Open Carry Open Dialogue

I like this advice from David French in National Review, a concealed carry permit holder, on what he does when he’s pulled over:

I’m both a concealed-carry permit holder (in Tennessee we call it a “handgun carry permit”) and a habitual speeder. I’ve been pulled over numerous times — fortunately so far without incident. Here’s what I do:

First, I presume that the officer is going to be on heightened alert since he’s run my plates, knows I have a carry permit, and assumes that I have a gun in my truck.

Second, As he approaches the truck, I make sure that he can see both my hands at all times and that I have my license, carry permit, insurance card, and registration already out and visible in my left hand.

Third, I greet him warmly and respectfully, apologize for my obvious wrongdoing, and immediately tell him if I have a weapon and where it is. (I don’t make any moves to point at it or show him where it is.)

Fourth, aside from handing him my identification, I keep both hands on the wheel — right in his line of vision.

When I’ve followed those steps, law enforcement has been unfailingly polite and professional. Since I’ve gotten my permit, I’ve never had a bad or remotely tense experience. However, I’m in no way implying that Castile or his girlfriend did anything wrong (we don’t have tape of the actual shooting and don’t know precisely how it happened), I’m merely explaining how I’ve handled traffic stops as a lawfully armed citizen. This is exactly the approach we were taught (by a cop) in our carry class, and it’s the approach I’ve followed religiously ever since.

Finally, yes I know I should speed less. That’s my fault, and when one is carrying a weapon it is irresponsible to engage in behavior that increases interaction with the police – in fact, that’s generally good advice. The best way to avoid tense police encounters is to avoid the behavior that triggers police encounters.

More on what to do when stopped by police while you’re carrying concealed from Sig Sauer Academy:

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

E.J. Smith is the Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH, where he completed course-work in Practical and Defensive Handgun, Conceal Carry Pistol, Shotguns, Precision Scope Rifle and Kidnapping Prevention. E.J. plays a Yamaha Recording Custom drum set with Zilldjian cymbals. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@youngresearch.com. Sign up here to receive all the best content from Richardcyoung.com each week.