LTC from Placer, Carry in/through L.A.?

[Fjold]

I carry in LA all the time. A couple of years ago I was pulled over for speeding in LA. When I informed the officer that I had a License for a Concealed Weapon and that I was carrying (as required by Kern County Sheriff). He wanted to know where the gun was and took my word for it when I said on my left hip. He wanted to know why I was carrying a gun. I told him that it was for personal protection and that my sheriff approved my good cause.

No felony stop, no hands up, no big deal, no asking to even keep my hands away from it.

[tenpercentfirearms]

I carry in LA all the time. A couple of years ago I was pulled over for speeding in LA. When I informed the officer that I had a License for a Concealed Weapon and that I was carrying (as required by Kern County Sheriff). He wanted to know where the gun was and took my word for it when I said on my left hip. He wanted to know why I was carrying a gun. I told him that it was for personal protection and that my sheriff approved my good cause.

No felony stop, no hands up, no big deal, no asking to even keep my hands away from it.

Chipper pulled me over in SLO County and it went the same. I told him my Ruger was in my front right pocket and he said, "Ok, well please reach into your back pocket and pull out your wallet." He gave me a warning.

[Sir Stunna Lot]

It's actually pretty simple. I own an M3 and an S2000. My last ticket was in 1990 (in a speed trap in Falls Church, VA). I can say that I drive in a "spirited" fashion.

The general rules are:
1. Make sure that YOU aren't the rabbit. NEVER be the fastest car on the road.
2. Don't be the jerk making abrupt and unsafe lane changes.
3. Keep your vehicle clean and in good operating order. All things being equal the unsafe, beat up POS will get the attention.
4. Never speed in residential zones.
5. Don't run lights/stop signs or do a "California stop".
6. If all else fails, remember that California has a "Trial by written declaration" option to contest a ticket.

It's also probably a good idea to refrain from bumper stickers that advocate illegal activities or say unkind things about law enforcement.

If you follow these rules, you will typically be watching the guys who don't follow these rules getting the tickets.

As far as the CCW, you should be good to go in the entire state. Don't let LA's empty threats keep you from exercising your Constitutional rights-after all, you have a card saying that it's OK.

and have a quality radar detector! i never drive without one

[Big Ben]

Also note that as of today, what happened above would be an EXTREMELY rare occurrence in this state. An extremely low number of agencies will automatically cross-check into AFS (where your LTC and gun reg information lives)

99.999% of the time a LEO will never know you have an LTC on a traffic stop.

Interesting. My experience happened just a few months ago.

So, is the LTC not flagged when they run your license or registration? It requires some sort of supplemental search? If so, I must have found the 0.001% that runs that cross check. It was a city police officer from a small, suburban city that pulled me over, and there was nothing about me, the vehicle, or the situation that would have prompted any sort of extra attention and cross-check.

[mej16489]

Interesting. My experience happened just a few months ago.

So, is the LTC not flagged when they run your license or registration? It requires some sort of supplemental search? If so, I must have found the 0.001% that runs that cross check. It was a city police officer from a small, suburban city that pulled me over, and there was nothing about me, the vehicle, or the situation that would have prompted any sort of extra attention and cross-check.

Correct - no flag on your license or reg.

99.999% of the time it would require a supplemental check ...
0.001% of the time it is automatically cross-checked via name and/or address - in this small percentage the officer int he field on his computer or the dispatcher might not even be aware the cross-check is happening.

Some agencies also have 'notes' that get into the system and attached to your home address which could pop up if it matches your registration or license - that's been common for quite some time.

Say for example you drive up to your home one night and you can see that all the lights are on, but you know no-one is home. You have guns 'stashed' around the house in-case of home invasion. You call 911 and ask them to come check the house. Either via 911 or in person with the arriving LEOs you decide its a good idea to let them know that there are accessible guns in the house (despite the tinfoil hatter's advice, I think one would have a moral obligation to warn them...) This simple piece of information could get 'attached' to your address.

If you've had something like that happen and a LEO feel something is hinky, that could be cause enough to request backup.

[Big Ben]

Correct - no flag on your license or reg.

99.999% of the time it would require a supplemental check ...
0.001% of the time it is automatically cross-checked via name and/or address - in this small percentage the officer int he field on his computer or the dispatcher might not even be aware the cross-check is happening.

Some agencies also have 'notes' that get into the system and attached to your home address which could pop up if it matches your registration or license - that's been common for quite some time.

Say for example you drive up to your home one night and you can see that all the lights are on, but you know no-one is home. You have guns 'stashed' around the house in-case of home invasion. You call 911 and ask them to come check the house. Either via 911 or in person with the arriving LEOs you decide its a good idea to let them know that there are accessible guns in the house (despite the tinfoil hatter's advice, I think one would have a moral obligation to warn them...) This simple piece of information could get 'attached' to your address.

If you've had something like that happen and a LEO feel something is hinky, that could be cause enough to request backup.

Thanks for the info. You learn something new every day. Because of my experience, I assumed that all LTC had some kind of flag on their license.

I must have been the random .001%, because (outside of a few traffic tickets over the last 20 years), I've never had any official interaction with law enforcement.

[Meplat]

damn, how did you manage to get an ar15 pistol on your permit? which county are you in? i wonder how sacramento county will feel about it if i tried...

When I went for my interview and the detective saw my 10"bbl Blackhawk on my list he got a puzzled look on his face and asked; "Is that thing even concealable?"

I said; "sure it is, I wear it under my coat in a shoulder holster when I varmint hunt in the winter, keeps it dry.

He just kind of shrugged and let it go.

[Knauga]

My buddy had a 8" Colt Anaconda on his CCW. When the detectives were verifying the serial numbers to add to the license there were lots of "Now THAT is a HAWG LEG!!!" comments going on, but nobody doubted the 5'5" 140 pound old guy could conceal it. The first time we went shooting together, I was looking for a gun on him, I knew he was packing. I never saw it until he drew it on the range and fired it.

[Sir Stunna Lot]

Assuming that you get pulled over, you have no obligation to inform the officer that you are licensed and carrying concealed. However, when the officer runs your DL, he will likely be notified by the dispatcher that you have a LTC, so the officer will know that you are licensed and will assume that you are carrying.

From a recent personal experience getting pulled over, I've decided that the better option is to inform the officer (with hands on steering wheel) that you have a LTC and are carrying, and where the weapon is located.

In my experience, I was pulled over and didn't even think about the fact that I was carrying. The officer came to the window, I handed him license and registration, and he went back to his vehicle ... where he stayed for an extended period. Turns out that upon finding out I had a LTC, he decided he needed backup. When the 2nd vehicle arrived and the additional officers took up their positions, the now aggravated officer returned to the window and expressed his displeasure that I hadn't informed him I was carrying. At the end of the day, I received the traffic citation and went on with my business.

Regardless of what you think of the officer's response, (let's not devolve into the "jack-booted thugs" discussion), I came to the conclusion that if the officer is going to find out I have an LTC anyway (from the dispatcher), it is in my best interest to politely let him know about it first. Anything that I can do to make the encounter less dangerous for the officer (and by extension, for myself), so much the better.

mb victim of some type of profiling? mb they thought you fit into some sort of bad stereotype and decided and run a more detailed background check?

[sreiter]

Isn't there the county under "X" people exception?

i believe if you get a LTC because you live in a rural area, you can't CCW outside that county

[wildhawker]

Isn't there the county under "X" people exception?

i believe if you get a LTC because you live in a rural area, you can't CCW outside that county

You're thinking of an open carry license to carry, and it's both based on 200,000 people and unobtanium.

-Brandon

[morrcarr67]

you also have an ar pistol on your ccw?!?!

No, I live in San Bernardino county. I just happened to know where Wes' shop is.