imported post
This is not OK. The officer was wrong in so many ways and action should be taken. You probably could have prevented his over reaction with advising him up front that you had a sidearm, rather than use the surprise factor. But it doesn't excuse his over reaction.
Honestly, I really think that Bear and others here have really hit the nail on the head. It is not OK for an officer to point a gun at you, pat you down, take you gun or do any of the other trash that was done to you.
Again, as has been said many times in these posts, if the behavior of the Officer "Goes South", simply ask if you are being detained; if not then say nothing besides " I'm leaving and if you wish to speak further, here is the number of my Lawyer". Don't try to argue with him or "win him over". If his weapon is drawn, file complaints with Internal Affairs and sue his ass.
So far we have been lucky, no dead or shot people on our side. But all these "getting the gun pointed at you" events are ASKING for an accident. (We all remember Rule One, right?) Who here wants to lose a limb or part of their body because a nervous officer was a little too heavy on his Glock trigger? And how much do you want to bet that the officer will say "Well I thought he was going for his gun!", or "He was twitching like a heroin addict", or the famous, "He lunged at me!"
Don't believe me? Look at the posts where there has been a gun point arrest that turns into an unarrest or trespass. The filed paperwork in several of these cases contains just such cover phrases. A move to voice recorders has been recommended on this blog for EXACTLY that reason, falsified paperwork.
May I recommend that we develop a simple procedure and hold a teaching class at a future BBQ where we practice dealing with officers, both reasonable and unreasonable, drawn gun and not drawn, to help prevent accidents. Massad Ayoob, developed the famous phrase "Officer, I am licensed to carry a concealed weapon and am doing so at this time, how would you like to handle it?" while gripping "Mr. Friendly" (The steering wheel) for a similar issue (traffic stops).
Pamphlets are not bulletproof.