For the LEO's on board...

[ViperGTS19801]

This is a question for the cops who are on this board, to play off of the other thread relating to this same subject. Some of you who have already posted in the other thread, feel free to copy it here, or just tell us to go look at the other thread.

For you current and former law enforcement officers:

How do you feel about a citizen volunteering their LTCF or other carry permit during a traffic stop? Do you think they should or shouldn't do it, and why? Do you have a personal preference that differs from your professional preference? Did you ever ask for it and get told "no?"

Thanks for your time - I'd love to hear about this from a law enforcement perspective.

[ERMedic]

This is a question for the cops who are on this board, to play off of the other thread relating to this same subject. Some of you who have already posted in the other thread, feel free to copy it here, or just tell us to go look at the other thread.

For you current and former law enforcement officers:

How do you feel about a citizen volunteering their LTCF or other carry permit during a traffic stop? Do you think they should or shouldn't do it, and why? Do you have a personal preference that differs from your professional preference? Did you ever ask for it and get told "no?"

Thanks for your time - I'd love to hear about this from a law enforcement perspective.

I don't have a problem with a citizen volunteering the their LTCF, it's happened to me on several occasions. I never disarm them, just ask them not to reach in the general direction of the firearm. Now if someone tells me as a courtesy that they are armed I take it as they are most likely a legal and responsible firearms carrier/owner.

I figure if someone wants to shoot me on a traffic stop, they'll just do it and I probably won't see it coming. So it could make me uneasy if I discovered it on my own, yet as long as they are legal I wouldn't be offended. I understand and respect why citizens wouldn't want to tell a LEO they are armed. Every department, some more than others, have "that officer" who wants to rip that legal gun owner out of the car, run their LTCF and give the gun owner their opinion by screaming and treating them wrongly. There is no need to every treat someone like that as an LEO. Our job is to try to keep citizens safe and catch the bad guys, not screw with tax payers.

[zackattack784]

I don't have a problem with a citizen volunteering the their LTCF, it's happened to me on several occasions. I never disarm them, just ask them not to reach in the general direction of the firearm. Now if someone tells me as a courtesy that they are armed I take it as they are most likely a legal and responsible firearms carrier/owner.

I figure if someone wants to shoot me on a traffic stop, they'll just do it and I probably won't see it coming. So it could make me uneasy if I discovered it on my own, yet as long as they are legal I wouldn't be offended. I understand and respect why citizens wouldn't want to tell a LEO they are armed. Every department, some more than others, have "that officer" who wants to rip that legal gun owner out of the car, run their LTCF and give the gun owner their opinion by screaming and treating them wrongly. There is no need to every treat someone like that as an LEO. Our job is to try to keep citizens safe and catch the bad guys, not screw with tax payers.

Sadly, there are far too police officers like you.

[Deleted]

It doesn't really matter, nor does it make a difference how we work our stops from a "tactical" perspective. I always thank the LCTF holder for letting me know that they are armed if they choose to inform me....just as a courtesy.

If they hand me a LCTF I will take a look at the expiration date and hand it back....again, it doesn't matter if you are armed or not, it's all treated the same so i don't even bother to ask about the gun.

I hope this makes sense.

[theduke]

It doesn't really matter, nor does it make a difference how we work our stops from a "tactical" perspective. I always thank the LCTF holder for letting me know that they are armed if they choose to inform me....just as a courtesy.

If they hand me a LCTF I will take a look at the expiration date and hand it back....again, it doesn't matter if you are armed or not, it's all treated the same so i don't even bother to ask about the gun.

I hope this makes sense.

I have a question then.

Does it make it easier for you to deal with this because you are a member of this forum and you have some sort of interaction with a lot more responsible gun owners/carriers then you would on the street?

Do you feel that you can get a better mindset of how responsible gun owners act?

[johnnyishootstuff]

This is a question for the cops who are on this board, to play off of the other thread relating to this same subject. Some of you who have already posted in the other thread, feel free to copy it here, or just tell us to go look at the other thread.

For you current and former law enforcement officers:

How do you feel about a citizen volunteering their LTCF or other carry permit during a traffic stop? Do you think they should or shouldn't do it, and why? Do you have a personal preference that differs from your professional preference? Did you ever ask for it and get told "no?"

Thanks for your time - I'd love to hear about this from a law enforcement perspective.

It doesn't much matter to me. If someone is going to shoot at me, they sure as heck don't have a LTCF. If someone does hand over their LTCF, I am not going to walk back to my car. I am going to hang on to the LTCF, if wants and warrants come back clear then I have two choices. First, do nothing and tell them why I stopped them and that I'm not writing a ticket today and kick them free. Or, I can get all the information I need and mail them a citation if I need to. The ones that scare me the most are the ones who keep digging around the car and giving vague answers or lies.

[ThatCrazyMtnGuy]

As a FORMER LEO...

I worked in a jurisdiction that did not allow firearms period (federal installation). Since it was in PA, we occasionally encountered people who forgot they left their firearm in their glove box/trunk/etc. Technically, this is a violation of federal code, but we could tell the ones who were legitimate, law-abiding citizens with a brain fart and those who were legitimate, no-good gang-bangers (we were near Harrisburg. I know, not exactly crime capital, but getting closer).

We tried to go easy on the guys with a scoped 30-06 in the back of the Browning-Deer-stickered truck, and tended to go harder on the guys with a 9mm stuffed behind a newspaper under the seat. It's not profiling... it's "based on my training and experience".

No one ever volunteered their LTCF or the fact that they were carrying a firearm, for obvious reasons.

[ThatCrazyMtnGuy]

As a FORMER LEO...

I worked in a jurisdiction that did not allow firearms period (federal installation). Since it was in PA, we occasionally encountered people who forgot they left their firearm in their glove box/trunk/etc. Technically, this is a violation of federal code, but we could tell the ones who were legitimate, law-abiding citizens with a brain fart and those who were legitimate, no-good gang-bangers (we were near Harrisburg. I know, not exactly crime capital, but getting closer).

We tried to go easy on the guys with a scoped 30-06 in the back of the Browning-Deer-stickered truck, and tended to go harder on the guys with a 9mm stuffed behind a newspaper under the seat. It's not profiling... it's "based on my training and experience".

No one ever volunteered their LTCF or the fact that they were carrying a firearm, for obvious reasons.

[Anthony1911]

I'm in the same boat as ThatCrazyMtnGuy, as I am AF Security Forces and my jurisdiction is on a military installation where firearms are prohibited. We do random vehicle inspections most of the time (i.e. check every 5th vehicle entering or exiting or something like that), and a few times we have found guns in the car, such as a Glock in the console. Most of the people just forgot it was in there, or so they say. We had one where a PA Constable was arguing that he could bring his firearm on the base, but we argued back that he did not have the authority to do so. And another with a guy who had magazines and spare rounds, as well as knives all over his car, that he claimed to not know about. That one was a little more interesting.

Alright I'm going off on a tangent here. From the perspective of being the one making the stop, I suggest you tell the officer you are carrying if:

1. Your firearm is visible from the officer's PoV
2. You are asked to step out of the car
3. Your car is being searched (with probable cause of course)

These are all situations in which the officer will notice. If I walk up to your window and see a Glock on the seat, the situation will escalate a bit, as it is surprising, and I have no idea who this person might be or what their intentions are. Same if the person steps out and is carrying.

If you don't meet the criteria above and the LEO more than likely won't see your firearm, don't say anything. The stop will go much smoother. It will just complicate things even further if you say "Officer, I have a gun." Some officers will disarm you when you let them know, because they don't know who you are, and it's possible that when they go back to their car to run your info and do a wants a warrants check, you could come up with some criminal records or have a warrant out for your arrest. If that's the case, it'll be a long walk back to your car if the LEO didn't disarm you. Of course that isn't the case with (hopefully) all of us, but the LEO doesn't know that you are clean, and it's possible you could have been convicted of something after you received your LTCF, in the argument of "Well he wouldn't be a felon if he has a LTCF since you can't get one if you are a felon."

/Okay end rant

[Deleted]

I have a question then.

Does it make it easier for you to deal with this because you are a member of this forum and you have some sort of interaction with a lot more responsible gun owners/carriers then you would on the street?

Do you feel that you can get a better mindset of how responsible gun owners act?

No... I work steady midnight shift so I don't deal with anyone who's responsible lol. Everyone I deal with is drunk, crazy, or evil. So when someone hands me their LCTF and isnt drunk, crazy, or evil, I want to kiss them on the forehead.