CHL Traffic Stop stories. What Is yours?

[zaraster]

The one and only time I have been stoped with my CHL was by DPS on the 4th of july when I was comeing back into town about 10:00 at night after a day at my uncles land and lake.

I was pulled over for not using my blinker when exiting the Highway
I turned on my dome light opened the windows had my hands on the wheel when the officer came up. I also hat my 2 licenses and Ins card in hand. I handed them to him he gave my chl back to me and never ask about my weapon. He ran me and wrote me a warning ticket and told me to have a nice night. All in all a good stop.

 

[brainiac]

The few times I've been stopped since I've had my CHL all resulted in pleasant conversation about guns and other things and verbal warnings. One state trooper gave me a written warning but then actually apologized for stopping me! Never had that happen before the CHL. So far it seems to be like a "get out of jail free" card.

 

[baboon]

Two out three were warnings. Third time I think the cop was intimidated by the fact that I was so well armed. When he looked at my CHL he asked where was the gun. I asked which one! The fact that I was carrying a pistol & back up pistol really just started it. Then with an evil black gun he seemed to loose it.

 

[ambidextrous1]

I was detained briefly by a DPS officer for walking on a bridge with my car parked nearby (don't ask why ). He asked me to get into his pickup, which I did, with driver's license & CCW permit in hand. When he found out that I was armed, he asked me to get out of the vehicle & relieved me of the Kel-Tec in my pants pocket. He tossed it on the seat of his vehicle & asked to see my vehicle registration & insurance. Aftr a recitation of the risks of walking on a bridge, he wrote me a warning, unloaded my pistol, put the mag & spare bullet in a baggie, and returned pistol & baggie to my pants, on the weak side .

It was all very civil; as we parted, I complimented him on his thoroughness and compassion. For the first time in our brief encounter, he smiles...slightly.

 

[Texas1911]

Hhaha, he put them in a baggie? That's pretty funny.

 

[JKTex]

Interesting stories so far. I have none to tell though.

A couple of comments though. 2 of the stories have issues that could have made them go unpleasantly.

When you hand a LEO your ID's, it's the same as him asking you for them and you're required to tell him you're armed; not wait until they ask. You got lucky with that one I think.

And baboon. It's no wonder the it didn't go real smooth. Again, you handed him your CHL and should have told him you had a hand gun. But he asked and you answered with a question. The answer should have been the location each one. To answer like that would give anyone the impression you're being cocky rather than responsible and cooperative about it. You're description of him "losing it" is no surprise. Hopefully you embellished for IDA (internet dramatic affect) otherwise, that's the kind of thing that makes it tougher for other CHL holders.

And the whole baggy thing. That is just goofy! Wonder if they expect you to keep it that way now?

 

[Texas1911]

And the whole baggy thing. That is just goofy! Wonder if they expect you to keep it that way now?

At least you won't have to clean your gun very often

 

[zaraster]

Interesting stories so far. I have none to tell though.

A couple of comments though. 2 of the stories have issues that could have made them go unpleasantly.

When you hand a LEO your ID's, it's the same as him asking you for them and you're required to tell him you're armed; not wait until they ask. You got lucky with that one I think.

And baboon. It's no wonder the it didn't go real smooth. Again, you handed him your CHL and should have told him you had a hand gun. But he asked and you answered with a question. The answer should have been the location each one. To answer like that would give anyone the impression you're being cocky rather than responsible and cooperative about it. You're description of him "losing it" is no surprise. Hopefully you embellished for IDA (internet dramatic affect) otherwise, that's the kind of thing that makes it tougher for other CHL holders.

And the whole baggy thing. That is just goofy! Wonder if they expect you to keep it that way now?

I see what you are saying but he had not ask for an ID yet so by handing him the chl I let him know I was licensed before I blurted out I am armed

 

[ambidextrous1]

I can only speculate about the baggie: I imagine that the DPS officers are equipped with baggies for evidence collection (a la CSI); he used the baggie as an expedient to return two smallish objects to me with minimal contact and reduced chance of dropping one of them, which may have led to a less controlled situation as we both tried to retrieve the dropped object.

The officer was alert & a bit wary; that's why he returned my firearm to the opposite (weak side) pocket.

He was also about a foot shorter and 60 pounds lighter than I.

 

[kingofwylietx]

I was pulled one night (with my wife) coming home from dinner. We were on a rural road. I was pulled over for no license plate light (which I am sure was just an excuse to check for DWI or whatever).

I pulled over, rolled down my window, killed the truck, and turned on my interior lights for him.
When he got to the window I already had my insurance, drivers license, & CHL in my hand for the officer. He told me why I was pulled over and asked if I was armed (I assume because I handed my CHL to him). I said yes & told him where I kept my pistol. He told me that he was going to hold it during our contact, and that it would be returned to me afterward. He retrieved it, unloaded it, and put it somewhere (I realled don't remember if he layed it on my truck, his car, or his pocket.....unimportant to the story). We discussed the license plate light briefly, ending in him telling me to get it fixed. He noticed that I didn't have a front license plate, he told me to put that back on the truck too. He ran my license and we finished up. He put the pistol (unloaded, he also unloaded the magazine and handed the bullets to me seperately) back where he had taken it from and told us to have a nice night.

It was a positive contact, he was very professional. I think he was sniffing for drunks or drugs. I hope all law enforcement (that I ever come into contact with) are as courteous and professional as him. I have a lot of respect for law enforcement and will mention that I have never had a bad experience with them.

 

[JKTex]

I was pulled one night (with my wife) coming home from dinner. We were on a rural road. I was pulled over for no license plate light (which I am sure was just an excuse to check for DWI or whatever).

Or it might have been because, he saw a truck driving down the road with no license plates? That's a pretty good reason to stop someone.

 

[kingofwylietx]

I guess he could have seen it that way. I would have to agree that it would be a great reason to have meet & greet.

 

[JDKRIEK]

No stories yet, but it's comforting to see it go so well for most of you. It's one of those things I wonder about and in my experience if there is an asshole in the field I'll most likely get him.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I have a lead foot and have been stopped several times, often with just verbal warnings. I have two stories that are not the norm, per se.

The first happened on I-35 in Hillsboro at the split. I had an expired inspection sticker (unbeknownst to me) and I got pulled over. I informed the older DPS officer that I had a licence for a concealed handgun and that I was carrying and gave him my ID. I noticed his partner take up a defensive position behind the C pillar of my car with his hand on his gun. The officer I was dealing with asked me where my gun was and I explained that I had one on my right hip and one in my left front pocket. He asked me why I thought I needed to carry two guns. My answer was honest, but maybe not appropriate. I said, "Because I don't have a partner standing behind the C-pillar of my car with his hand on his gun covering me like you do." He quickly glanced at his partner, said he would be right back. They then had words behind my car. Later the officer returned with a citation for me, but his partner never approached my vehicle again. To this day, I don't know if the older officer chastised his partner for being overly defensive (which is fine by me as he wasn't being threatening, just prepared) or for getting spotted so readily.

The other story isn't a traffic stop per se, but stopped while leaving my range property in Montague County about 10:00 with a truck loaded up with lawn gear from where I had been mowing my range. I had pulled the truck out of the gate as I was leaving and had exited the truck to close the gate when a Montague County Sheriff's Deputy rolled by and did a U turn and put a spot light on me. Mind you, I was still on my property, but outside of the gate, uncovered and so was open carrying (my vest to cover me was in the truck). I heard "Good evening" after the deputy exited his car but could not see him very well. I raised my hands away from my waist and explained that I was on my own property, armed (which I was not sure if he could tell or not), and that my identification and CHL were inside my right front pocket. He asked me to retrieve my licenses and to not reach for my gun and to come over to the hood of his car. I did. He explained that since it was dark and he saw me leaving the property with a bunch of equipment in the back of the truck and since he didn't know me, he just wanted to check to see that I was on the up and up. That may sound a bit like a cheap excuse, but the county only has 25,000 people in it and the deputies know or recognize a lot of the people in their patrol areas. He ran my data and then handed me back my licenses and said that he wished more folks would carry and that maybe they could have less problems. He bid me good evening and went on with his patrol...

 

[JDKRIEK]

I said, "Because I don't have a partner standing behind the C-pillar of my car with his hand on his gun covering me like you do."

Classic. Honest. Appropriate, probaly not

 

[BT1911]

Close to downtown FW by University and Camp Bowie where it seems like 15 streets come together at one intersection. I had to get over and made what I thought was a harmless lane change as there was nobody else around. A butch LEO appeared from who knows where then pulled me over and asked for ID so I gave her both. She immediately handed my CHL back to me and clipped my DL on her board and wrote me up for an improper right turn. She didn't say five words...

I tell this story to guys who say they really want to get their carry license but that the main intent is using it to beat traffic tickets...Fat chance.

 

[Bushman98]

I've been stopped 3 times since I got mine. One with, 2 without.

First time, I was coming back from Austin, with one of my buds, on new years and got stopped for going 10 over by a State Trooper. Told my buddy to keep his hands visible and I was squeezing the steering wheel with mine. Trooper asked for DL, told him I had a CHL and a gun in the car, he asked where, I told him under the seat, he asked me to step outside.... but left my buddy in the car (?!?). He informed me I was going 10 over, asked me some questions of where I was headed, and what I did for a living, kind of just chatting..... wrote me a warning and said to keep an eye out for speed traps like this one...... seriously, he said that. And we were on our way.

The other two times I did not have a gun with me, I got stopped for "taking an exit ramp to fast" ??? and another time for my plate light being out. Both times they were local cops, both times informed then I had CHL but no gun with me....both times not even a warning ticket written and let me go.

So in my instance, a CHL has been a "free" pass.

 

[kingofwylietx]

who say they really want to get their carry license but that the main intent is using it to beat traffic tickets...Fat chance.

I have to say the CHL lets the officer know that you have never been convicted of a felony, class A or B misdemeanor, and shouldn't have warrants. It doesn't tell the officer to let you off without a ticket. I think people attribute their CHL with getting them out of a ticket......when they wouldn't of gotten one anyways. Lots of people get stopped and are not ticketed for many, many reasons.

I tend to think that the folks who get CHL's are inherently less likely to get a ticket because they are not the part of the population the police want to harass..------- They stay out of trouble for the most part (of course there are exceptions). Most officers cut you a little slack for being a good citizen.

The flip side of this, I will tell in a quick story. One of my old buddies is a cop, whose personal truck was recently stolen. He doesn't write many speeding tickets, mostly looks out for drugs and drunks. He pulled a guy over and it came back that the guy was a convicted thief. My buddy said "that there was no way he was leaving without a ticket......if he had been a car thief he probably would have ended up in jail somehow".

The point is, it's probably more about you than your CHL.......but people give the credit to the CHL. That is a BAD thing, especially if people start getting them to get out of tickets. It will be WORSE if it gets to the point that we are looked at negatively for having one.

Don't tell people your CHL got you out of anything.......even if you believe it did.

 

[txinvestigator]

When you hand a LEO your ID's, it's the same as him asking you for them and you're required to tell him you're armed; not wait until they ask. You got lucky with that one I think.

And baboon. It's no wonder the it didn't go real smooth. Again, you handed him your CHL and should have told him you had a hand gun.

I don't follow. The law does not require you to tell the officer you are carrying. It simply requiers that when a Peace Officers demands that you ID yourself, you display both the CHL and DL or ID.

 

[JKTex]

I don't follow. The law does not require you to tell the officer you are carrying. It simply requiers that when a Peace Officers demands that you ID yourself, you display both the CHL and DL or ID.

You're right. Thanks for correcting me.

I've had it in my head that presenting the CHL along with DL/ID whether I'm carrying or not just made good sense, and that disclosing if I was carrying just added to the trust an LEO might have being forthright with him/her.

I got carried away...

Only when you're carrying is it "required" to present both. But if they run the DL and they find you're a CHL holder, even not carrying, I think there's a chance it'll create a trust issue.