Getting Out of Traffic Ticket by Carrying a Gun

Extreme Tolerance relates his story of getting out of a ticket by virtue of legally carrying a gun. The officer that pulls you over will know as soon as he looks up your license plate that you have a concealed carry permit, which with many cops is a "certified upstanding citizen" indicator.

I had a similar experience. I was riding my motorcycle (back when I still had such vestiges of my single days) here in Northern Virginia, going down a really big hill. Light turned yellow as I was approaching a T-intersection traffic light at the bottom, and when I made it through the intersection it had already turned red. This wasn't so much a case of me not paying attention to the light, but more of a case of not wanting to slam on my front brake so much that I endo (bring the bike up on the front wheel for the non-biker crowd) at the stoplight and dump the bike. A police officer was waiting at the light, and he pulled me over.

I had just moved to VA and was still carrying with my reciprocal out-of-state CCW. I didn't have to tell the officer I was carrying (VA law doesn't require it) but did so anyway. The officer was surprised; carrying in your own state means that an officer running your license will know you have a permit when he runs your plate or driver's license, but to my knowledge states don't generally share carry permit info with each others' DMV systems.

He asked me where I was carrying, and I told him it was on my left ankle. I didn't make any sudden moves to show him what caliber it was.

He checked my traffic record - clean since 1997 or so - and sent me on my way. He thanked me for notifying him that I was carrying, and suspect that this played a part in not getting a ticket.

Side note: when riding a motorcycle, I recommend carrying ankle carry. I once laid a bike down while ankle carrying with no ill effects, but if I'd been carrying on my hip I suspect that the gun would've become a semi-permanent part of my pelvis.