I'm an engineer, not an attorney, Jim!
That said, I would bet a locked case, in plain view, a LEO could request to see the contents and legally expect cooperation.. I might or might not insist on his bringing a supervisor out to complete this demand.
I believe that a locked case/box/safe attached to the frame of the vehicle may fall under a different view as being something that there is an implied privacy behind and a warrant would be necessary that stated specifically what they wanted to search for in the safe.
Again, non-attorney speculation and hearsay from me and doesn't directly address the question. I BELIEVE the rules are: plain sight and they get to examine. Out of sight, only with your permission or a warrant. A safe semi-permanently attached to the frame but in plain sight... my impression was a warrant was required without your permission.
If it was in plain sight then they wouldn't need to examine it. They could already see it. If it's inside a case then it's not in plain sight.
Example: they can see your glove box but they can't examine it (open it)without a warrant or PC. A gun case or any other kind of a case is no different. Something illegal in plain view only gives them PC to continue a search. A long gun case isn't illegal (or is the rifle/shotgun inside) so no PC = no search.
Like 1032JBT said I probably wouldn't stop you for 45 in a 35, unless it was during a blizzard or a school zone during school hours.
If I did stop you and saw what I knew to be rifle cases, I'd ask you what was in them, simply because I'm a gun nut and I'm always interested in what guns people own/carry. I'm not fishing for anything, I'm just making conversation. If you chose to be an a-hole and tell me its none of my business, I'll probably sign you up for whatever infraction I stopped you for. If you engage me in pleasant conversation about something that interests both of us, I'll more than likely let you go with a warning. Unless I have PC to open the cases I won't even ask, but you are more than welcome to show me if you have something really cool in them.
I can't speak for my coworkers. One thing to remember about police officers is that some of them aren't necessarily anti-2A, they just aren't as pro-2A as some of us.
The problem here is that we don't know it's you when we get pulled over. It could be that "one in a thousand" bad cops who is fishing for something to bust you for.
I can't remember the other poster on here I recently had a "conversation" with but it had to do with "persuading" the person he pulled over to allow him to search the vehicle when he had no PC to do it otherwise. IOW, he tricked them into giving up their rights - & then blamed them for being too stupid to realize he was doing it.
YOU may have good intentions but not every cop does. I wouldn't be so quick to assume that just because we don't want to take the chance of running afoul of "that cop" that we're being a-holes.
You know we firefighters have police powers in Indiana now right? I am going to start checking permits on every person I see with a sidearm.
I'm only a Fireman so I would prone you out and stomp on you with my bunker boots. Cause, you know EMTs and Firefighters really do that stuff all the time now a days. And, that's the real reason we have tools is to break into your stuff.
Don't mind me. I was out pulling over speeders all night with my blue light.
Man, one thread picking of firefighters & they get all butt-hurt. You guys have some REALLY thin skin.
I like most of the other LEO's on here would just want to know what you have out of curiosity lol. But by saying "its none of your business" or something along those lines, depending how it was said, I may lead me to believe that you had something you didn't want me to see in there and I may push the issue.
"You catch more bees with honey" lol
Yeah, it could be a gun case full of naked pictures of my wife (or somebody elses wife ). Those really would be none of your business.
If you did "push the issue" (whatever that means) & I still refused to tell you then what would be your next step?
Sorry, but just because I don't tell you what I have or by extension I don't allow you to search my vehicle it does not give you any PC to "push the issue". If that was the case then what would be the point of the 4A in the first place.
Sounds a lot like "if you've got nothing to hide then you won't mind me looking around/asking questions, will you".