For full disclosure, officer, I've got a gun

[treadlightly]

I had a situation with a homeless fellow camping out in a shed at a business we have an interest in. I had a good idea who it was, an affable, intellectual fellow who happens to have no home at the moment. If I had known he was the one behind the closed shed door I would have had no reluctance to just walk in and talk to him.

My inner Sherlock told me from the particular condition of the padlock on the door's sliding latch there was someone inside. My inner Sherlock could only tell me it was probably a friendly homeless guy. No guarantees. It was after dark.

I called the police. Two officers met me outside our fence. I explained the likelihood of this being a friendly person, and I said that for full disclosure, even though they probably wouldn't have known, I had a CHL and a weapon.

One of the officers grunted, and said, "Doesn't bother me. I wish more law abiding citizens would carry."

Then he turned to his partner and asked, "You got a problem with it?"

The other officer cocked his head, one eye squinted a little, and said, "Maybe I do."

Ok, I was thinking, maybe don't ask don't tell has its merits. "I will gladly defer to your judgement. I just didn't want to hide anything from you."

He leaned toward me and asked, "It's not a Hi-Point, is it?"

No sir, it's a Kahr PM9.

The homeless guy, the friendly offbeat intellectual, got a few more minutes of lodging. First things first - we chatted about guns and triggers and all sorts of stuff like the officer's own Kahr PM40.

And best of all, the whole encounter was friendly, no belligerence on anyone's part, and I had an opportunity to evangelize the power of the American Dream to a homeless guy who isn't on drugs and really could turn his life around.

[RHenriksen]

LOL! Great story, thanks

[doncb]

---- Snip -----
He leaned toward me and asked, "It's not a Hi-Point, is it?"

I resent the implication of that. I have a Hi-Point. I figure it is heavy enough to split a skull open if I hit someone with it.

[vjallen75]

we need a like button

[goose]

we need a like button

^^this^^ :-)

[OldCurlyWolf]

we need a like button

We do have this:

[ELB]

He leaned toward me and asked, "It's not a Hi-Point, is it?"

That's pretty funny.

[TxRVer]

[bblhd672]

I had a situation with a homeless fellow camping out in a shed at a business we have an interest in. I had a good idea who it was, an affable, intellectual fellow who happens to have no home at the moment. If I had known he was the one behind the closed shed door I would have had no reluctance to just walk in and talk to him.

My inner Sherlock told me from the particular condition of the padlock on the door's sliding latch there was someone inside. My inner Sherlock could only tell me it was probably a friendly homeless guy. No guarantees. It was after dark.

I called the police. Two officers met me outside our fence. I explained the likelihood of this being a friendly person, and I said that for full disclosure, even though they probably wouldn't have known, I had a CHL and a weapon.

One of the officers grunted, and said, "Doesn't bother me. I wish more law abiding citizens would carry."

Then he turned to his partner and asked, "You got a problem with it?"

The other officer cocked his head, one eye squinted a little, and said, "Maybe I do."

Ok, I was thinking, maybe don't ask don't tell has its merits. "I will gladly defer to your judgement. I just didn't want to hide anything from you."

He leaned toward me and asked, "It's not a Hi-Point, is it?"

No sir, it's a Kahr PM9.

The homeless guy, the friendly offbeat intellectual, got a few more minutes of lodging. First things first - we chatted about guns and triggers and all sorts of stuff like the officer's own Kahr PM40.

And best of all, the whole encounter was friendly, no belligerence on anyone's part, and I had an opportunity to evangelize the power of the American Dream to a homeless guy who isn't on drugs and really could turn his life around.

[Abraham]

treadlightly,

Why did you feel the need to tell the officers about being lawfully armed?

I don't understand.

I'm not being ugly, I just don't understand why you felt compelled to tell them about being armed.

What am I missing?

Thanks!

[treadlightly]

treadlightly,

Why did you feel the need to tell the officers about being lawfully armed?

I don't understand.

I'm not being ugly, I just don't understand why you felt compelled to tell them about being armed.

What am I missing?

Thanks!

A good thought, and good advice to be discreet. This was different from a traffic stop. I called them to ask for an escort into a possible confrontation. In fact, during their first few minutes with the homeless guy, their guns were holstered but they had their hands on them. Very safe, both for them and the homeless guy. I stood back, out of the way, until the conversation proved cordial.

Also, this was a department known to be respectful and friendly.

I would do the same for any law enforcement officer, known quantity or not, in this sort of situation. I asked them to help me check the shed. I believe in a situation where a citizen asks for a team effort with the police, cards on the table is probably best. That, and don't give any "stupid" vibes.

In a traffic stop, I would show the nice officer three things - my DL, my CHL, and a sunny disposition. If asked about guns, I would be completely truthful but I would let the officer lead the verbal part of the dialog.

[wil]

Did they ask you for ID when they arrived to confirm you're the individual who called them? If so, I might offer my CHL at that time along with my drivers license but not verbally say I'm armed, just let the officers speak or continue things as they see fit at that point.

My own thinking is when dealing with LE and I'm legally armed at the time, perhaps offer the CHL if it seems appropriate but do not verbally say "I have a gun" until you know what type of LE you're dealing with.
It seems offering a CHL to most LE nowadays lets them know what they need to know about yourself and even if you're armed, the CHL puts their mind at ease.


There are bonafide LE on this forum, their thoughts on the most constructive 'how-to' in a situation such as this?

[Soccerdad1995]

I see this as different than something like a random encounter with a LEO, where I would be inclined to not tell the officer whether I was armed. In this case, the OP is facing a potentially dangerous situation and there is a (small) possibility that he might actually need to use his weapon. Given that possibility, if it was me, I would definitely want to make sure the officer was not shocked by the sight of my gun.

[The Annoyed Man]

we need a like button

^^this^^ :-)

How about this?

[vjallen75]

How about this?

THAT will work!!