Quote:
Originally Posted by EM2
Here in Fresno County, notification is strictly voluntary.
In fact our instructor advised us to be careful if in a CCW unfriendly county such as SF. There are a great many LEOs who have never seen a CCW and in some places do not know they are legal.
Now that being said, I do appreciate all of the advice and situational descriptions, and will take these in consideration if I should have any LEO contact.
I do believe however that it should not be mandatory and that each individual should have the discretion to notify or not.
I am still unsure how notification goes toward officer safety??? If I am stopped by an officer and have my firearm with me I am no more a threat to his safety than without my firearm. I could understand the argument for notification for the safety of the CCW holder perhaps.
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I don't believe that the policy of wanting to be notified is for their safety directly, you are right about your proclivity to attack a police officer.
The concern seems (and quite rationally so to me) that the officer could detect the presence of a weapon and act accordingly to increase his/her safety margin thereby putting someone (most likely you) in a riskier situation than necessary. This is true whether you are pulled over as a bank robbery suspect or standing in line at Burger King.
As stated earlier, it is not a general expectation of an officer to run into an armed citizen. When they do they have to determine what your intent is and if that puts them or the general public at risk. By identifying your status as a CCW holder you can help alleviate that concern. Unless your actions or demeanor would indicate otherwise.
All that being said, it seems obvious that if you want to keep your permit you would adhere as strictly as possible to the conditions of your permit.