10/22/2017
Great info from our local Sheriff's Office. Please take a moment to read.
How to Handle a Traffic Stop with a Concealed Carry Gun
A frequent question that I get asked as a Deputy Sheriff is what to do if stopped by an officer while legally carrying a concealed handgun. The answer is contingent on both local and state laws where you live, but I think that most situations simply call for common sense.
You have to appreciate that when a law enforcement officer approaches a vehicle, they generally have no indication with regards to what they may encounter. It may be a teenage driver crying because it is the first time they have been stopped, or it may be someone with 5 felony warrants for their arrest who has made up their mind that tonight he is not going to jail. Every traffic stop has the potential to be deadly, and every officer has been through hours of training reminding them of just how serious a situation this can be due to the unknown.
What should you do if you are pulled over while carrying a concealed weapon? We would suggest that you make the situation both easy and clear for the officer, don’t make them second guess what you are doing once the red and blue lights come on. Pull off to the side of the road far enough, if possible, to give the officer enough room to approach your vehicle without having to worry about traffic. Roll your window down, place both hands on the steering wheel and leave them there until told to do otherwise. When we approach your vehicle, we want to see your hands, because that is where any threat is going to come from. If it is dark outside, take the added step of turning on your vehicle’s interior light; it is just one more thing that shows you’re looking out for our safety. I will tell you from experience that approaching a dark car with blackened windows is not fun. It’s common courtesy as one who possesses a CWP or in Idaho since a CWP is no longer required if you can legally possess the gun to remove as many perceived threats as possible from the situation.
This is not the time to start digging in your glove box or center console for your insurance card or wayward registration. To an approaching officer, that looks surprisingly like someone reaching for a gun. On a side note, this is also not the time to jump out of your vehicle and walk back towards the officer. Although your tag number, vehicle description and location should already have been called in before the emergency lights come on, there may be other radio communications occupying the air time which prevents us from calling out the traffic stop right away. When we see a driver exit their vehicle and start walking back towards our patrol vehicle, it raises all kinds of warning alarms as we think back to our training on how many deadly encounters started that way. One way to put an officer on edge is to get out of the vehicle before we do.
Once the officer approaches and begins speaking with you, make sure that he/she knows what you’re going to do. Tell them where your hands are going and why. The officer should be giving very specific directions to control your actions, so do exactly as told. If there is a reason why you can’t follow instructions, you should calmly explain why. For instance, in Idaho it is perfectly legal to carry a handgun in the glove box whether or not you have a concealed carry permit. If you’re doing that, you don’t want to reach over and open the glove box only to have a gun appear unexpectedly. It is better to say, “Officer, I have a handgun in the glove box; how do you want me to get my registration that is stored there?” This is not the time to say, “I’ve got a gun!” a driver might find out what kind of gun the officer is carrying that day, and nobody will be happy to be shown what the officer’s handgun looks like.
If asked for your identification, let the officer know where it is and what you have to do to retrieve it. This is the perfect time to explain that you’re a CWP holder, that you are armed, and where your handgun currently is. As many people from outside of Idaho read our page, we should note that many states have made it mandatory to provide your CWP permit with your license during a traffic stop. Just make sure that when you mention CWP, fi****ms, or anything else that could be perceived as a threat, that your hands are clearly visible, your voice is calm, and you don’t do anything without letting the officer know beforehand.
Always keep in mind that a diminishing number of police officers are experienced and/or active shooters. They carry a handgun only because it is required for their job. Also, it is sad to say that many officers have no idea what the CWP laws are in their own state. I’ve spent hours reading through our own CWP laws for Idaho and in no way shape or form qualify myself as an expert. I mention this in case things don’t go as you plan. This is not the time to argue. The officer controls the traffic stop from start to finish. Let him/her do that. Any issues that might possibly arise during the stop can be dealt with through a supervisor after the fact.
If you follow the above guidelines, you’ll find that the majority of officers will show appreciation for it. They will recognize the efforts that you took, and it may even influence how they handle the initial reason for the stop. A CWP holder identifying themselves always relieved my apprehensions on a stop, for I knew up front that they had already passed a background check, had been through training, and presented little threat during a stop. Rather than raising tensions, it eased them.
One last word. If you carry, make sure that you know the laws in your jurisdiction, and make sure that, unless directed otherwise, your handgun stays out of view during a traffic stop.
HAPPY FRIDAY, and have a great weekend!
