Retrieving a wallet while carrying

[TheSpark]

I say unless required by law you should not inform an officer about your gun UNLESS you believe it is likely he is going to notice it or about to notice it. If you have to get out of your car I would advise informing. Basically keep it on a need-to-know basis. I'm guessing though the officer already has a pretty good idea you are carrying if you have a LTCH.

As for your wallet if it is near your gun you probably should get the wallet out before he gets to the car. Don't worry about if he sees your moving around as a possible indication that you are up to something fishy. He still wont be able to search you or your car based on that. I'm also not sure if that would be enough for the officer to even require you to exit your vehicle. Not sure on the laws surrounding that order.

 

[Bonkers4Bacon]

My wallet has been in my back right pocket since I carried a wallet. I dont know about you, but wearing in my left back pocket makes me feel like I had a leg amputated. I feel.......off. Having undiagnosed minor OCD (that my wife tells me is ), I almost can't concentrate or do anything until its switched.

IMO, it sounds like it might just be easier to tell him you have a gun.

 

[bwframe]

I moved wallet to the other side, because of this.

Done this years ago after reading about it on INGO. It seemed odd after strong hand walleting for years, but now I couldn't be happier.
Couple of bonuses:
Don't have to remove seat belt to get weak hand to wallet.
Weak hand walleting means strong hand is free for whatever. Weak hand walleting also confuses anyone casing your movements.

I have my car off, flashers on, window down, license and registration ready on the dash, and hands empty and on the wheel. Before the officer even gets out of his or her car. I make no action that could be misinterpreted.

I do this too. Also, turning on the dome light, if it's dark.
I hand them the pink paper with my license, it's turned quite a few tickets into warnings.

 

[Expatriated]

I always inform the officer I'm carrying. Never had a problem.

 

[9mmfan]

Even though I'm right handed, I've always carried my wallet in my back left pocket. So when I started carrying I kept it their. I never use to carry a spare magazine (except when working security gigs). Now I have to make sure my spare mag carrier never gets past the 4 o'clock position.

 

[Pip Logan]

I usually have my wallet in a cargo pocket and away from my heater.

 

[VERT]

Keep my wallet in my left (off hand) front pocket. If pulled over I have my engine off, dome lights on, hands on wheel with wallet out.

 

[Needmorammo]

Been stopped a couple of times while carrying. If after dark, I always turn on the dome light. I also hand the officer my pink slip along with my license and inform him I'm carrying and where. So far the response both times has been, "Thanks for telling me, If you don't touch yours, I won't touch mine. Both times received a warning. Guess I'm just lucky!

 

[Compatriot G]

Been stopped a couple of times while carrying. If after dark, I always turn on the dome light. I also hand the officer my pink slip along with my license and inform him I'm carrying and where. So far the response both times has been, "Thanks for telling me, If you don't touch yours, I won't touch mine. Both times received a warning. Guess I'm just lucky!

I used to think informing was a good idea. However, after one officer pulled his Glock on me and a State Trooper stood beside the highway like he was getting ready for a quick draw competition, I stopped saying anything about having a firearm.

 

[Bfish]

Been stopped a couple of times while carrying. If after dark, I always turn on the dome light. I also hand the officer my pink slip along with my license and inform him I'm carrying and where. So far the response both times has been, "Thanks for telling me, If you don't touch yours, I won't touch mine. Both times received a warning. Guess I'm just lucky!

I have heard of many people saying they think that making the officer aware has lead to them not receiving a ticket... Idk if it's true or not but I could see so.

I used to think informing was a good idea. However, after one officer pulled his Glock on me and a State Trooper stood beside the highway like he was getting ready for a quick draw competition, I stopped saying anything about having a firearm.

Geesh that's crazy! I don't think I would say anything until/unless I thought it necessary.

 

[Ruffnek]

I used to think informing was a good idea. However, after one officer pulled his Glock on me and a State Trooper stood beside the highway like he was getting ready for a quick draw competition, I stopped saying anything about having a firearm.

And this is why I make the choice not to inform.Most of the time I'm driving in Bloomington and it's where I'd be the most likely to be pulled over.In a liberal haven like that,gun is a bad word.

 

[chezuki]

Yep. The only time I've informed (BUG was on top of my registration in the glovebox) it added nearly 30 minutes to the ordeal and the gun was unloaded, disassembled, and held in his car the entire time. My Glock remained holstered and unmentioned on my hip the whole time.

 

[jsharmon7]

My advice is just to let the officer know that your firearm is on your right hip (or whatever) and your wallet is in your right rear pocket (or whatever) and that you'll need to reach back to get it. Any time I've stopped someone and they mention having their firearm on their belt this has always been the easiest method. I always appreciate someone telling me they're armed, but I wouldn't be upset if you didn't. If you're going to expose it while reaching back for your wallet though, it would seem to be a good idea to let the officer know first.

 

[bwframe]

And this is why I make the choice not to inform.Most of the time I'm driving in Bloomington and it's where I'd be the most likely to be pulled over.In a liberal haven like that,gun is a bad word.

The Btown stop is what solidified my thoughts on having a BUG. They did take the gun and it took a few minutes to get it back unloaded. To give BPD their due, they followed SOP and were professional about it. They finished with a verbal warning instead of a citation for the moving violation.

 

[Bfish]

Yep. The only time I've informed (BUG was on top of my registration in the glovebox) it added nearly 30 minutes to the ordeal and the gun was unloaded, disassembled, and held in his car the entire time. My Glock remained holstered and unmentioned on my hip the whole time.

Haha this is awesome!
Once having a gun in my glove box I had a similar passing thought as to handling such a situation as you did... Very nice

 

[actaeon277]

Yep. The only time I've informed (BUG was on top of my registration in the glovebox) it added nearly 30 minutes to the ordeal and the gun was unloaded, disassembled, and held in his car the entire time. My Glock remained holstered and unmentioned on my hip the whole time.

And thats why I think its funny that they think everything is "safe" cause they have the gun under their control.

 

[Expatriated]

out of curiosity, for those of you that have had your guns taken by officers, how is it done? If it's on your hip, does the officer ask you to hand it to him? Does he reach in and take it off of you?

Both sound like some pretty unsafe tactics on their part.

I don't mind if they look at my gun. I might ask them to clean it while they have it apart. But first I'd make sure I asked them if they're professional enough to handle a Glock .40

 

[TheSpark]

out of curiosity, for those of you that have had your guns taken by officers, how is it done? If it's on your hip, does the officer ask you to hand it to him? Does he reach in and take it off of you?

Both sound like some pretty unsafe tactics on their part.

I don't mind if they look at my gun. I might ask them to clean it while they have it apart. But first I'd make sure I asked them if they're professional enough to handle a Glock .40

Never had one taken from me, nor would I appreciate that at all. You are right in that it is not safe for the officer to take the gun in any way. If it is in a holster (as it should be) then that is where it should remain.

As for cops who do take the gun I am very against them taking it apart. There is no reason for them to do that imo and really should be illegal. I also think if they take the gun by force (demand it) they should not be able to run it without cause.

 

[Dirtebiker]

out of curiosity, for those of you that have had your guns taken by officers, how is it done? If it's on your hip, does the officer ask you to hand it to him? Does he reach in and take it off of you?

Both sound like some pretty unsafe tactics on their part.

I don't mind if they look at my gun. I might ask them to clean it while they have it apart. But first I'd make sure I asked them if they're professional enough to handle a Glock .40

Never again will I inform!
I've been pulled over three times while armed.
The first went ok. The officer was respectful, but had to get his supervisor and another back up there and made the stop about 20 minutes longer than it should have taken.
The second (and the reason I will never again notify), was terrible!
I'm left handed, and at that time carried in a non retention leather holster. I had interior lights on, window all the way down, license in my hand and both hands on steering wheel, my wife with me, my name plastered on the side of my work van, and my registration in the drivers door pocket (door has to open to reach anything) (changed since then).
I handed the officer my license, told him where the registration was, and said " I need to open the door to get the registration, and want to let you know that my handgun is on my left hip."
The officer then reached in and grabbed my pistol, swept my wife and me before THROWING it on top of the van!
We had a brief argument about "officer safety" and MY safety, before he took it back to his car with him, all the time (I'm assuming) thinking he was "safer". What he didn't know, or ask about, was the back up gun carried small of back, the range bag with 4 or 5 handguns, and a s**t load of ammo, AND the rifle laying between the seats!

The third stop simply showed how oblivious an officer can be when he's too comfortable.
again, I had interior lights on, license ready (in my daughters car this time), had to look for the registration (so he had plenty of time to look around).
He asked me if I had any drugs or weapons in the vehicle. I answered, "nothing illegal".
Even after shining his flashlight in the car for a couple minutes, he overlooked the carbine that I had earlier picked up from an INGO member sitting in plain view on the back seat, and of course the two guns in my possession.

 

[rhino]

I'd rather get a ticket for what I did than take the risk of unnecessary and potentially unsafe gun handling because I was unlucky enough to be stopped by an officer who felt compelled to do it.

I'd rather get a ticket for what I did then answer questions I don't want to answer.

Given that, I'd much rather not attract the attention that motivates a police officer to stop me. Since the increased patrols on US-231 a couple of years ago, I returned to my standard procedure of obeying posted speed limits. In fact, I now have a maximum speed of 65 mph on the interstate, even where the limit is 70. mph. I did that to save gasoline. Net result: I went from 16.5 mpg to almost 19 mpg and I don't have to get concerned when I see a Charger or Crown Vic.