being stopped by the police

[leebut]

Hi all


just a question???

if your returning home from either a shoot or the gun club and your stopped by the boys in blue should you declare to the officers that you have firearms in the vehicle or not??? obviously if they carry out the pnc check on the owner and vehicle prior to stopping you they will know your a firearms licence holder.

secondly if they ask you to sit in their vehicle for a short while!!! what are you supposed to do with the rifle and ammo in your vehicle if for instance its not in a covered boot, if like mine would be on the rear seat or food well as i drive a pick up truck and the rear compartment i don't class as secure enough for a firearm to be stored.


regards


Lee

[ShootingSight]

I'm from the US, so our laws are obviously different, but it seems to me that if the firearms are stored such that they are likely visible to an outsider looking in through the windows, it would be prudent to declare them up front. They are likly to see them anyhow, and if they know ahead of time, there is less surprise when they suddenly do see them.

[Andy632]

Hi all


just a question???

if your returning home from either a shoot or the gun club and your stopped by the boys in blue should you declare to the officers that you have firearms in the vehicle or not??? obviously if they carry out the pnc check on the owner and vehicle prior to stopping you they will know your a firearms licence holder.

secondly if they ask you to sit in their vehicle for a short while!!! what are you supposed to do with the rifle and ammo in your vehicle if for instance its not in a covered boot, if like mine would be on the rear seat or food well as i drive a pick up truck and the rear compartment i don't class as secure enough for a firearm to be stored.


regards


Lee

If they are in obvious view then probably best to tell them.

A basic Police vehicle check will not show up whether you are a SGC/FAC holder, only if they do a PNC check on the driver will that show up.

If they "invite" you into their vehicle (to look at nasty videos etc. :roll: ), all you have to do is lock your own vehicle.

[Watcher]

I never have my firearms visible from outside the vehicle. It doesn't do to have a lorry driver park next to you and look down on your rear seat and see the butt of a rifle or even a rifle case. Could cause all sorts of nastiness; lawful or unlawful. I either put them in the boot or, when I've been in a pals estate car, we cover them with a blanket or coats or whatever.

With respect to the police I wouldn't mention firearms unless they want to you leave your car. In such a scenario you would no longer have them in your control i.e. safe custody. If you go to their car but are near yours I still wouldn't mention it; its only if they want you to go with them for any reason.

[Tower75]

Depends on the situation, mate.

If you're simply stopped because you have a head-light out, then I wouldn't mention that you have firearms in the car - no need. The officer isn't stopping you for that - the fact you have firearms in the car has no barings on the fact that your head-light is out and, TBH, the officer probably doesn't want the hassle either.

Now, if you're stopped for another reason, and you're asked to leave your vehicle, then I would declare I have firearms in the car and produce a copy of my FAC/SGC (Always carry a copy of this on your person)

After that, simply follow the officer's instructions

However, like Watcher, never leave your firearms on display in your car if possibly. Sometimes you can't help it, though. When I transport my Brown Bess she's too long for the boot, so she rides in the rear passenger seat, but I always try and cover her up, she's in a carrying-slip of course.

[froggy]

Salut,

Now, if you're stopped for another reason, and you're asked to leave your vehicle, then I would declare I have firearms in the car and produce a copy of my FAC/SGC (Always carry a copy of this on your person) - After that, simply follow the officer's instructions

+1 ,
if the weapons are legally held, if they are transported according to rules & regulations, if you are back or forward from a perfectly legal sporting activity, then why on earth would one feel obliged to tell a police officer that one is not breaking the law ?

[FarmerSim]

Hi all


just a question???

if your returning home from either a shoot or the gun club and your stopped by the boys in blue should you declare to the officers that you have firearms in the vehicle or not??? obviously if they carry out the pnc check on the owner and vehicle prior to stopping you they will know your a firearms licence holder.

secondly if they ask you to sit in their vehicle for a short while!!! what are you supposed to do with the rifle and ammo in your vehicle if for instance its not in a covered boot, if like mine would be on the rear seat or foot well as i drive a pick up truck and the rear compartment i don't class as secure enough for a firearm to be stored.


regards


Lee

If they are in obvious view then probably best to tell them.

A basic Police vehicle check will not show up whether you are a SGC/FAC holder, only if they do a PNC check on the driver will that show up.

If they "invite" you into their vehicle (to look at nasty videos etc. :roll: ), all you have to do is lock your own vehicle.

Lee:- I too drive a PU; any firearms en route with me are in a hard case, in the rear passenger bit, usually covered with a coat, to avoid prying eyes.
Two collies are on guard duty as well smile2 smile2
( granted, they may only lick you to death, but ... )

Andy:- If "one" is invited to a police vehicle, can they still take your keys off you? or have I been watching too much S**t on channel 5 !!?

ATB

Sim

[Dangermouse]

Joining Police on the pavement, handing over your keys and sitting in their car is all done by mutual agreement, but is normally done for everyones safety and convenience etc.

But having a little knowledge can get you in trouble and you can quickly get into a spiralling out of control situation that can end up in force being used if everyone is not keeping things polite etc.

Fore instance, if an Officer thinks that you may have been drinking / involved in a crime, he may ask you to hand over your keys. He may even take them out of the ignition if he has the chance. Should you decide that because you do not have to hand over your keys you tell him no, he could easily see this as a sign of Danger, as the car could be driven away and hurt someone, and the Officer starts a long a course of action which is going to get messy.

Unless you have a very good reason for not doing as is asked, being unable to stand due to being drunk is not a good reason, being wheel chair bound is, I would suggest that it is best to play along.
I once had a guy in full female attire,wig, makeup, stockings and suspenders etc, ask not to join me on the pavement. When I pointed out that I needed to breathalyse him and I could not do it through the open window he did join me. Keeping things calm and talking the options through is the best way forward,

DM

[Blackstuff]

I would not mention the guns unless the officer asked me something that would bring them into the conversation. However given one of the questions you're almost certainly going to be asked is "Where have you come from/where are you going to" it's likely that you're going to have to tell them. At which point i would follow the officers instructions as to how he/she wishes to proceed (don't go grabbing for your certificate from your glovebox/gun bag etc )

If i had to leave my car and the fact i had guns in it hadn't arose, i still wouldn't mention it as long as i got the opportunity to lock it and could still see it clearly from the officers car.

[FarmerSim]

I was really thinking along the lines of the keys to where the guns are not being in my control, and though they are in the control of the Police, is this the time to tell them there are firearms in the vehicle, so we're all singing from the same hymn sheet? or is it non necessary.

I am only thinking of trying to avoid a load of work / grief or whatever. From what I see the BIB have enough c**p to put up with, and I wouldn't to add to it...

I am not concerned about them stopping me for DUI, as at that point, its probably all over anyway, and it serves me right for being drunk etc.

Not explained that very well (?), but you get the idea...

ATB

Sim