I got pulled over can the cop go in my car take my gun?

[Concerned Citizen]

I'm sure that your traffic stops had nothing to do with the fact that you broke some sort of traffic law or ordinance. Yup, us cops see young people in nice cars and assume they are up to no good. That logic is so stupid and full of fail I just don't know what to say. Young folks in nice cars are not red-flag issues. Maybe you should stop inventing reasons to say you got stopped and just stop breaking traffic laws, which is probably the real reason you keep getting stopped.

I can't count the number of times I've been pulled over in the last 30+ years that I've been driving. However, I can count on part of one hand the number of times I've been cited. Of those dozens of times I've been pulled over, I was guilty of whatever they said they pulled me over for. EVERY-SINGLE-TIME. Most of the time it was speeding. Occasionally for other things. wanna know my secret for not getting cited? Be polite, be respectful, don't have diarrhea of the mouth. (oh yeah, and be sober).

Due to personal experience, I am doubtful when somebody says they were "doing nothing wrong" when they got pulled over.

 

[MikeDVB]

Due to personal experience, I am doubtful when somebody says they were "doing nothing wrong" when they got pulled over.

I left work at 2 AM [a KFC] and pulled on to US 31 north and an officer pulled out of my drive thru [where he was 'hiding'] and followed me. I knew he was sitting in the drive thru before I left, and I saw him pull out behind me. He followed me for about 3 miles before lighting me up.

He cited me for unsafe lane change and a 54 in a 40. Not only did I not even change any lanes [it was 2 AM, there was nobody else on the road] but I also didn't exceed the speed limit [for sure, I saw the d-bag pull out behind me - why would I, knowing I am being followed by an officer, decide to speed 14 miles over the limit??].

Went to court - ended up having them tossed.

In this case I suspect he was looking for drugs or something else when he pulled me over as I had not violated any laws or committed any infractions. The only thing I did do was sit in my car for about 20 minutes and talk to a co-worker before leaving the parking lot. She was waiting on her ride to come pick her up and I didn't want to leave her sitting there alone in the middle of the night.

So to say it doesn't happen would be naive - but to say it happens regularly may not be accurate either.

 

[Concerned Citizen]

I left work at 2 AM [a KFC] and pulled on to US 31 north and an officer pulled out of my drive thru [where he was 'hiding'] and followed me. I knew he was sitting in the drive thru before I left, and I saw him pull out behind me. He followed me for about 3 miles before lighting me up.

He cited me for unsafe lane change and a 54 in a 40. Not only did I not even change any lanes [it was 2 AM, there was nobody else on the road] but I also didn't exceed the speed limit [for sure, I saw the d-bag pull out behind me - why would I, knowing I am being followed by an officer, decide to speed 14 miles over the limit??].

Went to court - ended up having them tossed.

In this case I suspect he was looking for drugs or something else when he pulled me over a I had not violated any laws or committed any infractions.

So to say it doesn't happen would be naive - but to say it happens regularly may not be accurate either.

1. I do not doubt you for a second.
2. Nothing good happens after midnight.

 

[MikeDVB]

I did add a little more detail before you quoted me as to why he may have thought something drug related was going on. Either way - I didn't commit any of the infractions I was accused of committing.

The funny part was the 54 in a 40 cited me at that speed in front of the McDonalds - which is oh .... 10 yards from the KFC. I didn't know my car could go from 0 to 54 in 30 feet! [It was a 1989 4-door grocery getter with a 4 cylinder].

 

[freekforge]

For everyone saying the cops dont pull young guys in nice cars over well according to the cop that pulled my brother over in our mustang they do. He said he saw a younger guy in a nicer car and just wanted to make sure everything was legit.

 

[FCS-04]

I got pulled over the other night, I informed because I had my LC9 in the glove compartment with the registration. Cop told me to get the gun first, he looked at it placed it on my dashboard and said please dont grab it until the traffic stop was done. Came back with my License, pink card and registration, gave me a warning and told me to slow it down and to have a nice night. Now IDK if its because I'm use to Massachusettes cops or something but this was one of the most pleasent exchanges I've ever had with an LEO.
I'm 24 and drive a straight piped 2012 mustang gt, I was not profiled or treated any differently. I was speeding and shouldnt have been, end of story.

 

[jonlong]

Cops aren't the bad guys. They're trying to be safe, and keep people safe. Do all officers always use the best judgement or procedures? No. But what's the real harm here? If I was pulled over (which hasn't happened since I was in my teens) I would be happy to let the officer relocate my weapon if that made him feel more comfortable. They have a risky job and they don't know what kind of person you are. Why not offer a little cooperation to those who are trying to protect and serve?

 

[SteveM4A1]

Cops aren't the bad guys. They're trying to be safe, and keep people safe. Do all officers always use the best judgement or procedures? No. But what's the real harm here? If I was pulled over (which hasn't happened since I was in my teens) I would be happy to let the officer relocate my weapon if that made him feel more comfortable. They have a risky job and they don't know what kind of person you are. Why not offer a little cooperation to those who are trying to protect and serve?

Unnecessary handling of a weapon can get someone hurt...

 

[ATM]

Cops aren't the bad guys. They're trying to be safe, and keep people safe. Do all officers always use the best judgement or procedures? No. But what's the real harm here? If I was pulled over (which hasn't happened since I was in my teens) I would be happy to let the officer relocate my weapon if that made him feel more comfortable. They have a risky job and they don't know what kind of person you are. Why not offer a little cooperation to those who are trying to protect and serve?

"Offering a little cooperation" does not entail waiving any of my rights.

You may choose to waive any or all of yours, but please understand, securing these liberties was very costly and we have an obligation to secure them for our posterity.

To help an officer "feel more comfortable", I won't make any sudden movements. I will not consent to being disarmed, though.

 

[jonlong]

Unnecessary handling of a weapon can get someone hurt...

So can dealing with armed citizens in a traffic stop. If I were an officer, I'd feel more comfortable if the person I've pulled over for illegal activity (speeding, drunk driving, whatever) didn't have a gun sitting next to him. An LTCH doesn't make you a good and trustworthy person.

I think most of us here are responsible and law abiding people. We know that we carry responsibly and for the safety of ourselves and those around us. That makes it feel like an imposition on our rights and an insult to our integrity when we are asked to hand over a weapon. But the same reason that we carry in the first place is the same reason why officers can be nervous. You can't trust anyone. How you handle a traffic stop is up to you. I don't approach it contempt for the officer or an over zealous assertion of my rights. (Not insinuating that you do, but I certainly get that impression from some people).

 

[Dead Duck]

So can dealing with armed citizens in a traffic stop. If I were an officer, I'd feel more comfortable if the person I've pulled over for illegal activity (speeding, drunk driving, whatever) didn't have a gun sitting next to him. An LTCH doesn't make you a good and trustworthy person.

I think most of us here are responsible and law abiding people. We know that we carry responsibly and for the safety of ourselves and those around us. That makes it feel like an imposition on our rights and an insult to our integrity when we are asked to hand over a weapon. But the same reason that we carry in the first place is the same reason why officers can be nervous. You can't trust anyone. How you handle a traffic stop is up to you. I don't approach it contempt for the officer or an over zealous assertion of my rights. (Not insinuating that you do, but I certainly get that impression from some people).

There should be an officer coming on soon to explain to you HIS take on this.



My take?
Bending over will only enable wrongdoers.

The moral here - STAND THE HELL UP!

 

[SteveM4A1]

So can dealing with armed citizens in a traffic stop. If I were an officer, I'd feel more comfortable if the person I've pulled over for illegal activity (speeding, drunk driving, whatever) didn't have a gun sitting next to him. An LTCH doesn't make you a good and trustworthy person.

I think most of us here are responsible and law abiding people. We know that we carry responsibly and for the safety of ourselves and those around us. That makes it feel like an imposition on our rights and an insult to our integrity when we are asked to hand over a weapon. But the same reason that we carry in the first place is the same reason why officers can be nervous. You can't trust anyone. How you handle a traffic stop is up to you. I don't approach it contempt for the officer or an over zealous assertion of my rights. (Not insinuating that you do, but I certainly get that impression from some people).

Obviously there are a lot of variables that come into play here. My personal belief is that if everything is calm and respectful, handling of the weapon is completely unnecessary and unsafe.

 

[Bunnykid68]

So can dealing with armed citizens in a traffic stop. If I were an officer, I'd feel more comfortable if the person I've pulled over for illegal activity (speeding, drunk driving, whatever) didn't have a gun sitting next to him. An LTCH doesn't make you a good and trustworthy person.

I think most of us here are responsible and law abiding people. We know that we carry responsibly and for the safety of ourselves and those around us. That makes it feel like an imposition on our rights and an insult to our integrity when we are asked to hand over a weapon. But the same reason that we carry in the first place is the same reason why officers can be nervous. You can't trust anyone. How you handle a traffic stop is up to you. I don't approach it contempt for the officer or an over zealous assertion of my rights. (Not insinuating that you do, but I certainly get that impression from some people).

I would feel more comfortable if the cop pulling me over didnt have a gun and a taser

 

[actaeon277]

So can dealing with armed citizens in a traffic stop. If I were an officer, I'd feel more comfortable if the person I've pulled over for illegal activity (speeding, drunk driving, whatever) didn't have a gun sitting next to him. An LTCH doesn't make you a good and trustworthy person.

I think most of us here are responsible and law abiding people. We know that we carry responsibly and for the safety of ourselves and those around us. That makes it feel like an imposition on our rights and an insult to our integrity when we are asked to hand over a weapon. But the same reason that we carry in the first place is the same reason why officers can be nervous. You can't trust anyone. How you handle a traffic stop is up to you. I don't approach it contempt for the officer or an over zealous assertion of my rights. (Not insinuating that you do, but I certainly get that impression from some people).

Sorry, my rights are not trumped by your comfort.
Many people would be more comfortable if you gave up YOUR right to carry a firearm. Are you going to make them comfortable?
What about people uncomfortable about free speech, or wish you house to be searched without warrant, etc?

 

[jonlong]

If I was a smoker and you asked me to not smoke near you, I wouldn't say I'm giving up my rights by not smoking. I'd say that I could be courteous to you and not smoke near you. No infringement on my right.

But to each their own, I suppose.

 

[lonehoosier]

If I was a smoker and you asked me to not smoke near you, I wouldn't say I'm giving up my rights by not smoking. I'd say that I could be courteous to you and not smoke near you. No infringement on my right.

But to each their own, I suppose.

If I was a gun owner and you asked me to not to have a gun near you, I wouldn't say I'm giving up my rights by not having a gun. I'd say that I could be courteous to you and not have my gun near you. No infringement on my right.

But to each their own, I suppose.

 

[jonlong]

I can't tell what the point of the above post is. I have a friend who is uncomfortable with guns in the house. So if I visit, I leave it in the car. When I go to the office, I'm not allowed to carry, so it stays in the car. The rest of the time, it's with me. I don't feel like my rights have been violated.

 

[lonehoosier]

I can't tell what the point of the above post is. I have a friend who is uncomfortable with guns in the house. So if I visit, I leave it in the car. When I go to the office, I'm not allowed to carry, so it stays in the car. The rest of the time, it's with me. I don't feel like my rights have been violated.

The point is that you chose to do that. You did not have a LEO make that choose for you.

 

[youngda9]

Do you even eat bacon??

That would be the true test of a man's character

 

[youngda9]

If I was a smoker and you asked me to not smoke near you, I wouldn't say I'm giving up my rights by not smoking. I'd say that I could be courteous to you and not smoke near you. No infringement on my right.

But to each their own, I suppose.

Between you and me it would be a courteous thing. Between a police agent of the government, it's not about courtesy...it's about their perceived power which you are protected from by your rights (rights are enumerated in the constitution...the "right to smoke" is not in the Constitution IIRC).