False Brandishing Report

[SMS]

When you carry, a lot of things change.

+1. A lot of things do change, and you have to decide to change a few things about how you act...like NOT tapping the breaks to get someone off your tail. Sucks for sure, but it can be construed as a hostile/rude gesture and set off a road rage incident...these days I just ease off the gas.

 

[GLOCKinator]

+1. A lot of things do change, and you have to decide to change a few things about how you act...like NOT tapping the breaks to get someone off your tail. Sucks for sure, but it can be construed as a hostile/rude gesture and set off a road rage incident...these days I just ease off the gas.

It's good you didn't have a gun in your vehicle in that situation. Unfortunately, with any emergency, the LEO has to assume a call is legitimate, and based on that claim, have every right to make a felony stop, not that I agree with it! What I've learned is not to instigate anything on the highway because you don't know who's behind the wheel of the other car. Just know that if your life is in danger, you have your gun as protection. Someone riding my bumper is my NUMBER ONE pet peeve, but if you have to brake to avoid an accident and they hit you, it's their fault. It just sucks that there's dipsh!ts on the road everywhere you go.

 

[Quick_Draw_McGraw]

When you carry, a lot of things change. What once would have been just an inconvenient hassle can now have very serious implications on one's life.

Another +1.

I try to avoid any situations where conflict could arise, especially when it comes to driving.

I just let the jackasses be jackasses and I just go on my merry way.

 

[jarhead983]

Yeah, I definitely have changed my driving habits. I don't blame the reaction of the officers, they have a dangerous job where they don't know what they're dealing with on any given stop. They handled it very professionally and the only time that I was really nervous was when he had me step over behind my vehicle, having watched Cops, I thought I knew the next step which was to put my hands on the trunk. He admonished me to do only what he said. He told me to get on my knees and cross my ankles. Well this is where it got a little scary for me. As I was coming down to my knees, my right leg immediately got a muscle cramp and instinctively raised up and tried to straighten my leg. My only thought was that I was going to be shot because of charleyhorse. That is when the officer grabbed my hands which thankfully never left my head. I can't remember the officers name, I think it was Mike something, but I found out on the drive into Stroud that we went to the same high school and he tried to convince me to get my concealed carry license, of which he taught a certification class. He gave me a card which I've lost and he even sets up African safaris each year. Nice guy after I was cleared.

 

[Michael Beran]

Nowadays, I am always armed, besides not tapping my brakes for tailgaters to avoid this, what would I have to do to prove my innocence on a false report like this? Would I lose my ccl or have it suspended on a shot in the dark claim by another driver?

Working though that would be difficult BUT with out witnesses that could ID you and ID the gun I think you would win a court case.

 

[jphillipw]

Hey all. Brand new to concealed carry. Just took the class with my girlfriend last Saturday, so I obviously don't carry just yet, but stories like this concern me. I'm aware that the authorities have to take things like this seriously, but you're just screwed if you happen to be carrying and someone calls in a false claim like that!

 

[TerryMiller]

I hope that the LEO still follows up on trying to find the teenagers. Did you give the LEO's a description of the car and its occupants?

After all, they committed a crime of "False Reporting of a Crime". While I think it is simply a misdemeanor, it is still something they would have to explain to their parents and the judge.

 

[B1rd]

I see your point, but it begs back to your original question. What if you had been carrying? You'd likely been charged and convicted. It's not an amusing issue to me.

I doubt you would be convicted. The boys would have to testify to their story. They were not going to show up. Even though they did get "lucky" that you actually had a gun.

 

[Mr.357Sig]

Whoa. Unintended consequences suck.

Like most of you, I've had to modify my driving style to lessen my exposure to these tailgating punks. It's a shame a few bad apples can cause such havoc. I'm sure karma caught up with them at some point and they got theirs.

 

[Michael Brown]

I doubt you would be convicted. The boys would have to testify to their story. They were not going to show up. Even though they did get "lucky" that you actually had a gun.

Exactamundo.

Michael Brown