Originally Posted by rdret1
If you are a CCW holder:
1. As soon as an officer approaches, even before he first speaks to you, keep your hands where they can be seen and inform him that you have a CCW whether you have your firearm with you or not. In NC, this is actually part of the law and responsibility of the CCW carrier.
2. If you have your firearm, tell the officer where it is (holstered on your hip, in the glove compartment, between the seats, etc.). KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE THEY CAN BE SEEN! Never reach for the firearm while saying "it is right here." NEVER APPEAR TO BE REACHING FOR SOMETHING UNSEEN BY THE OFFICER. This includes while the officer is approaching your vehicle.
3. Follow the officer's instructions. Some will ask you to exit the vehicle and either leave the weapon where it is or do like I do and ask to take possession of the firearm. Do not attempt to give the firearm to the officer, let the officer take it from you. Your hands should never come in proximity of the weapon.
4. No matter what the stop is for, maintain your composure and a cooperative, respectful attitude. This does not mean that you have to give permission to have your vehicle searched if you do not want to. That is a seperate issue from the legal possession of a firearm. You can decline the request for search consent while still cooperating within CCW law constraints.
Law enforcement, like any other occupation, has those who may specialize in certain areas while being relatively unfamiliar with other areas. The fact that some officers are unfamiliar with some firearms laws is indicative of that. Some officers can barely qualify every year or semi-annually, whichever their department requires. Some officers are experts at juvenile law, some with domestic law, others with traffic or firearms, etc.
Each officer tends to gravitate toward that which interests them the most. It is unreasonable to expect an individual officer to be familiar with the hundreds, or even thousands, of laws which may apply in their specific jurisdiction, not to mention the fact that these laws tend to change or be amended every election cycle. Most departments tend to focus training on the issues they view as the most important at the time. Usually, these are drugs; break-ins; assaults; homicides; or whatever the citizenry is complaining about the most at the time.
Some departments restrict the actions of their officers, compartmentalizing the training and experience. Traffic units only deal with traffic; warrants are only written by detectives; patrol only answers calls and take initial reports; etc. (fortunately, my department is not like this).
In my experience, it is easy to understand how some officers may not have been familiar with PA's firearms laws. It is not, however, an excuse to act unprofessionally. I am sure there were other officers on the shift who were familiar and could have answered questions if they had been asked.
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