in my life.

We ended up talking about guns the whole time she searched my truck And found nothing but a piece of foam with a "v" cut into it, some targets, and hearing protection under the seat. (He was nice and professional.)

I got a ticket for speeding, and expired tags. On the ticket she got my Age, sex, model of my truck, and year of my truck... WRONG! (Total time: 40 minutes.)Since then I assume all cops are "new hires" and "nervous" until they prove otherwise.

Just imagine what might have happened if you would have told her you had a permit and were armed.......

[The Rabbi]

I dont see the big deal about saying you have a hcp up front.if nothing else just to be nice.LEO's deal with drugies,gang bangers...etc...all day long.when they pull you over they dont know you from joe blow with 20 lbs of dope in his car or a dead body in the back seat,and they know a simple taillight ticket could end up being a shoot out that ends there life,so they treat every stop as if it could turn out that way.if they see a gun and you have not said anything about your hcp,he will think you dont have one.and like said above that will include you getting pulled from your car a gun point.it seems like a supoer big hassle to go through just cause of your "rights"

It's just the principle of it. It is nobody's business whether I have a permit or am carrying a weapon. Until it becomes someone's business. If they ask me to step out I will say something but that's it.

It wouldnt be a big deal if they searched my car. Some used tissues, miscellaneous bullets, water stained maps, and half a bottle of motor oil is all they're going to find. But I dont want anyone searching my car either.

Some cops come with the attitude that the only difference between an honest citizen and a criminal is that the honest citizen hasnt been caught yet. I'm not putting up with that. If they go ape**** because I have a gun I will be making complaints and putting letters in personnel files.

[saintsfanbrian]

Let's see, my permit is right beneath my DL. So if the officer is being as observant as he should be, when I get my license out he will see my permit. If he isn't, well, I don't know, it might depend on the situation and whether the officer is being a jerk.

Then again, I have found that most officers will treat you the way you treat them. If you are nice and show the respect that comes with the position (not the person I don't know how many times in the military I saluted the rank and not the person wearing it) they will usually treat you with respect. Honesty goes a long way, though not stating you have a permit is not being dishonest. If you are questioned, answer the questions truthfully.

[Marswolf]

The law is the law. If you have an encounter with an officer in North Carolina, you have to tell him you are packing. If you have an encounter with an officer in Tennessee, you don't have to tell him. That's what the legislature wants and LEOs just need to get with the plan.

Having said that, I also know about LEO training. You see a gun - you find out why it is there. I will give him my HCP and my government ID along with my driver's license. He will know that I have a gun, a permit for it and a good reason to carry it. It's just common sense.

Some stuff in Tennessee law is there to protect the citizens against over-zealous (anti-citizen-carry) LE. That's why we changed from CC only to OC allowed. That's also why we don't HAVE to tell a LEO that we have a gun. The intention is that we don't have confusion over whether you happened to expose a gun (thus making it not concealed), or whether you properly informed the officer that you had a gun.

But common sense says that you CC and tell an officer you are packing. It's stupid to not do so.

Flame away...flame away.....

[Guest 270win]

I have informed a police officer of a handgun ONCE after a minor traffic accident in NW Arkansas. I did not have a concealed handgun license at the time, but was on my way out of town with luggage in my car and handgun in my console. The 'journey' makes it legal to carry openly or concealed w/o a license in Arkansas. I decided to tell the LEO because of concern I may have to retrieve my handgun in the event of a friend picking me up or even a tow truck pulling my car. The police officer had no concern after I told him of my handgun and told me everyone in the area license or no license has a handgun in the car and to just leave it in the console.

[deerslayer]

I really do not trust that all cops have all the training and job skills we hope they have.

+1

This is my main reason for not telling, unless I'm asked or instructed to get out or whatever. The less gunplay the better, in my book. Besides, I carry one of those highly dangerous Glocks--it would probably go off just by handing it to the cop. On the other hand, if some cops really will cut you some slack, like Marswolf suggested, I'd reconsider.

[dariks]

As stated before I always hand the officer my DL and my HCP at the same time so there is NO question.

I look at it like this, they have a job to do and if I make their job any easier by letting them know I am one of the good guys (no I'm not looking for any favors) then maybe they will be a little more at ease when dealing with me.

But no you still can't search my truck, sorry.

Amen.