Wondering if anyone yet has been pulled over in New Jersey, while carrying a weapon either openly or concealed.

Interested in the following:

1. Have you been pulled over while carrying?
2. Did you inform?
3. Did the officer know if you had a PTC?
4. Did the officer ask if you had any weapons?
5. Did the officer ask other related questions?
6. What was the officer's demeanor? Aggressive, passive, concerned, etc?
7. If you did inform the officer that you are armed, did you feel like it made you less likely or more likely to receive a ticket?
8. Considering that many of us do not yet have our PTC, how do you think you might handle questions #1 and #2?

1. Have you been pulled over while carrying?

Not yet, but it's only been 4 days.

2. Did you inform?

N/A

3. Did the officer know if you had a PTC?

N/A

4. Did the officer ask if you had any weapons?

Never have in the past traffic stops, except the one time I didn't cover my gun stuff with a blanket.

5. Did the officer ask other related questions?

Just the usual

"where are you going" - Home

"where are you coming from" - 1st answer name of town. 2nd answer a range in said town.

6. What was the officer's demeanor? Aggressive, passive, concerned, etc?

Neutral

7. If you did inform the officer that you are armed, did you feel like it made you less likely or more likely to receive a ticket?

I wasn't really armed, just transporting. Once the Trooper was down the firearms path (which ended nowhere) he seemed to have forgotten about writing a traffic ticket.

8. Considering that many of us do not yet have our PTC, how do you think you might handle questions #1 and #2?

I'm going to be carrying concealed. There is no reason the LEO will know I'm armed in the usual run of a traffic stop. If for some reason they ask me to step out of the vehicle, it is more than likely they will do a Terry pat down - not that I'm planning on doing anything so crazy that they should feel the need to remove me from the vehicle. Before stepping out I would then tell them that I have a permit to carry a handgun and that it is holstered on my right hip. Then I'd ask them how they want me to proceed. 

My personal preference would be that we all agree to keep our guns holstered as an accident is far more likely while handling a gun than leaving it in its holster.

From the cops I know (hundreds)  If for some reason I had to disclose that I had a gun on me and they want to secure it for the stop I would request that if the cop who wanted me to disarm that if he/she/whatever were not familiar with all types of  guns to have a experienced firearm arm handler respond as I would hate to be shot with my own gun by the cop as they "try" to unload it.   dont know that exact percentage but if I had to say I would say that about 90% of cops only know the gun they were issued.   It's much safer if it were to stay in my holster.

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8 hours ago, Mr.Stu said:

My personal preference would be that we all agree to keep our guns holstered as an accident is far more likely while handling a gun than leaving it in its holster.

Indeed. If its in a holster, trigger guard covered, its not going to ND on its own. The moment you pull it out, the potential for the kind of mistake that makes all look bad is present.

My thought would be that if the officers dont get some sort of automated notification that the person has PTC, I am not going to inform. We're not used to carry here in NJ, and even moreso, the officers aren't. Some are hostile, some are nervous, some are cool. Why try to figure out which one Im dealing with unnecessarily? I know Im not a threat but the officer doesn't necessarily know that. Although.... with the amount of BS we have to go through in NJ to get these permits, the fact that we have one should automatically make the officer feel more at ease.... in theory.

On 10/2/2022 at 8:36 PM, g17owner said:

My thought would be that if the officers dont get some sort of automated notification that the person has PTC, I am not going to inform. 

Yep. CCP or not standard rules should still apply when interacting with police: The less said the better. 

I"m informing ONLY if he/she will see the weapon or if I have to move to get license/registration etc. 

Never offer more information than they are requesting, even then keep it minimal. 

Anytime I've been pulled over I've had ample time to grab my wallet and info. I throw them on the passenger seat, and put hands on steering wheel. Once the cop approaches I will pull out the require documents. 

 

If I get pulled over:

I plan on handing drivers license, registration, insurance and PTC over at the same time.

Let the officer decide on where he wants to go from there.

RW3

21 minutes ago, RAYWOODROW3RD said:

If I get pulled over:

I plan on handing drivers license, registration, insurance and PTC over at the same time.

Let the officer decide on where he wants to go from there.

RW3

Legit option in my opinion.  Consistent with the way people do it in states that require notification.

For me I'd rather avoid the drama that will almost certainly come with the initial traffic stops with permit holders.  I fully expect it will turn into an event where multiple backup cars and a supervisor arrive and they all look for ANYTHING they can use to jam up the driver...

7 hours ago, RAYWOODROW3RD said:

If I get pulled over:

I plan on handing drivers license, registration, insurance and PTC over at the same time.

Let the officer decide on where he wants to go from there.

RW3

Watch this and revisit your decision.

https://youtu.be/d-7o9xYp7eE

51 minutes ago, Mr.Stu said:

Watch this and revisit your decision.

https://youtu.be/d-7o9xYp7eE

You can also watch 1st & 2nd amendment audits. Audit the Audit, Lackluster, Long Island Audit. Even innocent conversation is really being used to find ways to lock you up. Zip it.

8 hours ago, RAYWOODROW3RD said:

If I get pulled over:

I plan on handing drivers license, registration, insurance and PTC over at the same time.

And c-note tucked in between.

Should go well.

6 minutes ago, Bomber said:

And c-note tucked in between.

Should go well.

Plus a PBA card and a donut? 

I have a PBA card from a good Brother of mine.

I don't travel with donuts though...

As for also presenting the Handgun Carry Permit when stopped, I'd rather let the Officer know up front then have his partner who is stationed on the other side of the car see something and yell "GUN, GUN, GUN!!!" and deal with it then.

 

Mr.Stu,

I've seen the video you posted before and it's great info BUT we all must decide how to deal with this new UNICORN (Carrying a gun) in the State of NJ.

RW3

There are lots of factors to consider, some if which you won't know in advance.

Just a couple of years ago a permit holder was arrested on his way to/from work and charged with possession of hollow points for having critical defense ammo.

All charges were eventually dropped, but the whole thing could have been avoided if the cop didn't even know the guy was in possession of his gun. I don't know if the cop drew down on him.

Concealed is concealed. If they ask, I won't lie, but I'm not going to volunteer anything to draw scrutiny for anything unrelated to the stop.

Not to worry, this will be one of the things that will be "fixed" in response to Bruen. I suspect that it will be when, not if we have duty to inform that it may actually be worse than free America and be a third degree crime or something.

dont ask

dont tell

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Not exactly on topic, but related to this, I've been wondering if NJ LEO's are receiving any special training on dealing with armed citizens, something they have not had to think much about in the past.

1 hour ago, Old Glock guy said:

Not exactly on topic, but related to this, I've been wondering if NJ LEO's are receiving any special training on dealing with armed citizens, something they have not had to think much about in the past.

You mean how not to act like a prepubecent child when you see someone legally carrying? I sure hope so. 

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7 hours ago, Mr.Stu said:

Concealed is concealed. If they ask, I won't lie, but I'm not going to volunteer anything to draw scrutiny for anything unrelated to the stop.

Right and maybe some cops would just rather not know if you're CCWing.

Moot point anyway, they'll probably have some way to check if you're a CCP holder once they run your DL. 

4 hours ago, Bomber said:

Right and maybe some cops would just rather not know if you're CCWing.

Moot point anyway, they'll probably have some way to check if you're a CCP holder once they run your DL. 

Some cops will welcome knowing that you've passed one of the most stringent background checks the State prescribes and will be able to turn down their expectation of SHTF as a result. Some cops will have the opposite reaction because they have been programmed to work with the assumption, "has gun - must be bad guy". You never know which type of officer you will be dealing with, so why take a chance?

N.B. I realize there are shades of gray between these two extremes, of course.

According to a family member who is a NJSP, there is no duty to inform and even better they have no way to know if you have a carry permit. The laser printed permits we get are not entered into a system yet thankfully and who knows if and when that will ever happen. There is no data base they can access on the cruiser computer. Remove all your NRA and 2A stickers, you're just asking for trouble. Some cops say to inform but who wants to get out of the car on a busy road and assume the position while they secure the firearm.

11 hours ago, galapoola said:

...they have no way to know if you have a carry permit.

For now...

11 hours ago, galapoola said:

Remove all your NRA and 2A stickers, you're just asking for trouble.

Yeah, I've never been a fan of decorating my vehicles with stickers of any kind.

You can never tell when some wacko in a parking lot will get triggered by a bumper-sticker and scratch your paint...

So after carrying full time in NJ and now PA, I’ve come to the realization that I have no choice. The best position to carry is openly, cross draw. They WILL see the weapon and the last thing you want in a stop is sudden movements. I automatically record all my stops with audio anyway so unless I get shot and killed I can contest any improper conduct. That said most officers were nearly always courteous in the stops I’ve been involved in. But I do realize being armed adds a different dynamic. 

1. Have you been pulled over while carrying? YES
2. Did you inform? NO
3. Did the officer know if you had a PTC? NO
4. Did the officer ask if you had any weapons? NO
5. Did the officer ask other related questions? NO
6. What was the officer's demeanor? Aggressive, passive, concerned, etc? Neutral
7. If you did inform the officer that you are armed, did you feel like it made you less likely or more likely to receive a ticket? N/A
8. Considering that many of us do not yet have our PTC, how do you think you might handle questions #1 and #2? Never volunteer info to LE (or generally in life)

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