Do you know the proper way to tell a police officer you are armed during a traffic stop?
ATLANTA - Interacting with a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop can be nerve-racking. Not just for the driver, but also the officer.
The matter is compounded further if the driver is also armed.
Police say a little empathy and cooperation can help both parties stay safe and avoid misunderstand.
As more Georgians have the opportunity to carry due a new law passed last year, police say so is the need to educate more people on the best way to interact with an officer.
Who can carry a gun in Georgia?
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill allowing Georgia residents to carry handguns in public without a license or background check into law in April 2022. The governor signed a second measure that gives concealed weapons permit holders from other states the ability to carry legally in Georgia as well.
The law reads:
- Any person who is not prohibited by law from possessing a handgun or long gun may have or carry on his or her person a weapon or long gun on his or her property or inside his or her home, motor vehicle, or place of business.
- Any person who is not prohibited by law from possessing a handgun or long gun may have or carry on his or her person a long gun.
- Any person who is a lawful weapons carrier may transport a handgun or long gun in any private passenger motor vehicle; provided, however, that private property owners or persons in legal control of private property through a lease, rental agreement, licensing agreement, contract, or any other agreement to control access to such private property shall have the right to exclude or eject a person who is in possession of a weapon or long gun on their private property in accordance with paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of Code Section 16-7-21, except as provided in Code Section 16-11-135.
Prior to 2022, Georgians had to have a Weapons Carry License, or WCL, in order to carry a concealed weapon in public, although people could carry rifles and shotguns in many places without a permit and carry unloaded guns in cases. Residents have to apply for a WCL through their county's probate court.
WCL applicants must pass a criminal background check, pay an average fee of $75 and provide their fingerprints. Convicted felons and people who have been hospitalized for mental health problems or received treatment for drugs or alcohol in the years preceding the application are not eligible.
Under the new law, it is still illegal for convicted felons to carry weapons.
Consumers still need to pass a background check to purchase a handgun from a licensed dealer in Georgia.
What do police say armed drivers should do during a traffic stop?
In 2016, before the new "constitutional carry" law was passed, FOX 5’s Morse Diggs spoke with Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan.
He walked Diggs through how to act during a traffic stop and what to do if an officer interacts with a gun owner on the streets. Despite the changes in how individuals can exercise their Second Amendment rights, the advice Chief Grogan gave is still very relevant.
Chief Grogan says disclosing a gun and its location during a traffic stop is important, but for the officer’s safety, those in the car should keep their hands where they can be seen.
"If they have a weapon under their seat or on their side or in the glove compartment, they should let the officer know. If the officer wants them to do anything, the officer will direct them to," said Chief Grogan. "You never want to, as a motorist, put your hands near a weapon or reach for the weapon or do anything like that because for a police officer the most dangerous thing about a traffic stop is the person’s hands."
"As long as the officer can see the person’s hands, they know they are OK," the chief added.
The chief also said the best thing for anyone interacting one-on-one with an officer is to not turn their back, again let the officer know about the firearm, and never put hands near it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.