Sometimes that is not a good thing...
It was an interesting stop...
The wife and I were headed to one of the local gun shops so I could pick up a deposit I made about a year ago on a gun that never came to fruition. I was about half way there when I stopped at a red light, turned right onto another road and began driving. My wife and I were talking about something as I drove along. I checked the rear view, just to check it, and noticed a police officer behind me. My turn was coming up so I signaled, and then merged into the lane to my right. As soon as I began to merge, he lit them up.
Immediately, I pulled over and put my hands on the wheel. He got out, approached very cautiously, and asked me where I was headed in such a hurry. I told him to the gun store, but that there was no hurry. He kindly informed me I was doing 52 in a 40 so he assumed there was some rush. I apologized and told him I was just chatting with the wife and that I really had no idea what my speed was. I really didn't.
Next, as I handed him my license and registration, I also informed him in a very calm and non-aggressive manner, that I had a weapon in the car. He asked for my permit and the location of the gun. I complied.
Next, things got interesting. Before I get started, I just want to say that I am completely okay with him doing whatever he felt was necessary for him to feel comfortable in this situation. However, I will also say, it was much more cautious and thorough than any encounter I've ever had with a police officer when I actually wasn't doing something wrong.
He asked me to step out of the vehicle and escorted me about 20 feet away and asked me to stay there. Next, he asks my wife for her ID and then he asks me if he can retrieve the gun.
"Yes, Sir, you may."
He proceeds to unload it and take it with him, along with my other information, to his car. A few minutes later, he rolls his window down and tells me I can get back into my vehicle. As I head that direction, he gets out and begins to walk towards the Tahoe as well. Once I was in, he asks me to unlock the rear door so he can place the gun in the back seat. Again,
"Absolutely."
He then hands me back all of my identification and told me to slow it down, use my signal a little longer before turning (a minimum of 200', always, he said.), and not to touch the weapon until his cruiser was gone.
"Sure thing. Thank you, Officer."
With that, we were on our way. I'm very gracious that he did not give me so much as even a written warning, but it was a very odd encounter. Any other officer I have ever informed I had a weapon simply asked for my permit and then handed it back to me and gone about business as usual for the rest of the encounter. This guy was very concerned about me for some reason.
Oh well, it all worked out and he was polite and cool, it was just a weird one.
