imported post
It's up to people what they want to do and how they want to handle this but a general piece of advice I have for people is to deal with issues of the law via the legislative process, and not during a traffic stop or checkpoint.
And I say this not because I believe people ought to just submit to the State, but because challenging individuals on the job has no long-term effect. It's going to cause problems, waste your time, and irritate the LEO(s) in question.
Accordingly, as per the question of whether or not to pass through BP checkpoints without making a big deal about it, or informing an officer you have a gun during a traffic stop, or having your gun's SN# called in, or anything along these lines, my advice is it is best to comply, and then, if you're really angry, find a way to make it a political issue. Contact your legislators, or contact a lobbying group who might take up your cause.
I have screwed up my checkbook a few times in the past few years by donating money to the NRA-ILA every time a specific kind of anti-gun individual shoots his mouth off in a particularly ignorant way. I'd do the same if law enforcement ever violated my rights.
From my own perspective, I also try to take an expansive view of the unique challenges faced by law enforcement, especially along the border. I don't generally get the sense that LEOs (here in Arizona, anyway) have any interest in being "jackbooted government thugs," to borrow a phrase. More likely, they're dealing with illegal cross-border traffic, smugglers, vehicle thefts, and so on - all of which are, in most circumstances, in my interest.
And this is coming from some who has, as I have mentioned in other threads, not always been enthusiastic about the attitude and behavior of law enforcement.
It is highly unlikely, as Sonora Rebel pointed out some weeks ago, that anyone would ever call in the SN# on your gun (As an ex-New Jerseyan, it took me some time to get over the pleasant shock of how law enforcement deals with peaceable carry here in Arizona - which is to say, they're used to it, at least in my experience), but I think covering the SN# with tape is just asking for trouble.
Again, in my opinion -- if your weapon is legal and you know it, make a case out of it in a more productive legislative/judicial context, not at the time of the stop itself. There are an array of options open to you in this regard - all of which are likely to have more of a significant impact than showing resistance during a stop.
That's just my suggestion and my opinion and I'm not telling anyone what to do as regards exercising their rights. From my own experience, picking one's battles, and fighting them in a way which is maximally constructive, is a far better way of dealing with things than making it personal.
