A friend of mine is a PA trooper. His advice is to make the officer aware of any guns, if you have a permit it should be handed to the trooper when asked for your ID. This will alert him that a gun is in the car/truck. Keep in mind of reciprocity in other states.
That’s what I would expect a trooper to say. However, in my opinion, it is none of their business. If I am being stopped for a simple traffic stop, i.e speeding ticket, there is no reason to bring the fact that I have a legally owned and licensed gun into the conversation. I keep my car information separate from where I store my gun, so there is no chance of it tumbling into view as I reach for my insurance and registration. Everything else is handled courteously and professionally, and if for some reason they end up wanting to search the car-then- I will tell them.
In reply to Tim…
I am a police officer and am very likely one of the biggest supporters of the 2nd amendment that I know. The reason for alerting a police officer that you have a legally owned firearm in your possession (if you are pulled over or stopped by the police), is just in case you lean a certain direction or your shirt/jacket rides up just a little bit, and your weapon is seen by the officer, you will then be held at gunpoint and ordered out of the car. The police are not psychic and do not know that you are legally allowed to have a gun or that you mean no wrongdoing by being in possession of one. Therefore, USE COMMON SENSE and let the officer know that you have a legally owned gun, a carry permit, and obey all orders from the officer. We all want to go home at night to our families safely, the same as anyone else. You want the police to be honest and upfront with you correct? Well it is only right for you to do the same. And yes, it IS our business when we made the traffic stop. It IS our business when we deal with armed criminals all the time and can only tell the difference when you alert us that your weapon is legal. Yes it IS my business when I could be looking at an armed felon OR at a lawfully armed citizen. Use common sense and don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions. Nobody is going to secretly register your gun… if that’s what you’re afraid of. You must look much higher (to the Obama Administration) if that’s what your concerned with, not the officer on the street.
I provide my permit. I abide by the law and have nothing to hide. I don’t want to have to rely on an officer getting it right 100% of the time. As most officers are excellent at what they do I would not want to take the off chance and make them pull their weapon, accidents do happen. Just my thoughts. I have a few local officers as friends and they offered the same advice.
I’ve been stopped while carrying by a PA Trooper and rather than be reaching for something the officer didn’t know what it could be, I kept my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel and first informed him I was armed legally and where my gun was on my body. Everything went well after that; he backed up while I retrieved my information since it was close to where the gun was and everything was very courteous. I didn’t even get a ticket. LOL
If you want the respect of the Police, respect them and the danger they are ALWAYS in; if you’re on their side, be in their side.
I also had a T shirt on that said “ATF, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; who’s bringing the chips”, a dead giveaway you might be carrying.
Lol….I love the shirt!!! Too funny!! All joking aside, they have a hard job and if you treat them with respect you most likely will be treated with respect back. The more courteous people he runs into carrying a firearm will keep him a supporter of our carry rights.
Thanks for your input,
Ace Sporting Goods
462 Washington Road
Washington PA 15301
1-800-660-5470
Pa is not a need to know state so there for u a police officer does not have the right to know when pulled over because its none of your business if I have one or not if it has no reason to why u r pulling me over
I agree witht the officer. I have no problem letting them know I have a legal firearm with me. I agree they have a right to know if someone is legally armed when they are stopped. He made a good point that if the gun is not declared but is seen somehow that he has to act as if he is in danger and take precautions. I think this attitude has roots in some who have told officers they are legally armed and they end up spread eagle and searched along the highway.
You are not required to inform in Pa. Pa has no such ” duty to inform”. I would say it would be personal preference if you would like to share that info with a LEO.
No way I am informing that I’m carrying if I am ever pulled over. Too many instances of the police taking the firearm and running it through their database then confiscating it if it doesn’t come back in your name. In many of those cases they require a court order to return your property which costs you money.
There are many ways to legally own a firearm in PA. without it being in their database, gifted from a parent, grandparent, child or grandchild, brought the guns with you from another state, had them willed to you, etc. There is no reason to confiscate the firearm if it doesn’t come up on the stolen database but it happens all the time.
I realize that it is probably a small percentage of leo’s that do this but I’m not taking any chances of losing one of my firearms and then fighting in court to get it back. If this was not an issue and I did not fear being treated like a felon then I would be glad to inform.
I have a friend that was completely disrespected by an officer and put into a dangerous situation simply because he announced he was legally possessing a firearm.
The officer had him get out of the car for a traffic violation, disarmed him, removed the magazine (but not the round in the chamber), and in the process unintentionally had the weapon pointed at my friend with his finger in the trigger guard!!!!
The officer then got irritated when my friend told him to be careful because there was a round in the chamber. After receiving his ticket my friend was given his firearm back and was told he was not allowed to load the magazine until he got home (completely B.S.).
Granted this might be a rare case, and I mean no disrespect to other law enforcement officers, but his story and the advice of his lawyer has convinced me that I will never supply this information unless I am asked to be removed from the vehicle.
In many states, Ohio being one, it is required by law anytime you are interacting in any way at all that you inform them you are carrying a concealed weapon and have a permit to carry. That said PA permit is NOT accepted in Ohio, which is why I secured a Utah Non-Resident Concealed Carry permit, I carry in so many states and fullly understand the concern many officiers have with a gun in view if I am stopped I so inform them with hands visable and I tell them where the weapon is, before he has an opportunity to say anything, which again is required by law in many states. I do so in PA, even though it’s not required.
Hey folks let’s be reasonable here. I have been to too many officer’s funerals to worry about what they MIGHT do. I am a civilian but worked with law enforcement officers for quite a number of years and have learned to appreciate their job risks. Yeah I hate it when they give me a parking ticket, but other than that remember that after domestic disputes, traffic violations are the other most dangerous calls an officer has. By being open with them you are basically saying “I have respect for the law and you” I don’t think you’re going to have a problem with anyone after that.
In the interest of personal safety, and the attempt to keep things as sociable as possible. I live in PA. Every time I’ve been stopped for anything, DUI check points included, I freely announce and hand my permit and driver’s license to the LEO.
Every time I’ve done this I’ve been greeted with courtesy and respect.
Petey,please allow me to correct you on sarevel things-GUN REGULATION IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND IT’S AFFECT ON CRIME:Many of the countries with the strictest gun control have the highest rates of violent crime.Australia and England, which have virtually banned gun ownership, have the highest rates of robbery, sexual assault, and assault with force of the top 17 industrialized countries. Source-Dutch Ministry of Justice, Criminal Victimization in Seventeen Industrialized Countries, 2001.Countries with the strictest gun-control laws also tended to have the highesthomicide rates. Source:“Violence, Guns and Drugs: A Cross-Country Analysis”, Jeffery A. Miron, Department of Economics, Boston University.Ironically,firearm use in crimes has doubled in the decade since handguns werebanned in the UK. Source: “Weapons sell for just a350 as suspects and victims grow ever younger”, The Times, August 24, 2007.SECOND AMENDMENT, MILITIAS, AND THE NATIONAL GUARD ARGUMENT:The Dick Act of 1903 designated the National Guard as the organized militia and thatall other citizens were the unorganized militia – thus the National Guard is only part of the militia, and the whole militia is composed of the population at large. Before 1903, the National Guard had no federal definition as part of the militia at all.From U.S. v. Emerson, 5th court of Appeals decision, November 2, 2001, No. 99-10331:“We have found no historical evidence that the Second Amendment was intended toconvey militia power to the states, limit the federal government’s power to maintain a standing army, or applies only to members of a select militia while on active duty. All of the evidence indicates that the Second Amendment, like other parts of the Bill of Rights, applies to and protects individual Americans. “The plain meaning of the right of the people to keep arms is that it is an individual, rather than a collective, right and is not limited to keeping arms while engaged in active military service or as a member of a select militia such as the National Guard ” ASSAULT WEAPONS AND MISCONCEPTIONS (FUELED BY OUTRIGHT LIES FROM THE MEDIA):Petey, please tell us what the difference is between your rifle and an assault rifle “Assault weapon” is an invented term. In the firearm lexicon, there is no such thing as an“assault weapon”. The closest relative is the “assault rifle”, which is a machine gun or“select fire” rifle that fires rifle cartridges. In most cases, “assault weapons” arefunctionally identical to hunting rifles, though cosmetically similar to military guns. assault rifles capable of select fire (full auto) are legal to own but highly regulated and very expensive.Even weapons misclassified as “assault weapons” (common in the former Federal andCalifornia assault weapons confiscations) are used in less than 1% of all homicides. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, 1993In 1994, before the Federal assault weapons ban , you were eleven (11) times morelikely to be beaten to death than to be killed by an “assault weapon”. In the first year since the ban was lifted, murders declined 3.6%, and violent crime 1.7%. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, Preliminary Summary, 2004Petey, I can go on and on presenting fact after fact on why gun control and regulation of assault weapons is a failed concept. Petey, ask around, someone you know owns an assault rifle , I’m sure. Maybe they’ll let you shoot it and explain how it operates. Then you’ll understand it poses no more threat to anyone or anything than a bolt action rifle you can buy at walmart.One more thing- The Second Amendment doesn’t have a damn thing to do with hunting. It’s about defending one’s self, one’s family, and preserving freedom in this great nation.
I’ve been predicting for a long time that when the next gun ban comes, it will be on smiple POSSESSION of the banned guns, mags, and ammo no grandfathering, and thus no selling of stockpiled banned items.Those who hoarded for investment purposes will be SOL just that much more stuff to turn in.The next ban will have no sunset, no grandfathering, no loopholes. The Libs learned that lesson from the eventual failure of the 1994 Clinton/Reno ban, and this time they are coming for real political power. Guns and gun owners stand in their way.For those who think they won’t go door-to-door to enforce confiscation, you are correct they will not have to. But you won’t be able to shoot your guns, or take them anywhere, or show them to anyone, or let anyone know you have them, and your neighbors will be encouraged to inform on you, for rewards or special privileges. That is how Socialism works.Obama keeps implementing the outrageously Socialist things that he campaigned on, one after the other, yet when he does, people still act surprised. Obama’s response has consistently been I campaigned on these things, and I won, and now I am doing them. Deal with it. Gun control has always been on that list, and it will come up sooner rather than later. So don’t act surprised when it does!Elections have consequences, and the Socialists are in near-absolute power now. They have all three branches of the federal government, and 90% of the news media, under their control.I don’t think that many of todays Americans quite understand what that means to a nation yet, to have Socialists in near-absolute control of the central government .The individual rights of being an American Citizen are being slowly done away with. Thomas Jefferson would roll over in his grave if he knew how bad the rights and freedoms he and the rest of the Founders placed into the Constitution have been eroded.
I agree. Scary times are possibly ahead. The worst fear is your comments about neighbors being encouraged to turn people in. Feels like Nazi Germany all over again… Let’s hope and pray this doesn’t ever happen.
When stopped by the police put your hands on the steering wheel, turn on the interior light, and be courteous.
Great the Main thing is common sense !
A friend of mine is a PA trooper. His advice is to make the officer aware of any guns, if you have a permit it should be handed to the trooper when asked for your ID. This will alert him that a gun is in the car/truck. Keep in mind of reciprocity in other states.
That’s what I would expect a trooper to say. However, in my opinion, it is none of their business. If I am being stopped for a simple traffic stop, i.e speeding ticket, there is no reason to bring the fact that I have a legally owned and licensed gun into the conversation. I keep my car information separate from where I store my gun, so there is no chance of it tumbling into view as I reach for my insurance and registration. Everything else is handled courteously and professionally, and if for some reason they end up wanting to search the car-then- I will tell them.
Just my technique….
In reply to Tim…
I am a police officer and am very likely one of the biggest supporters of the 2nd amendment that I know. The reason for alerting a police officer that you have a legally owned firearm in your possession (if you are pulled over or stopped by the police), is just in case you lean a certain direction or your shirt/jacket rides up just a little bit, and your weapon is seen by the officer, you will then be held at gunpoint and ordered out of the car. The police are not psychic and do not know that you are legally allowed to have a gun or that you mean no wrongdoing by being in possession of one. Therefore, USE COMMON SENSE and let the officer know that you have a legally owned gun, a carry permit, and obey all orders from the officer. We all want to go home at night to our families safely, the same as anyone else. You want the police to be honest and upfront with you correct? Well it is only right for you to do the same. And yes, it IS our business when we made the traffic stop. It IS our business when we deal with armed criminals all the time and can only tell the difference when you alert us that your weapon is legal. Yes it IS my business when I could be looking at an armed felon OR at a lawfully armed citizen. Use common sense and don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions. Nobody is going to secretly register your gun… if that’s what you’re afraid of. You must look much higher (to the Obama Administration) if that’s what your concerned with, not the officer on the street.
I provide my permit. I abide by the law and have nothing to hide. I don’t want to have to rely on an officer getting it right 100% of the time. As most officers are excellent at what they do I would not want to take the off chance and make them pull their weapon, accidents do happen. Just my thoughts. I have a few local officers as friends and they offered the same advice.
Paul, I think that’s sound advice. Thanks for your input.
Ace Sporting Goods
462 Washington Road
Washington PA 15301
1-800-660-5470
I’ve been stopped while carrying by a PA Trooper and rather than be reaching for something the officer didn’t know what it could be, I kept my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel and first informed him I was armed legally and where my gun was on my body. Everything went well after that; he backed up while I retrieved my information since it was close to where the gun was and everything was very courteous. I didn’t even get a ticket. LOL
If you want the respect of the Police, respect them and the danger they are ALWAYS in; if you’re on their side, be in their side.
I also had a T shirt on that said “ATF, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; who’s bringing the chips”, a dead giveaway you might be carrying.
Hey Lead Head,
Lol….I love the shirt!!! Too funny!! All joking aside, they have a hard job and if you treat them with respect you most likely will be treated with respect back. The more courteous people he runs into carrying a firearm will keep him a supporter of our carry rights.
Thanks for your input,
Ace Sporting Goods
462 Washington Road
Washington PA 15301
1-800-660-5470
I just want to know where Lead Head got his ATF T-Shirt. I would like to get one.
http://www.firequest.com/SG179.html
http://www.wearagun.com/shirtpages/ALCOHOL-TOBACCO-FIREARMS-WHOS-BRINGING-THE-CHIPS-T-SHIRT.html
http://www.buzzymultimedia.com/atf.html
http://www.moosegoods.com/Products/ATF-Alcohol–Tobacco-and-Firearms–Whos-bringing-the-Chips__10387.aspx
http://www.amazon.com/Alcohol-Firearms-Bringing-Hilarious-T-shirts/dp/B0017ICRE6
Pa is not a need to know state so there for u a police officer does not have the right to know when pulled over because its none of your business if I have one or not if it has no reason to why u r pulling me over
I agree witht the officer. I have no problem letting them know I have a legal firearm with me. I agree they have a right to know if someone is legally armed when they are stopped. He made a good point that if the gun is not declared but is seen somehow that he has to act as if he is in danger and take precautions. I think this attitude has roots in some who have told officers they are legally armed and they end up spread eagle and searched along the highway.
Papers, Show me za papers, pleaz….
You are not required to inform in Pa. Pa has no such ” duty to inform”. I would say it would be personal preference if you would like to share that info with a LEO.
True Chris, we have mixed feeling here. Maybe the answer is to not give a reason to pull us over. 🙂
Thanks for your input,
Ace Sporting Goods
462 Washington Road
Washington PA 15301
1-800-660-5470
#1 for Guns
No way I am informing that I’m carrying if I am ever pulled over. Too many instances of the police taking the firearm and running it through their database then confiscating it if it doesn’t come back in your name. In many of those cases they require a court order to return your property which costs you money.
There are many ways to legally own a firearm in PA. without it being in their database, gifted from a parent, grandparent, child or grandchild, brought the guns with you from another state, had them willed to you, etc. There is no reason to confiscate the firearm if it doesn’t come up on the stolen database but it happens all the time.
I realize that it is probably a small percentage of leo’s that do this but I’m not taking any chances of losing one of my firearms and then fighting in court to get it back. If this was not an issue and I did not fear being treated like a felon then I would be glad to inform.
I agree with this statement entirely.
I have a friend that was completely disrespected by an officer and put into a dangerous situation simply because he announced he was legally possessing a firearm.
The officer had him get out of the car for a traffic violation, disarmed him, removed the magazine (but not the round in the chamber), and in the process unintentionally had the weapon pointed at my friend with his finger in the trigger guard!!!!
The officer then got irritated when my friend told him to be careful because there was a round in the chamber. After receiving his ticket my friend was given his firearm back and was told he was not allowed to load the magazine until he got home (completely B.S.).
Granted this might be a rare case, and I mean no disrespect to other law enforcement officers, but his story and the advice of his lawyer has convinced me that I will never supply this information unless I am asked to be removed from the vehicle.
In many states, Ohio being one, it is required by law anytime you are interacting in any way at all that you inform them you are carrying a concealed weapon and have a permit to carry. That said PA permit is NOT accepted in Ohio, which is why I secured a Utah Non-Resident Concealed Carry permit, I carry in so many states and fullly understand the concern many officiers have with a gun in view if I am stopped I so inform them with hands visable and I tell them where the weapon is, before he has an opportunity to say anything, which again is required by law in many states. I do so in PA, even though it’s not required.
Hey folks let’s be reasonable here. I have been to too many officer’s funerals to worry about what they MIGHT do. I am a civilian but worked with law enforcement officers for quite a number of years and have learned to appreciate their job risks. Yeah I hate it when they give me a parking ticket, but other than that remember that after domestic disputes, traffic violations are the other most dangerous calls an officer has. By being open with them you are basically saying “I have respect for the law and you” I don’t think you’re going to have a problem with anyone after that.
In the interest of personal safety, and the attempt to keep things as sociable as possible. I live in PA. Every time I’ve been stopped for anything, DUI check points included, I freely announce and hand my permit and driver’s license to the LEO.
Every time I’ve done this I’ve been greeted with courtesy and respect.
Petey,please allow me to correct you on sarevel things-GUN REGULATION IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND IT’S AFFECT ON CRIME:Many of the countries with the strictest gun control have the highest rates of violent crime.Australia and England, which have virtually banned gun ownership, have the highest rates of robbery, sexual assault, and assault with force of the top 17 industrialized countries. Source-Dutch Ministry of Justice, Criminal Victimization in Seventeen Industrialized Countries, 2001.Countries with the strictest gun-control laws also tended to have the highesthomicide rates. Source:“Violence, Guns and Drugs: A Cross-Country Analysis”, Jeffery A. Miron, Department of Economics, Boston University.Ironically,firearm use in crimes has doubled in the decade since handguns werebanned in the UK. Source: “Weapons sell for just a350 as suspects and victims grow ever younger”, The Times, August 24, 2007.SECOND AMENDMENT, MILITIAS, AND THE NATIONAL GUARD ARGUMENT:The Dick Act of 1903 designated the National Guard as the organized militia and thatall other citizens were the unorganized militia – thus the National Guard is only part of the militia, and the whole militia is composed of the population at large. Before 1903, the National Guard had no federal definition as part of the militia at all.From U.S. v. Emerson, 5th court of Appeals decision, November 2, 2001, No. 99-10331:“We have found no historical evidence that the Second Amendment was intended toconvey militia power to the states, limit the federal government’s power to maintain a standing army, or applies only to members of a select militia while on active duty. All of the evidence indicates that the Second Amendment, like other parts of the Bill of Rights, applies to and protects individual Americans. “The plain meaning of the right of the people to keep arms is that it is an individual, rather than a collective, right and is not limited to keeping arms while engaged in active military service or as a member of a select militia such as the National Guard ” ASSAULT WEAPONS AND MISCONCEPTIONS (FUELED BY OUTRIGHT LIES FROM THE MEDIA):Petey, please tell us what the difference is between your rifle and an assault rifle “Assault weapon” is an invented term. In the firearm lexicon, there is no such thing as an“assault weapon”. The closest relative is the “assault rifle”, which is a machine gun or“select fire” rifle that fires rifle cartridges. In most cases, “assault weapons” arefunctionally identical to hunting rifles, though cosmetically similar to military guns. assault rifles capable of select fire (full auto) are legal to own but highly regulated and very expensive.Even weapons misclassified as “assault weapons” (common in the former Federal andCalifornia assault weapons confiscations) are used in less than 1% of all homicides. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, 1993In 1994, before the Federal assault weapons ban , you were eleven (11) times morelikely to be beaten to death than to be killed by an “assault weapon”. In the first year since the ban was lifted, murders declined 3.6%, and violent crime 1.7%. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, Preliminary Summary, 2004Petey, I can go on and on presenting fact after fact on why gun control and regulation of assault weapons is a failed concept. Petey, ask around, someone you know owns an assault rifle , I’m sure. Maybe they’ll let you shoot it and explain how it operates. Then you’ll understand it poses no more threat to anyone or anything than a bolt action rifle you can buy at walmart.One more thing- The Second Amendment doesn’t have a damn thing to do with hunting. It’s about defending one’s self, one’s family, and preserving freedom in this great nation.
I’ve been predicting for a long time that when the next gun ban comes, it will be on smiple POSSESSION of the banned guns, mags, and ammo no grandfathering, and thus no selling of stockpiled banned items.Those who hoarded for investment purposes will be SOL just that much more stuff to turn in.The next ban will have no sunset, no grandfathering, no loopholes. The Libs learned that lesson from the eventual failure of the 1994 Clinton/Reno ban, and this time they are coming for real political power. Guns and gun owners stand in their way.For those who think they won’t go door-to-door to enforce confiscation, you are correct they will not have to. But you won’t be able to shoot your guns, or take them anywhere, or show them to anyone, or let anyone know you have them, and your neighbors will be encouraged to inform on you, for rewards or special privileges. That is how Socialism works.Obama keeps implementing the outrageously Socialist things that he campaigned on, one after the other, yet when he does, people still act surprised. Obama’s response has consistently been I campaigned on these things, and I won, and now I am doing them. Deal with it. Gun control has always been on that list, and it will come up sooner rather than later. So don’t act surprised when it does!Elections have consequences, and the Socialists are in near-absolute power now. They have all three branches of the federal government, and 90% of the news media, under their control.I don’t think that many of todays Americans quite understand what that means to a nation yet, to have Socialists in near-absolute control of the central government .The individual rights of being an American Citizen are being slowly done away with. Thomas Jefferson would roll over in his grave if he knew how bad the rights and freedoms he and the rest of the Founders placed into the Constitution have been eroded.
I agree. Scary times are possibly ahead. The worst fear is your comments about neighbors being encouraged to turn people in. Feels like Nazi Germany all over again… Let’s hope and pray this doesn’t ever happen.
More About Duty to Inform Laws for CCW Holders
http://www.survivalblog.com/2012/10/letter-re-more-about-duty-to-inform-laws-for-ccw-holders.html
http://smith-wessonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49536&d=1311093292