pulled over armed

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Just hand your permit to the leo w/license if it looks like you'll be getting out of the car or if it's in the glove box. Most could care less on a stop for a minor MV violation.

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As others have said, there's not legal obligation to tell him.

I've had a few circumstances where I was stopped while carrying. In all but 2 cases I didnt tell him and the interaction went on as if I wasnt carrying.

In 1 case there was a shotgun case across my back seat. He asked if there were any other weapons in the car. I told him yes, there was a revolver in my pocket for which I was licensed to carry. He reminded me to stay in the car and went back to his car. Nothing was said of it again.

The troopers in CT can pull up your pistol permit info and pic from their mobile data terminal so there was really no need for him to ask me to produce a pistol permit.

The second time was bad bad bad from the officers perspective. My wallet / license had been stolen from me while on a trip to Russia shortly before I was stopped for not having a current registration sticker on my license plate.

The cop pulled me over, he had not yet run my plate through his computer. I told him that my license had been stolen, but offered to give him my pistol permit as a form of CT identification.

He asked if I had a weapon in the car. I told him I had a Kahr in my pocket. He very politely asked me to exit the car and put my hands on the trunk.

So now there were 2 of us standing on the side of I95 as traffic went by us. He told me he was going to reach into my pocket and retrieve the pistol.

This was VERY VERY stupid. It became clear to me he was unfamiliar with the Kahr. A great time for a negligent discharge. He also had to get way too close to me to remove the pistol. Keep in mind, at this point all he knows it that my registration is expired and my license is missing. I could have been a bad dude. At that point it would have been very easy for me to take him out with an elbow to the face or kneck.

Once he had the gun, he was not sure how to clear it. I instucted him to drop the mag and cycle the slide. He did that and the chambered round fell to the ground about 2 feet from my feet. He then bent over and picked it up, putting himself at great risk again.

He asked me to get back in the car and went to his car with my gun. He ran my registration (which was current, I had forgotten to put my new windshield sticker on the car) and license. All was as it should be.

He returned to the car and handed the Kahr to me properly (grip first, with the slide locked back) and then gave me the mag and extra round. We joked that if he wanted to be a stickler he could tow my car, but he had to give me my gun back. I was licensed to carry, but not license to drive. He didnt give me any tickets or warnings, but reminded me to replace the license as soon as possible.

The entire time he was polite, respectful and professional. I responded in kind. Unfortunately it was also obvious that he was completely winging it when it came to dealing with a lawfully armed citizen. He put me at some risk by making me stand in the shoulder. He put himself at great risk by 1) getting me out of the car 2) retrieving my gun from my pocket 3) bending over to pick up the live round.

I ended up sending a letter to some official in the DPS telling them of this training gap. I never heard back from anyone.

Don

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Interesting thread. I'll add my thoughts, which aren't even worth $0.02.

My ex brother in law is a former NC State Trooper. My current brother in law is a CT state trooper.

Both have said that one of the most dangerous situations they face is a "routine traffic stop" at night.

Personally, I don't want some guy who is armed, a little scared and probably not especially well trained getting surprised by anything I do.

If I get pulled over at night, before he gets to my window my dome light is on, my wallet on the dash and my hands (both) on the wheel.

When he/she asks for my license, reg and insurance info, I'll take my license out of my wallet along with my insureance card. I'll also give him/her my permit. If my handgun is in the glove box and I need to go there to get my reg, I'll advise him/her in advance that there is a handgun in the glove box and refer them to my permit.

This situation is not about laws or rights. Its about safety.

The LE you are dealing with is probably young, probably nervous. And most certainly armed.

As always when dealing with LE, be respectful, be calm and don't surprise them.

These thoughts have nothing to do with laws and have everything to do with dealing with an armed individual who doesn't know if you are Mother Theresa , Jack the Ripper or somewhere in between.

In the situation the OP asked about I would rather err on the side of caution, because I sure don't want to surprise some young, dumb, scared, armed kid.

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You just described a great way to get shot. . . justifiably.
______

If my handgun is in the glove box and I need to go there to get my reg, I'll advise him/her in advance that there is a handgun in the glove box and refer them to my permit.

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________

You won't be advising him of anything. If your gun is in the glovebox, there is no way a LEO is going to let you go in there.

If you reach too fast, he has no way of knowing that you are not reaching for the gun.

Most likely what will happen after you "advise" the officer that your gun and your paperwork are in the glovebox, is the officer will ask you to exit the car. he will then cuff you and ask your permission to go in the glovebox.

Again, he doesn't really need to. Its all on the computer. He'll probably call for backup and put you in the second car while he runs everything.

I have a big ethical problem with people who store firearms in their gloveboxes. With the right to carry comes the responsibility to make safeguard that weapon; to make sure it stays out of the hands of criminals and children.

If you remove the gun from the glovebox every time you exit the vehicle, thats different. But if you leave a gun in the glovebox, you are just asking for trouble. It doesn't matter if you lock it.

Don

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Well said.

I don't store in the glove box. My post was mostly a hypothetical response to the OP who asked about what to do if stopped. I don't store in the glove box. But many do. And yes, if you are storing in the glove box, advise the LE BEFORE you open the glove box. Give him/her PLENTY of time to ask you to step out of the car BEFORE you reach for the glove box. As an example...."Trooper, you have my pistol permit. You've asked for my reg. My reg is in the glove box. I also have a pistol in the glove box. How would you like me to proceed.?"

My hypothetical response was based purely on things that 2 brother in laws who were also state cops have told me.

When dealing with LE (whose mental capabilities I hold in low regard from personal experience) I always advise assuming you are dealing with an armed person who is not too bright.

Treat them with caution. Your permit won't do you one bit of good if some poorly trained, scared, kid-cop panics and shoots you.

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One day I was a passenger in a car that was speeding about 12MPH over the speed limit.

We pulled of the road (oddly it was a Dunking donuts ).

He walked up and asked if there is anything illegal in the car any weapons drugs?
This question irritated me because there was nothing illegal in the car , but legal handguns.

Anyway making this short . We told him that we have A Glock and Kahr on our hips . He asked to see permits and Drivers License. He did not ask to see the Handguns just told us to leave them there .


Once he was done issuing a speeding ticket he thanked us for being upfront and making his job easy. Witch that confused me again as how is it making it easy .

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While I hold most troopers in low regard, as a "class" they are like any other bunch of human beings. Some are intelligent and take the responsibilities of their job seriously. Some are dumb as rocks and very impressed with their badge. Most are probably "in between".

I believe the reason the LE thanked you for making his job easy was that by being up front with him, you lowered the tension level...at least in his mind. From my experience with my Brother-in-laws that cops view "routine traffic stops" as dangerous situations, so by being up front with him you made him more confident that you weren't a "bad guy", thus lowering his tension level.

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I was only pulled once while carrying, but here's how it went down.

I was flying up the express lane (that's the third lane on the right on uphill stretches of the interstate) while traffic was moving 30-40 mph in the travel lanes.

I glance in my RVM and see an unmarked Charger behind me with all his lights on. My initial thought was, "see, he uses the express lane too." That thought only lasted a few seconds.

I got to a safe spot to pull over, and parked the car. I got my wallet out, and pulled out both IDs. Also got the registration out of the glove box. I was carrying under the arm under a dress shirt.

The officer walks to the passenger side window. His first comment to me was, "What the f___ was that?" He's royally pissed. I begin to apologize, and he says, "Don't apologize, you want to drive like an idiot, you can, but I have a job to do." I am dragging this out so you understand this guy is pretty livid, and I am SURE I am getting a ticket.

I hand him my two IDs. He sees it and says, "I don't need to see your Carry permit. You have a God given right to carry if you want to."

I reply, " Thank you, not everyone thinks that way, and I wanted to give you a heads up."

He, staring at my license says, "I appreciate the heads up, besides you live in Waterbury. You need to be carrying." I don't know what to do. I laugh and agree with him. All of a sudden it was like we were drinking beers together. He asks me what I have, we talk about the best calibers, etc. He looks at me and says, "Spend what would have been a ticket on whoever sits in that car seat, and slow the f___ down."

"Yes sir"

"Have a nice day."

Needless to say it worked out perfectly for me in this case. I expect to use the same approach the next time.

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While the following "infringes" our right to keep and bear arms (what's new!) it's in the Ct General Statutes:
Motor Vehicles
By law, when handguns are being transported in a motor vehicle, they must be unloaded and kept (1) in a place not readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment or (2) in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console (CGS § 29-35). A violation carries a penalty of one to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $ 1,000, or both, with a mandatory minimum one-year sentence in the absence of mitigating circumstances (CGS § 29-37).
Enjoy your freedom to accept the consequences of exercising your constitutional rights.

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Gotta go home to Virginia. Why did I ever come back to this state?

Nixon said it well..."Cut it off. Float it out to sea. Use it for Naval gunnery practice".

America would do well without New England.

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While the following "infringes" our right to keep and bear arms (what's new!) it's in the Ct General Statutes:
Motor Vehicles
By law, when handguns are being transported in a motor vehicle, they must be unloaded and kept (1) in a place not readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment or (2) in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console (CGS § 29-35). A violation carries a penalty of one to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $ 1,000, or both, with a mandatory minimum one-year sentence in the absence of mitigating circumstances (CGS § 29-37).
Enjoy your freedom to accept the consequences of exercising your constitutional rights.

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ArmedLiberal wrote:

While the following "infringes" our right to keep and bear arms (what's new!) it's in the Ct General Statutes:
Motor Vehicles
By law, when handguns are being transported in a motor vehicle, they must be unloaded and kept (1) in a place not readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment or (2) in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console (CGS § 29-35). A violation carries a penalty of one to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $ 1,000, or both, with a mandatory minimum one-year sentence in the absence of mitigating circumstances (CGS § 29-37).
Enjoy your freedom to accept the consequences of exercising your constitutional rights.

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Both sections 29-35 and 29-38 (which addresses weapons in vehicles directly) specifically exclude weapons carried with a proper permit:

Sec. 29-35. Carrying of pistol or revolver without permit prohibited. Exceptions. (a) No person shall carry any pistol or revolver upon his or her person, except when such person is within the dwelling house or place of business of such person, without a permit to carry the same issued as provided in section 29-28.

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Sec. 29-38. Weapons in vehicles. (a) Any person who knowingly has, in any vehicle owned, operated or occupied by such person, any weapon, any pistol or revolver for which a proper permit has not been issued as provided in section 29-28 or any machine gun which has not been registered as required by section 53-202, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or ...

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Read them in their entirety here: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/pub/Chap529.htm#Sec29-35.htm

With a permit, carrying a loaded weapon in a vehicle is permitted. Most here would almost certainly agree that fewer restrictions would be better, but this tends to paint a picture of CT that is worse than it really is.

Nothing here is legal advice.

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I don't have a permit for my rifle or for my shotgun. Can I carry them, loaded, in a vehicle?

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lcatct,
Thank you. My head was on backwards. It's easy to forget (after too many years abroad) that if an activity isn't illegal, it's legal.