Article by: Gene Kennedy

One area that concerns every legally armed citizen is what to do and say during a routine traffic stop.  Should I tell the officer I am armed?  How do I tell him I am armed?  There are a number of questions that people have regarding this situation.  

Some states require that the officer be informed when the citizen is armed.   If the person does not inform the officer, a charge can be made by the officer.  This creates a problem for the legally armed citizen when they try and renew their license or permit to carry because they now have a ding against a gun law.  Even though it might be a misdemeanor, they can be denied a renewal for their CCW license or permit.

Most states that require some form of training course before a license or permit is issued, go over this area during the training.  However, not every state requires any training.  In these states, a person does not receive any information about what to do during an armed traffic stop.  This is the reason LegallyArmed.com created this video.  It gives the person who is authorized to carry weapons a good overview of what they should know regarding an armed traffic stop.

You may not agree with everything that the officer says but, you have at least heard from a person wearing a badge about this subject.  You can do what every you want to do.  Most states do NOT require that you inform the officer you are armed.  However, if the officer thinks you should have told him, you can receive some tickets for whatever he stopped you for.  Always remember, they are wearing the badge.  You might eventually beat every ticket but, it took time and probable money to win.  You are not a threat to the officer.  Just think about this; if you wore the badge, would you want a person to tell you they were armed or had a gun in the vehicle? The job of a law enforcement officer is dangerous.  When you inform an officer you are armed, you are telling him or her that you respect how dangerous their job is but, you are not a threat.  I can tell you from my personal experience that I have been shown favorable treatment by more than a few law enforcement officers in different states, when I was stopped for speeding [I do have a heavy foot]. By informing them I was armed, they were glad I told them and gave me a warning for driving over the speed limit.  One officer in Alabama also had a long discussion about what type of ammo I should carry.  He only gave me a warning that I should be carrying a larger pistol!

Again, you can do whatever you want during a normal traffic stop when you are armed.  The purpose of this article and video is to give information to legally armed citizens who have not been exposed to this area.

I hope you enjoy and learn something from the video.

Gene Kennedy

What does a peace officer look for when they approach a vehicle & what should you do when he or she approaches.

Click here to watch a video explaining what a average police officer looks for during any traffic stop.

Click here to watch a video of an example traffic stop.

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www.LegallyArmed.com