Follow-up to the "Just an Opinion" thread

[Mike_Fontenot]

In the "Just an Opinion" thread, terminal.logic wrote:

"Is there a logical reason why you would not inform police you were lawfully armed?"

One logical reason is that I have read numerous accounts where the cop over-reacted. Most cops don't over-react ... they realize that CCW permit holders are much LESS likely to be a threat to them than the average motorist. But a few cops are unreasonable. Hopefully, that will gradually change, as CCW becomes more common, with a longer established track record.

Mike Fontenot

[Citicop]

Mike-

Welcome to RP.

If you intend to stay, consider posting an intro so we know something about you. It is generally considered impolite to start a thread commenting on another thread as your very first post to the site.

I moved this thread out of "Ask a Cop" due to the lack of a question in it. It is more appropriate in the "General Law Enforcement Topics" section.

To address your point, it seems disingenuous for a CCW holder to act based on annecdotal evidence of a few officers overreacting. After all, you would not want the cop making a decision based on anecdotal evidence of a few CCW holders misusing their weapons...

The bottom line is that surprises on the street are dangerous. It is safer for everyone involved for the officer to be informed.

-Citicop.

[MikeG]

In the "Just an Opinion" thread, terminal.logic wrote:

"Is there a logical reason why you would not inform police you were lawfully armed?"

One logical reason is that I have read numerous accounts where the cop over-reacted. Most cops don't over-react ... they realize that CCW permit holders are much LESS likely to be a threat to them than the average motorist. But a few cops are unreasonable. Hopefully, that will gradually change, as CCW becomes more common, with a longer established track record.

Mike Fontenot

Makes no logical sense to me as this is a classic "prisoners dilemma."

The bottom line of this prisoners dilemma: if you think they overreact when you tell them you are armed, think about how they react when they discover on their own.

Once that's understood, the decision point moves to the "always disclose" decision box.

[Kimble]

Mike,

If you're going to reply to one individual regarding a thread you don't have access to reply to (such as Ask-A-Cop), use the the Private Message function. Don't start a thread just to talk to one person.

In the "Just an Opinion" thread, terminal.logic wrote:

"Is there a logical reason why you would not inform police you were lawfully armed?"

One logical reason is that I have read numerous accounts where the cop over-reacted. Most cops don't over-react ... they realize that CCW permit holders are much LESS likely to be a threat to them than the average motorist. But a few cops are unreasonable. Hopefully, that will gradually change, as CCW becomes more common, with a longer established track record.

Mike Fontenot