Pulled over while carrying...

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Crestliner

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When pulled over...

...for whatever reason, is it required that you notify the LEO that you have a LTC and are carrying? I know some states require you to give them your license and LTC together. Or is this state a "don't ask, don't tell" kind of thing?
 
MA does not require you to inform the officer. Some folks suggest that you should anyways. Others (like me) believe otherwise. When I took LFI-1, Ayoob suggested that you not inform if you are not legally required to do so. However, he also suggest that if you are told to exit the vehicle, that you tell the officer "Certainly, officer. However, I have a license to carry and I am carrying now. How would you like to proceed?" Then follow the officer's instructions.

I have been stopped while carrying. I did not inform the officer. He did not ask.
 
M1911 said:
MA does not require you to inform the officer. Some folks suggest that you should anyways. Others (like me) believe otherwise. When I took LFI-1, Ayoob suggested that you not inform if you are not legally required to do so. However, he also suggest that if you are told to exit the vehicle, that you tell the officer "Certainly, officer. However, I have a license to carry and I am carrying now. How would you like to proceed?" Then follow the officer's instructions.

.
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+1
 
What M1911 said.

When I was pulled over last I wasn't carrying. If I was I wouldn't have said anything until he asked me to step out of the car. He actually asked me AFTER I was out of the car, "Do you have any weapons, I noticed an NRA sticker on your car." I told him no, and if I did I would have hold him at the point he asked me to step out of the car. [Oh of course it was in NH, not MA)
 
M1911 said:
MA does not require you to inform the officer. Some folks suggest that you should anyways. Others (like me) believe otherwise. When I took LFI-1, Ayoob suggested that you not inform if you are not legally required to do so. However, he also suggest that if you are told to exit the vehicle, that you tell the officer "Certainly, officer. However, I have a license to carry and I am carrying now. How would you like to proceed?" Then follow the officer's instructions.

I have been stopped while carrying. I did not inform the officer. He did not ask.
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+Me.

This subject has been discussed on several firearms boards which I frequent and M1911s post summarizes the most-oft repeated advice.

But to take it one step further, if an LEO asks you if you have any weapons in the vehicle. always reply truthfully. If you lie and they find out (even if you are properly licensed) such a lie will almost always cause the LEO to wonder if you are lying about anything else.
 
In my opinion 1911 nails it 100%. I was stopped this past fall on in a New England state which I'll leave unanamed to protect the innocent. Dark, lonely long stretch of highway at night. No streetlight lights or anything at all on the stretch where I was stopped. I was carrying and am a Mass resident with a valid non-resident LTC for the state I was travelling in. I could not for the life of me find the car's registration and was going to have to look in the trunk (The car had recently had work done which required the dash be partially disassembled.) The local officer told me he was stopping me based on a call from three towns back as they could "not catch up to me". Admitedly I was driving inappropiately fast in a high profile sports car but I had just got the car back after not driving it for a long time and was being stupid.

A few minutes into the stop I told the officer the likely need for me to exit the vehicle. He told me that was fine, but before I got out I told him I was lawfully carrying a conceaaled firearm. The whole time I had kept my hands in plain view and when I told him this I made a point of having my hands on top of the steering wheel. He was very gracious and thankful and asked me, without touching it, to tell him where on my person the handgun was. (Right hip in concealment holster I told him, under my shirt) He asked what type of gun and if it was loaded. (Glock 27 with full magazine and one round in chamber).

He told me it was ok to get out and look in the trunk but to try and keep my hand away from the area of the gun, which I did while his backup watched. Officer No. 1 went back to the cruiser to check on my license (both licenses I'm sure) status.

He was cool about everything, thanked me for telling him about the gun even though I didn't have to, and let me off with not so much as warning. I believe me telling him about the gn contributed to avoiding a ticket based on how fast I had been going through the town several back.

Anyway, like I said, on the topic in general i am with 1911.
 
Now from a LEO point of view by telling them up front there are no surprises for them. Dark road, traffic stop, you reach for something and they see a gun something might happen. If you are up front then everyone can relax a little a continue in a safe manor. IMHO
 
bmach said:
Now from a LEO point of view by telling them up front there are no surprises for them. Dark road, traffic stop, you reach for something and they see a gun something might happen. If you are up front then everyone can relax a little a continue in a safe manor. IMHO
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I certainly understand that point of view. My response suggesting that you do not notify the officer if you are not required to by law assumes that you are able to retrieve your license and registration without exposing your gun. Clearly, if you are carrying in a right side hip holster and have your wallet in your right hip pocket, that is a non-starter.

Personally, I'm usually carrying on my right hip, with my wallet in the chest pocket of my coat or in the right front cargo pocket of my pants. My registration is in my truck console. I can easily get both without printing.

While most LEOs don't have a problem with properly licensed people who are carrying, that is not true of all officers. I do know a fellow with an LTC who was carrying when he was stopped for a very minor traffic infraction. He politely notified the officer that he was carrying, and ended up proned out, cuffed, and stuffed. It was a very unpleasant (and completely pointless) experience that would have been avoided if he had simply not said anything. YMMV.
 
Thanks all! Great responses. Muchly appreciated. I usually carry deep concealed in a Thunderwear holster. No LEO will be able to see it. Consequently, I don't think I will volunteer the information unless asked to exit the vehicle.
 
Make SURE you understand the laws regarding this if you travel to other states. Some of them are VERY specific about what you must do and when.

Here in the Buckeye state you must inform that you are armed and have a LTC as soon as practical during an official encounter with an LEO. That includes contacts of a law enforcement nature even if you are not in your car. You are not, however, required to automatically produce your license. Just whip it out if asked.

If you are not armed, you don't have to say anything or show anything. If pulled over, the cop will know you have a LTC if the car you are driving is registered to you. If they ask why you did not inform (some still think you must even if unarmed) just politely say that you are not armed and therefore not required to do so by law. Then shut up and do not argue.

I've had contacts with police three times since I started carrying. Twice by local police for traffic infractions and once by the highway patrol for a roadside assistance stop. Only once (town cop) was I asked to show my license, and never did the gun become an issue after notifying.
 
I asked a local cop in MA this very question and he had no answer as he hadn't thought about it. He did say he'd appreciate it if the person being pulled over turned his or her interior light on if the stop is at night.
 
PaulD said:
I asked a local cop in MA this very question and he had no answer as he hadn't thought about it. He did say he'd appreciate it if the person being pulled over turned his or her interior light on if the stop is at night.
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I would also like it if the person being pulled over handed me their illegal drugs at the outset so as not to have to take the time to look for them.[smile]
 
Jose said:
If you are not armed, you don't have to say anything or show anything. If pulled over, the cop will know you have a LTC if the car you are driving is registered to you.
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Not in MA and NH they have to do a special lookup..they don't get it in a normal run of the registration/license.... and VT which is next door, there are no permits to carry so anyone 21+(or is it 18+?) could be carrying.
 
doobie said:
Not in MA and NH they have to do a special lookup..they don't get it in a normal run of the registration/license....
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One of the MA officers on this bboard said that he sees it on his first screen. Perhaps there are different systems in use in different MA jurisdictions.
 
M1911 said:
One of the MA officers on this bboard said that he sees it on his first screen. Perhaps there are different systems in use in different MA jurisdictions.
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There are....there are towns that don't have screens, so it's all radio to/from dispatch.
 
As a current police officer I have had only a few people tell me right from the moment I walked up to their window that they were armed and carrying w/license creditials. I too thanked them for the info which is very important for me because you really never know who your dealing with at 3:00am. With that said, I have also had about 50 people over the years "NOT" volunteer that info that they were carrying until I asked them "do you have any drugs, alcohol or weapons in the vehicle or on your person"?
I would say about 95% of the people did in fact have a valid license to carry but I have come across a few that did not and were carrying illegally....and you know what that means.....[crying][crying][crying] for them and [rofl][rofl][rofl] for me.
Best of luck all and keep fighting for your rights.
 
Right, I've been pulled over before while carrying. Luckily I didn't get a ticket and I figured if I don't tell him I'm carrying and he doesn't ask no harm no foul.

I figured if he asked me to exit the vehicle I would tell him thinking if he saw a budge and had to ask he might be offended. Looking at it from their point of view I would take offense considering they never know what to expect when pulling someone over and discovering a person is armed prior to knowing they are so lawfully could be a little concerning. Nothing wrong with a "heads up", and when I'm in the vehicle I always (not that I get pulled over often) keep my hands in plain sight just to make things easier for them.
 
Asking and telling all assumes someone is telling the truth. So if you are asked do you have any weapons and you reply no, does the police officer drop his guard. Of course not. Any police officer worth his "civil service" score already assumes you are armed. No need to tell him you are without being asked.
 
joehaus said:
Asking and telling all assumes someone is telling the truth. So if you are asked do you have any weapons and you reply no, does the police officer drop his guard. Of course not. Any police officer worth his "civil service" score already assumes you are armed. No need to tell him you are without being asked.
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I would think they have you in there system anyway, right? Wouldn't it be as easy as them running your plate before they approached your car, wouldn't they see that on the PC they carry in the cruiser?[popcorn]
 
PEMS2324 said:
I would think they have you in there system anyway, right? Wouldn't it be as easy as them running your plate before they approached your car, wouldn't they see that on the PC they carry in the cruiser?[popcorn]
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Depends upon the system they are using. Apparently in some of the systems in use in MA, if you have an LTC/FID it shows up on the first screen. On other systems it does not.
 
PEMS2324 said:
I would think they have you in there system anyway, right? Wouldn't it be as easy as them running your plate before they approached your car, wouldn't they see that on the PC they carry in the cruiser?
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Not to pull a Scrivener, but... this question was answered not even four posts back on this very thread [rolleyes].
 
Years ago I was pulled over and didn't have my drivers license. But I did offer up my LTC as ID. The trooper asked me if I was carrying, I said no (the truth) and that was the end of it. .......except for the ticket.
 
Yeah, I had to use my LTC as a driver's license. Friends took me out for my really belated birthday, forgot my license though. Went to a bar w/ a cop on detail and the bartender wouldn't serve me, I asked him if this ID would work, he brought it to the cop and the COP OK'd it! Couldn't remember the rest of the night though.
 
Fsorrent said:
Yeah, I had to use my LTC as a driver's license. Friends took me out for my really belated birthday, forgot my license though. Went to a bar w/ a cop on detail and the bartender wouldn't serve me, I asked him if this ID would work, he brought it to the cop and the COP OK'd it! Couldn't remember the rest of the night though.
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Awesome story...
 
bmach said:
Now from a LEO point of view by telling them up front there are no surprises for them. Dark road, traffic stop, you reach for something and they see a gun something might happen. If you are up front then everyone can relax a little a continue in a safe manor. IMHO
Click to expand...

I have been on both sides of this question. As former LEO I still say don't ask, don't tell until you are asked to exit the vehicle.

As a victim of a traffic accident, after the fire was put out on me I asked the paramedic to get me a Police Officer and asked him, to take custody of the snubby I had IWB on right hip. (along with my ID from my pocket) Both were secured until my representative could pick them up while I did my hospital stay.
 

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