Deputy attempts to justify seizing LTC handguns during traffic stop

[Butros17]

Baaaaaaaaaaaaa Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Hey this is ALMOST as fun as an OC/CC debate!!!

How exactly does stating my opinion and how I conduct myself in a situation make me a "sheep drinking the kool aid"?

On second thought don't worry about it, it's not like your opinion matters much as you're clearly quite too immature to conduct an appropriate and respectful conversation if this is how you respond to a complete stranger.

 

[shadohman]

If he died a month ago, who have people been decrying for the past week on Hub Pages!??!??!?

Just offering a possible reason for the page being removed from the site. The writer sounds immature to me, may be thought it would be funny to use the Officers name.

What I have read on line about Officer Bales makes me doubt that he would agree with this article.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

He posted a response to a question 13 hours ago. I guess it could have come from beyond the grave...

Is it right to carry a gun in your car's glove compartment?

 

[Butros17]

He posted a response to a question 13 hours ago.

Is it right to carry a gun in your car's glove compartment?

quite Machiavellian of him

 

[coltaceguy]

I've had my weapon taken from me during a traffic stop without my consent.

I asked if this was protocol, and was told yes, and if I did not hand it over it would be an obstruction charge. They took my gun, held it for about 10 minutes, made me stand outside of my car with my hands on the hood. Ran my gun, handed it back to me, and told me not to load it until he left.

Pretty common these days with ISP, I'm not the only one.

 

[GunnerDan]

I've had my weapon taken from me during a traffic stop without my consent.

I asked if this was protocol, and was told yes, and if I did not hand it over it would be an obstruction charge. They took my gun, held it for about 10 minutes, made me stand outside of my car with my hands on the hood. Ran my gun, handed it back to me, and told me not to load it until he left.

Pretty common these days with ISP, I'm not the only one.

So I guess my question is this, If you basically told the officer to pack sand and reloaded it right there before he left, what would the BS charge be? I mean there is NOTHING illegal about reloading your firearm... Just intimidation I guess...

Gunner

 

[Rookie]

Not intimidation either.

 

[AndersonIN]

As you can see just like on here the police can't even agree among themselves!

Visiting from TN

And yes that was me!!! LOL

Spying on them..........admitted my 'stealth isn't what it used to be'. Some times their 'defective' work scares me!

 

[Grunt]

It was in the Spring of 2009 or 2010 (whenever the first stimulus was passed to give our money to the unions) when I was pulled over by a county sheriff and disarmed.

I was out in the country monitoring wildlife populations at night. I was pulled off the road, 4-way blinkers on and wearing a reflective vest. I was carrying two guns that night; a 9 mm and .25 caliber.

This was during the time that homeland security stated that military veterans were potential terrorists. I am a veteran.

Two sheriffs deputies pulled up behind me and inquired as to what I was doing. I explained to them and notified them that i was licensed to carry and was carrying. I produced my ID, military ID and LTCH.

They said that for their safety they needed to disarm me. I said okay and allowed the one to begin the pat down. I told them I'd hand them the weapons but they said no.

The officer who was searching me was very nervous as I could feel his body tremble and vibrate (I was hoping he wasn't falling in love with me). He eventually got the weapons. I then waited 18 minutes until they got their response to a background check.

Once I was cleared, they put my weapons on the front seat of my car and the magazines on the rear seat. They told me not to touch them until they had gotten in their car and drove off. I didn't have a problem with this.

The only problems I had was during that Spring of the first stimulus. During several subsequent trips out there I'd get stopped nearly every 1/2 mile and questioned by the police and it was by the same officer. I guess they needed to justify the stimulus by giving a lot of overtime. It was like running a frigging gauntlet. Some nights I was stopped 3 times, it was crazy.

This only happened during this one spring.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

As you can see just like on here the police can't even agree among themselves!

Visiting from TN

And yes that was me!!! LOL

Spying on them..........admitted my 'stealth isn't what it used to be'. Some times their 'defective' work scares me!

To answer the question about revolvers.....They put a zip tie through the cylinder. I cut it right in front of the SOB and reloaded while he rolled his eyes and left. Condescending effing prick! Tell me when I can and can't reload my weapon...I only even let him have it out of courtesy, NEVER again.

 

[Roadie]

It amazes me how many gun owners "don't have a problem" with their Rights being violated, and the law being broken, in the interest of so-called "Officer Safety"

 

[jbombelli]

To answer the question about revolvers.....They put a zip tie through the cylinder. I cut it right in front of the SOB and reloaded while he rolled his eyes and left. Condescending effing prick! Tell me when I can and can't reload my weapon...I only even let him have it out of courtesy, NEVER again.

It's a "License to Carry Handgun", not "License to Carry Handgun As Long As There Are No Police Officers Around."

Imagine having to always type out LTCHALATANPOA.

 

[ATM]

...Imagine having to always type out LTCHALATANPOA.

I would call mine LawrenceofArabia just to keep it simple.

 

[AndersonIN]

I would call mine LawrenceofArabia just to keep it simple.

I go with LarryanArab myself

 

[bulldog]

LarryanArab NICE!!!!

 

[trapperDave]

just clicked on the link, article is no longer there LOL

sorry if this has already been mention. lost interest in readin on about page 8

 

[Rookie]

As you can see just like on here the police can't even agree among themselves!

Visiting from TN

And yes that was me!!! LOL

Spying on them..........admitted my 'stealth isn't what it used to be'. Some times their 'defective' work scares me!

I really can't stand that forum.

 

[N8RV]

Interesting read ...

If you didn't follow AndersonIN's link to the LEO forum, there was a link posted by one of the LEOs to Indiana case law that pretty much established that, absent provocation by the driver or evidence of potential threatening action toward the officer, there is generally no legal grounds for a LEO to search a vehicle for a gun and/or disarm the driver.

http://www.indygunsafety.com/Washington.htm

However, in the ensuing discussion among the LEOs on that site, it was glaringly evident that opinions were all over the board. Some felt that LEO safety trumps individual rights of the driver, and that control of a traffic stop empowers the LEO to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure his safety. Others thought that field stripping a driver's gun was pretty much bad policy and could land the LEO and his department in hot legal water.

As an obedient rules-follower by nature who has no reason to disrespect any LEO, I WANT to believe that any officer who approaches my truck for something as mundane as a burned out light or a few miles over the limit would not be on high alert as he sees that my window is down, my interior light is on, my license and registration are in hand and both hands are on the steering wheel. And that, if shown the courtesy of my announcing that I'm licensed to carry and have guns in the vehicle, he would simply say, "Thanks for letting me know. Just keep your hands right where they are and we'll be fine. License and registration, please ..."

However, after reading this and similar threads, I'm not as confident. The thought of some hot-shot Barney Fife disassembling my handgun and tossing it in the back seat pisses me off. And, being pissed off, I'd probably open my big mouth and start citing chapter and verse of case law to inform him that he's in big trouble ... and that's ALWAYS a bad idea.

Beyond that, the officer in the case cited handcuffed the driver before searching the vehicle. I can only cringe as I contemplate being cuffed by the hood of my vehicle -- with people I know possibly driving by -- all so that my vehicle can be (illegally?) searched WHEN I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG AND AM LAWFULLY EXERCISING MY 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHT!

I guess I still haven't made up my mind whether I'll volunteer the information that I'm armed -- and therefore, obviously, dangerous -- if I am pulled over.

In those infamous words, "Can't we all just get along?"

 

[Jack Burton]

I must admit when I first read the article it ticked me off. I was probably one of the first five people who read it after he posted it. I gave my response to it, but then thought that the readers deserved more than just my opinion to show that it was he that was in the wrong and not just my opinion against his (and him being a LEO.)

I then posted the essay to here, gunrightsmedia and The High Road. From there it spread all by itself to Glock Talk, Sig Talk, Free Republic and many other national and regional forums. I also posted it on Keep and Bear Arms, which lead with the story yesterday morning.

Pretty much every one in the forums had the same response we did, with a number of them also posting their thoughts on the original essay.

I publish my own essays on that site, and I really dislike giving another poster who is just trying to share his thoughts such grief that he feels compelled to take down the essay. The site is designed for communications, not non-communications. {Shameless self promotional link: http://jack-burton.hubpages.com/ }

However, I just could not hold with the idea that his "way" of doing a traffic stop would somehow influence people into believing that was the approved, moral, ethical and legal way of doing it. Given the choice I would have much preferred his essay stay up, and with all the remarks attached. I hope he changed his mind for the real reason it came down.

Communication is a two way street sometimes. He communicated his thoughts, and we communicated back to him. The entire episode is a telling story of the influence of both the internet and the grass roots gun community. Let's hope we have similar victories in the future when those with bad ideas present them as good.

 

[Jarhead1775]

What a read.... Took quite sometime to get it all read. I am new to the civilian handgun carry world, but carried while deployed and regularly have long guns with me.

Im almost confused with as much back and forth as there was......

I am familiar with about 85% of the LEOs in my area as they are of me. With that said, if they ask... I would most likely inform, even though most would not even ask. As far as out of my local area... well that I do not know. I guess it would fall into the area of the attitude of the LEO and your own, that and the offense causing the stop. I learned in the Military "Out of sight, Out of mind" and it rings true in most cases... about 98%. I also learned not to volunteer information that is not requested or required. Sometimes not opening your mouth is the best course of action for everyone... and then you have "Those" times. Most of which usually does not benefit anyone.