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If Stopped By Police While Carrying Concealed Is It Sufficient Notice To Just Hand Over My CPL Card

Michigan Concealed Pistol License (CPL)

Michigan Coalition For Responsible Gun Owners

Michigan - -(Ammoland.com)- – Q: If I get pulled over by the police while I am lawfully carrying a concealed pistol, is it considered sufficient notice to hand over my Concealed Pistol License (CPL) with my Driver’s License?

A: Maybe not.

MCL 28.425f(3) states: “An individual licensed under this act to carry a concealed pistol and who is carrying a concealed pistol and who is stopped by a peace officer shall immediately disclose to the peace officer that he or she is carrying a pistol concealed upon his or her person or in his or her vehicle.” The penalty for a first offense includes a $100 fine, and a CPL suspension of up to six months.

In one case, the driver handed his CPL over to the officer who stopped him. He did this because he had been told by a reliable source (an experienced police officer from another jurisdiction) that it is considered dangerous to use the word “gun” when talking to an officer on the road side since officers yell, “Gun!” to one another when a dangerous person displays a firearm. The driver was ticketed for the non-disclosure. In subsequent trial, the dashboard video camera record showed that it was approximately 40 seconds after the officer arrived at the driver’s window that the driver verbally disclosed his concealed pistol.

The court found that the simple act of handing over the CPL was not adequate disclosure and that the 40-second delay before verbally disclosing was not “immediate disclosure.”

So, the only safe course of action if you are pulled over is to make your disclosure as soon as the officer gets up to the window. In order to try to avoid what police officers often refer to as “a heightened sense of awareness.” (their way of saying that they are alarmed or frightened,) you should maintain a calm tone of voice and demeanor and simply tell the officer that you have a valid Concealed Pistol License and that you are carrying. You do not have to use the word “gun.”

Note that the statute does not require you disclose when you have a CPL and are NOT carrying. However, some officers will be alerted to the fact that you have a CPL before they approach your car. You may want to have a brief conversation with the officer even on days when you are not carrying, simply to avoid any confusion or misapprehension.

Note also that it is a good idea to avoid rummaging around in your passenger compartment as the officer is walking up to your vehicle. If it is dark out, turn on your interior lights, turn off your car stereo and keep your hands in plain sight on the wheel until the officer establishes contact. Remember that the police have dangerous job and your interaction will go more smoothly if you show that you are not a threat to the officer’s safety.

Steve Dulan (www.StevenWDulan.com) is a member of the Board of Directors of the MCRGO and the MCRGO Foundation, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the MCRGO Foundation. He is an attorney in private practice in East Lansing and Adjunct Professor of firearms law at The Thomas M. Cooley Law School. as well as an NRA Life Member.

About:
The Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Formed from just eight people in 1996, we now have thousands of members and numerous affiliated clubs across the state. We’re growing larger and more effective every day.

Our mission statement is: “Promoting safe use and ownership of firearms through education, litigation, and legislation” Visit: www.mcrgo.org

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The Legal Ramifications Of Traveling With My Pistol

Michigan Coalition For Responsible Gun Owners

Michigan - -(Ammoland.com)- - Q: I am a Michigan CPL holder planning vacation travel by car, and I am planning to bring my pistol along for safety. What are the legal ramifications of traveling with my pistol?

A: According to the US Code, (Title 18, Part I, Chapter 44, Section 926A)

“Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, that in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.”

This means that you can travel with your gun, even through states that don’t allow their citizens to protect themselves, or that do not yet have reciprocal agreements with Michigan, as long as it is legal at both ends of your trip, and you are lawfully in possession of it.

You don’t mention which states you are traveling through or visiting. If you are traveling in states that have concealed pistol reciprocity with Michigan, you must abide by the specifics of concealed pistol in each state that you visit. As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Reciprocity just means that the other state recognizes your CPL as a license in their state. But, the details of concealed carry vary widely from state to state. So, you must research the laws in each state that you intend to visit and be sure to comply.

Even if you are traveling through a state that outlaws self-defense with firearms, such as Illinois, you are allowed to do so by the above federal statute. But, you need to lock it up, either in your trunk, or a locked gun case if you have a van or SUV. And, you must lock up your ammo separately. The best advice is to put such locked cases as far from the driver as possible. Also, it is generally accepted that the storage space behind the tilting bench seat of a traditional two-door pickup truck is inaccessible to the driver.

Review – Michigan’s Handgun Registration Law
Applicable only to individuals who are licensed to carry a concealed pistol in Michigan.

Public Acts 194, 195, and 196 were passed in Jan 2008. The primary change was to MCL 28.422a:

“…(2) If an individual licensed under section 5b purchases or otherwise acquires a pistol, the seller shall complete a record in quadruplicate on a form (RI-060) provided by the department of state police. The record shall include the purchaser’s concealed weapon license number. The purchaser shall sign the record. The seller may retain 1 copy of the record. The purchaser shall receive 3 copies of the record and forward 2 copies to the police department of the city, village, or township in which the purchaser resides, or, if the purchaser does not reside in a city, village, or township having a police department, to the county sheriff, within 10 days following the purchase or acquisition. The return of the copies to the police department or county sheriff may be made in person or may be made by first-class mail or certified mail sent within the 10-day period to the proper address of the police department or county sheriff. A purchaser who fails to comply with the requirements of this subsection is responsible for a state civil infraction and may be fined not more than $250.00. If a purchaser is found responsible for a state civil infraction under this subsection, the court shall notify the department of state police and the concealed weapon licensing board that issued the license of that determination.

(3) Within 48 hours after receiving the record copies returned under subsection (2), the police department or county sheriff shall forward 1 copy of the record to the department of state police. The police department or county sheriff shall retain the other copy of the record as an official record for not less than 6 years. Within 10 days after receiving the record copies returned under subsection (2), the police department or county sheriff shall electronically enter the information into the pistol entry database as required by the department of state police if it has the ability to electronically enter that information. If the police department or county sheriff does not have that ability, the police department or county sheriff shall provide that information to the department of state police in a manner otherwise required by the department of state police. Any police department or county sheriff that provided pistol descriptions to the department of state police under former section 9 of this act shall continue to provide pistol descriptions to the department of state police under this subsection. The purchaser has the right to obtain a copy of the information placed in the pistol entry database under this subsection to verify the accuracy of that information. The police department or county sheriff may charge a fee not to exceed $1.00 for the cost of providing the copy. The purchaser may carry, use, possess, and transport the pistol for 30 days beginning on the date of purchase or acquisition only while he or she is in possession of his or her copy of the record. However, the person is not required to have the record in his or her possession while carrying, using, possessing, or transporting the pistol after this period. …”

Additional Information:
Pistol Registration, Purchase, and Transfer for Michigan Residents
Purchasing and Registering a Pistol in Michigan
Pistol Sales Record – Form RI-060 (10/2008)

About:
The Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Formed from just eight people in 1996, we now have thousands of members and numerous affiliated clubs across the state. We’re growing larger and more effective every day.

Our mission statement is: “Promoting safe use and ownership of firearms through education, litigation, and legislation” Visit: www.mcrgo.org

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