Legally Armed Citizens & Police Working To Eliminate Dangerous Encounters

Legally Armed Citizens & Police Working To Eliminate Dangerous Encounters

States Honoring Other State CCW Permit/License

On July 1, 2003, Tennessee joined Kentucky, Indiana, Montana, and Utah as states that honor all other state permits or licenses to carry "defensive weapons". Two other states Alaska and Vermont, do not require any permit or license to carry weapons if the individuals carrying are law abiding citizens note: HB 102, which allows law-abiding Alaskans to carry concealed without a permit, does not go into effect until Sept 9, 2003.
[I.e. not a felon or someone using the weapon unlawfully]. With more states allowing other state residents to carry weapons within their boarders, legally armed organizations and police organizations are working together to eliminate problem areas. First on the list of areas where a problem could pop-up, is what occurs during the average traffic stop when a legally armed citizen is in the vehicle.

When a peace officer encounters a person during the normal traffic stop, the officer does not know what type of person they are coming in contact with. If the person is a legally armed citizen, they should work with the officer to lower any threat level that could occur. This area has not been a problem to date, but with more legally armed citizens coming into contact with more peace officers when the citizen travels outside of their home state, what is beneficial to both parties needs to be addressed and examples demonstrated so that both sides understand the procedures that will make a safe meeting for both the officer and the citizen.

This article includes a link to a video that can be purchased, showing the average traffic stop where a legally armed person comes in contact with a peace officer, and what both parties do to make sure the encounter is non-threatening and done in a safe manner.

[NOTE: The video is too large to be placed on the Legallyarmed.com web site for a download. We have to send the CD out so people can view it. The cost is only $ 6.00 and the link and more information is below].

What Do Law Enforcement Officers Look For During A Traffic Stop?

In an effort to reduce problems between legally armed citizens and law enforcement officers, the video in the link below gives the views of the average officer told by a Police Sergeant.

He addresses what actions help both the officer and the legally armed citizen during a traffic stop.
Safety issues concerning the weapon[s].
Reasons why disclosure is important to both parties.

State Laws Are Different

These areas are important because in certain states like Tennessee, it is not mandated by law, that a legally armed citizen inform a peace officer when the citizen is legally carrying a weapon. However, in other states like Louisiana or Michigan, it is required by law that the legally armed citizen inform the peace officer during any official encounter. A traffic stop is considered an official contact by a police officer. When a state makes it mandatory in their state law that a legally armed citizen must inform a peace officer if they are armed, it is usually covered in the state permit course regarding this issue when they travel in their home state. However, in states that do not require any training, there is never any information regarding this topic given to the legally armed citizens. This could cause problems if these people travel into reciprocal states where they are required to advise peace officers they are armed and they don't know the law or; with other legally armed citizens who travel into other states not being aware of that states law regarding proper "announcement" to a peace officer. This is one reason why our CD/Video on "Encounters With Law Enforcement Officers" was produced. As to what should be done during a traffic stop, here are some key areas:

Keep your hands on the steering wheel. [Peace officers are trained to watch the hands of people they come in contact with. When they see your hands on the steering wheel, they know you are not a threat to their safety by trying to reach for something that might hurt them].
Inform the peace officer you are a legally armed citizen, & you are armed. [Don't tell the officer you are armed first, then tell him you are legal to carry. Tell him you are a legally armed citizen before you say anything else!]
Be prepared to surrender the weapon to the peace officer if he or she requests it. [Ask the officer what he/she wants you to do. Should you hand him the weapon? Listen to what they want you to do. The video shows a law enforcement officer who prefers to have the individual hand the weapon to him with their left hand. Another peace officer might do it in a different manner. Listen to what they want you to do].
Even though you are a legally armed citizen, do not make any quick movements that take your hands off of the steering wheel. [ It is just a fact of life that when guns are involved, people can become jumpy. You could think that this is just a normal traffic stop because you were going a little over the speed limit but; what you did not know was that you are being stopped because shots were just fired in this area, and you car matches the description of one of the vehicles].
When you drive, always keep the pistol in your holster on your person, or in a holster somewhere in the vehicle. [Doing this, you might prevent an accidental discharge by yourself or anyone else in the vehicle, or when handing the pistol to a peace officer during the traffic stop. When the pistol is in a holster, the trigger is covered to prevent it from being hit or pulled unintentionally. Another reason for keeping the pistol in a holster is if there is a accident and the gun goes flying, the holster should help to make sure the trigger is not pulled by a someone trying to assist you, or by someone who finds the gun].
Keep a duplicate permit or license with you. [If you travel to a state that honors your permit or license, you can bet that their law requires the permit or license be on the person. Some people keep their license or permit in their wallet or pocketbook. What happens when you loose your wallet or pocketbook? If this occurs while you are on a trip, you will violate state law if you carry without the permit or license. Just purchase a duplicate permit or license from your state regulatory agency, and keep it in a separate location].

Traffic Stop Video

The 2nd video shown in the CD available below, shows an average traffic stop that occurs between a legally armed citizen and a peace officer. It should be seen as a guide to what both parties should do to understand the needs of each other. The legally armed citizen is not a threat to the peace officer, and the peace officer is not a threat to the citizen. The actions of each party should emphasize this.

We at Legallyarmed.com hope this article and if you decide to purchase the video, will help peace officers and legally armed citizens better understand the needs of each other during official encounters.

This video could not have been accomplished without the assistance of the following police organizations and the individuals shown in the video. We want to thank:

The Mt. Juliet Police Department, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee
Chief Kenneth Martin, Mt. Juliet Police Department
Sergeant Greg Barlow, Mt. Juliet Police Department

If you would like to obtain the

"Encounters With Law Enforcement" CD/Video, click on the link below. The cost for the CD/Video is only $ 6.00 & $ 1.00 out of the purchase price goes to a fallen officer fund for the police department who assisted us in making this video.

Click Here to Buy Now

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