TexasCHLforum.com

chabouk wrote:I'm a little contrarian when it comes to civil rights, so if I was a passenger, I would resist showing any ID; none is required to be a passenger, and this is not a "papers please!" state. Unless you're under arrest, you have no legal obligation to identify yourself in any way.

Of course if the officer demands ID and you present it, you must also present your CHL if you're armed. Although I have to say, this would be the perfect time to not present the CHL, since there's no longer any penalty for not doing so.

I realize that resistance to police requests raises red flags, of the "If you've got nothing to hide..." variety. I find it incredibly sad that standing on one's rights is considered "suspicious behavior" these days.

I'm sure most people here have seen and cheered "Make Mine Freedom", the animated short produced by Harding College in 1948. One of my favorite parts: the defiant homeowner facing down three towering police officers on his front porch, demanding to know "Where's your warrant, flatfoot?"

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Link jumps directly to that short segment.)

Such open defiance and standing on Constitutionally-guarantee rights some 61 years later is frowned upon; we're advised to save arguments for the judge, not the cop. When someone is hassled, detained excessively, threatened, coerced, and possibly even arrested without grounds, we hear cries of "That's why I always show my ID when I'm asked!" And, sadly, such speakers mean to imply that they are doing the right thing, and the one who stands on his rights is somehow wrong.

AEA wrote:If I had what you have in your wallet, I wouldn't worry too much about it.