Airgun, Car, Police

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So you know what to do with a firearm and what to say - obeying all the local transport laws. Now, Airguns legally are different but safety with proper identification is still important among other things.



So, when you get pulled over do you mention your Airgun? Do you wait until he asks? Do you not mention if since it isn’t a firearm? Does transporting make you uncomfortable? Do you have any advice?



Thought this would be a good thread for the old timers to share for the never shooters



-Lt
 
Attitude and posture are the most important, I think. Window down, hands at 10 and 2, and a cheerful greeting. I have an extended cab pickup, and the rifle(s) are always in the back seat, usually in a hard case. I've only had two stops in the last ten years, and both went as smoothly as if I didn't even have them in the truck. In my opinion, most officers are going to be as relaxed and calm as you are. If not, keep smiling, and stay calm. If you've got to have a disagreement with a lawman, do it in court. Then again, things are different here in North Carolina than they are in some of our more liberal states.

James
 
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Just my story of the POLICE,,,,

Back about 1981 I was in a pasture just looking around with my FWB 124 with a blue ribbon scope, my van was pulled to the side of the road, It was getting dark and I walked back to my van when a car came speeding up lights flashing , Over the speaker the man said drop the gun,,, OH man I paid a tick over like 500 dollars for my FWB I was not going to drop it so I opened up the van side door and placed it on the carpet,,,, I think he was a constable. Any way he came charging up calling me names, Dumb ass for having a deer rifle so close to houses , (Not a house with in a 1/2 mile) He handcuffed me in front of his car, Ask me what I was hunting , I said nothing I was going to sight my gun in and could not find anything to shoot at,,, He lied and said he could hear me shooting miles and miles down the road,,, At this time I shut up and said nothing as he rambled on ,,, He walked to the van looked in the side door where the FWB 124 was laying a long time passed he had his flash light out and shining in the van. He came back to his car took the hand cuffs off never said a word got in his car peeled out in the dirt and left,,,,

Now days I am very careful when I pull a PCP out anywhere I know its a pellet gun, But It dam sure does not look like a pellet gun.

That and a couple more reasons I got out of law enforcement and got in the medical field ...

Mike
 
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lol airgunmike56, thats why I dont hunt Iguana here in south Florida, I can picture a cop or even a CC hero shootin my ass thinking I'm a lunatic sniper. My opinion is keep them out of sight if you can like your trunk or laying on your back seat covered with a blanket and if asked you tell the officer its a bb/pellet gun. BTW my pellet guns are never loaded while transporting them.
 
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I live in the uk, different country, different laws and I i much less likely to be shot by the police (they don’t carry weapons) even so I do everything I can to transport my airguns as safely and securely as I can. Always unloaded, I don’t keep magazines or pellet in the same case as the gun and I always keep the cases padlocked. 


I have been stopped a few times at night while returning from hunting, each time I have been asked “where am I going, where have I come from?” I answer them politely and honestly and ask if they would like to see my gun (guns) so far none have bothered to look inside the cases.



If you are doing nothing illegal and are not confrontational then why wouldn’t you tell them, particularly when a lot of the more modern airguns look assault rifles than pellet shooters.





Bb
 
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I have an LTC. The cop knows this from running my plate number. The first question he usually asks me is where is your pistol? I haven't been asked about any other weapons in years. I was asked one time to pop my trunk and step out of the car. He removed my .45 from my holster, put it in the trunk and closed it. We then proceded with the reason for the stop, and I got the usual warning. He told me I could reholster my gun a block down the road if I wanted.
 
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I'm assuming you are already following rules of your state game commission/hunting board or whatever for transporting your air rifle, likely stored in a case and unloaded. If an officer asks if you have any firearms or weapons in the car, say you have your pellet rifle stored unloaded. In my case, I would offer to present my resident hunting license and hunter education card [$40 bucks total online]. Otherwise don't bring it up, you aren't breaking the law or under a duty to disclose what you are carrying.

I will say from my legal courses on firearm laws in the context of concealed carry permits that the recommendation is not to offer the officer an opportunity to inspect your ccp, but to comply with they ask to see it. I'm not sure if that recommendation transfers over to this scenario or not.
 
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I've been pulled over several times because I don't have a front license plate.

Each time I greet the officer, hand him my drivers license, license to carry a firearm, and vehicle insurance. Each time they ask me if I'm carrying my firearm, I confidently answer "yes sir I am". They've never once asked to see it or what type it is.

Each time they've handed back my cards, and said "thanks for helping to keep our county safe", "front license plates are required in Texas so please get yerself another plate".

Makes me proud to live in Texas. 

I back the blue 💙 

If I was travelling with an air gun in an unfriendly state... when the officer asks if there are any weapons in car I would respond "There are no firearms in the car, but there is a pellet rifle in a case in the trunk." Police don't like surprises or being lied to.
 
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Better to be honest about it than to catch the cop off guard and him over react to it, thinking a gun is involved and you just lied to him.

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This is how I personally handle it
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Years ago back in my LEO days, I made a night stop in a rural area on the side of a County Farm to Market Road. I walk up to the driver door and shine my SL-20 into the car as I introduce myself and ask for his DL and insurance. He hands me his DL and then leans over to the passenger side to get his insurance out of of the glove compartment. This is normal and no big deal. As I normally did in those situations, I shined the flashlight into the glove compartment as he opened it. Sitting on top of all the papers in there was a pistol with the barrel facing the passenger door, so pointing away from me. Without saying anything he slightly shrugs one shoulder as if he is thinking to himself, "Oh. Duh. Airgun," but never say that. He just grabs it to get it out of the way. Another officer had rolled up and was walking up the passenger side. I shouted, "GUN," and immediately unholstered. Mike dropped back and took a position and unholstered. My K-9 exited the vehicle and reported for duty next to me barking like a big bore cannon. I was yelling for him to drop the gun. As soon as he did we pulled him from the vehicle, and got him out of traffic. Once it all calmed down I had a discussion with him at the back of his car and explained that had the barrel been facing me when he picked it up things could have ended very badly that night. 

It was an error based in lack of training, not malice so I let him go. I don't think I even wrote him for the original stop, but I'll bet he never does that again and if he has kids, I bet he trains them better.
 
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I've been pulled over several times because I don't have a front license plate.

Each time I greet the officer, hand him my drivers license, license to carry a firearm, and vehicle insurance. Each time they ask me if I'm carrying my firearm, I confidently answer "yes sir I am". They've never once asked to see it or what type it is.

Each time they've handed back my cards, and said "thanks for helping to keep our county safe", "front license plates are required in Texas so please get yerself another plate".

Makes me proud to live in Texas. 

I back the blue 
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If I was travelling with an air gun in an unfriendly state... when the officer asks if there are any weapons in car I would respond "There are no firearms in the car, but there is a pellet rifle in a case in the trunk." Police don't like surprises or being lied to.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the last part especially. Just a curtesy for them since they deal with so much junk daily
 
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Ditto here - treat it like a firearm. 

In addition to window already rolled down, hands 10 and 2, if it is dusk or dark out I will turn on the cars interior lights so they can easily see there is no immediate threat to them in the vehicle. Only been pulled over a couple of times for speeding but giving respect goes a long way in getting respect in return. 
 
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I have a concealed carry and have been through more "routine" traffic checks than actual stops (though such has lessened greatly in the last few years). The only rare times there was any issue at all was IF they asked you to exit the vehicle then they would want to take the handgun. Most often, it was simply a matter of verifying that you had it and after noting that you weren't DUI you moved on.
 
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I keep all "guns"locked in trunk away from "ammo".Simple thing to do.

Back in the day I was parked on deserted street,listening to some Jimi Hendrix,a cop pulls up and opens my door,a cap pistol falls to the street,faster than that I have a gun pointed at my face,hey it is a cap pistol officer....stupid me,have no idea how it got there,anyhow I was taken to the police station and otherwise harassed,I deserved it,but it keep going on and on so I told the officer we was just getting even with me for scaring him......he agreed and took me back to my 56 Ford panel truck,I told him he could have the cap pistol.He was a seasoned and well trained officer.

My thought now-a-days..Never ever put yourself or others into a stupid situation....I still can picture that officers gun pointed a foot from my face.

No I have no firearms,but pellet rifle locked in my truck.
 
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