Proper way to handle LEO while OC

[Misterbill]

I have started to O/C on an occasional basis. Every time I do it, I wind up with most people thinking I'm a cop. Then again, as someone who's going to O/C, I dress a little nicer than average because I think of myself as representing gun owners.

If I get stopped by a cop, carrying a gun in a holster along the street, he's going to get exactly this treatment.

There was no lawful reason for the stop. So Terry is out, as is any right to disarm me. Since the stop is not lawful, I'm not required to give any ID, and I won't. The stop is unlawful. The cop is in the wrong by saying anything other than "Hello," and "How are you doing?"

Police need to get educated. Sometimes it takes an in-your face approach to do that educating.

It's not like this guy was doing anything remotely illegal, threatening or wrong. He was stopped, going about his lawful business because some cop thought he shouldn't be allowed to do so without the third degree. WRONG ANSWER.

I'm as polite as I can be in almost all situations, even where the guy in question may be wrong. But LE need to grasp that this is a RIGHT, not a privilege, and they have no more right to stop me for o/Cing than they do to stop me for carrying an umbrella.

Making that stop painful, embarassing and something they don't wish to repeat is the easiest way to accomplish that education for citizens. Though I'd certainly make a point of taking that video to the Portland Town Council and letting them see how unlawful the occurrence was.

 

[Kevatc]

This happened in Portland MAINE, not Oregon.

True and I was going to bring this fact up as well. However, Maine and Oregon have very similar if not the same OC stance.

I have started to O/C on an occasional basis. Every time I do it, I wind up with most people thinking I'm a cop. Then again, as someone who's going to O/C, I dress a little nicer than average because I think of myself as representing gun owners.If I get stopped by a cop, carrying a gun in a holster along the street, he's going to get exactly this treatment.

There was no lawful reason for the stop. So Terry is out, as is any right to disarm me. Since the stop is not lawful, I'm not required to give any ID, and I won't. The stop is unlawful. The cop is in the wrong by saying anything other than "Hello," and "How are you doing?"

Police need to get educated. Sometimes it takes an in-your face approach to do that educating.

It's not like this guy was doing anything remotely illegal, threatening or wrong. He was stopped, going about his lawful business because some cop thought he shouldn't be allowed to do so without the third degree. WRONG ANSWER.

I'm as polite as I can be in almost all situations, even where the guy in question may be wrong. But LE need to grasp that this is a RIGHT, not a privilege, and they have no more right to stop me for o/Cing than they do to stop me for carrying an umbrella.

Making that stop painful, embarassing and something they don't wish to repeat is the easiest way to accomplish that education for citizens. Though I'd certainly make a point of taking that video to the Portland Town Council and letting them see how unlawful the occurrence was.

So on the one hand you want to represent gun owners in a positive light by dressing nice when you OC but you are more than happy to get in some cops face and lecture them on the legality of OCing? Kind of a contradiction in how you want to represent gun owners don't you think?

Cops talk to one another. I'd rather have them talk about how a guy was talked to while OCing and was courteous and cooperative and gave OCing a good name than some guy who was in their face about this case law and that case law and lectured them on the Constitution.

You catch more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

You guys should go to the Washington State section of OpenCarry.org and read about the way that cops here in Washington have treated some people who were doing nothing other than open carry....
Pulled out of my apartment at gun point by swat members

Bellingham police draw down on Open Carrier

these are just a few examples of how police react to people open carrying, and the extremes to which they go when people are engaged in a lawful activity.

Now, some people might say it's the open carrier's fault for doing something legal....but hey, what do I know?

 

[JimmyS1985]

I don't like cops, as a small government liberal, I feel the conservative SCOTUS constantly passing rulings that make ordinary cops ever more and more powerful at severely impacting our day to day lives, is big government run amok.

Read an article in the NYTimes that municipalities, counties and states see their courts as an additional source for revenue than the part of the government that carries out justice. What starts out as a minor traffic ticket can turn into thousands of dollars, they consider it balancing the budgets on the back of poor people since our CCJ system does nothing in terms of caring whether people can afford to pay their fines and fees associated with their crimes.

I remember when I was 5 and they would tell us the nice police officer is here to help you. Help you how? Through fining you a significant percentage of your yearly income for a minor infraction? Eh, screw them, highway robbery use to be carried out by criminals, now its carried out by police officers.