Saturday I was alone riding my bicycle around the block, which is a 3 mile ride since I live in the country. I was open carrying my Ruger P90. I was passed by several cars including this white unmarked SUV.
I didn't think anything of it until he turned around. He stopped in front of me and the lights went on. I don't think he was responding to a call, because he was wearing a K9 police uniform. I think he was just driving by and stopped and turned around because he saw the gun holstered on my hip. He directed me to the side of the road and asked me why I was carrying a gun. I said for personal protection. He said, and I am paraphrasing, "I know you are just excercising your right, but people get nervous when they see a gun". I said that may be true, but I'm not breaking any law. "I know you're not, but people aren't used to seeing someone riding their bike carrying a gun. I don't know you and I need to check out someone carrying a gun in public." Again, I said I'm not breaking any law by doing so.
When he asked for ID, I then asked if the only reason he was pulling me over was because of the gun. When he said yes, I said, "then you know that I'm not required to show you ID. He said "I know, but I'm asking you please to produce some ID. If you have a CPL, then I will know there are no warrants on you and we'll be done". At that point I had to make a decision. Should I take the hardline, or show him ID to get it over with? I showed him my DL and CPL and was on my way immediately. I know, here is where some of you will criticise me for not standing firm, but the guy was very polite, and was not one of those anti-gun dirty harry types, so I showed it to him. He was being polite and understanding, so I in turn was as well. After all, it is not only about "our" perception of the LEO's, but there perception of us as well.
Anyway, the encounter went well I thought, and lasted about 3 minutes and I was on my way, still open carrying all the way home.
I didn't read this whole thread, so this may have been said already, but I can't help but say something...
Yes, the cop was polite, and I wasn't there so I have to believe you that he wasn't an "anti-gun dirty harry type"... but really he was much worse than that. Pulling you over and insisting you submit to his arbitrary decisions in the name of soothing the public nerves is really worse than the anti-gun
brady bunch, for a number of reasons.
First, there is an implication that carrying a gun is a negative thing. It isn't, but by submitting to these kinds of stops you are really implicitly agreeing with the officer and supporting this frame of mind. This has been allowed to happen a lot over the last 150 years, and it is the primary foothold the anti-gunners have against us. That is, even the people carrying guns submit to police because even they know guns are bad and need to be controlled, right? Wrong.
Its really a cyclical problem. People are nervous, so you allow the cop to [nicely] step on you. People see you gladly submitting to the cops, and thus see your implication that guns are bad. Because of the implications, people get nervous around guns. Then it goes around again, and again, and again... until it becomes so compounded that we begin losing our rights again.
Secondly, you have an absolute legal right to refuse. And how does the saying go, "a right unexercised is a right lost"? If we submit to these kinds of "informal reviews" by police officers, we begin to form
de facto law. Or, in practice, we make it okay for cops to investigate guns as they are seen. We already know this isn't true, somebody else can quote the law, but we'd had to allow it to gradually move to that situation.
Finally, the worst parts of our government have been established on the foundation of greater security. It is the unfortunate trend of our era, and the Patriot Act is its poster child. Whether it involves firearms or not, we should stand against any attempt to compromise our freedom in the name of security.
If I have to choose between a Brady Campaign zealot, standing on his soapbox and shouting for strict laws and enforcement, throwing money at our leaders and spewing propaganda to support his cause; and the calm, polite police officer, admitting that you are right but asking for your concessions, just this one time, for the safety of the people.... I'll take the zealot every time. I know him, I know his strategy, and I know his goals.
Far worse is the man that soothes your ego while he plunges a knife in your back, than the man who faces you across the battlefield with an army.
I'm not suggesting you single-handedly caused the breakdown of society with this one incident, just throwing in my two cents. I think of the big picture when I see these small snippets. And don't forget: There is always a polite way to handle these situations and handle them in your favor.
