Legal Gun Carrier Arrested For Carrying Gun

[Guest]

by Philip Hodges

It’s good that there is a growing number of sheriffs and state sheriff associations around the country that are banding together in their opposition to the Obama administration’s gun-grabbing agenda. But there are still some cops out there that just don’t get it.

Recently, a Florida man was pulled over for having an expired tag. The cop’s dash cam video shows Joel Smith getting out of his van to give the cop his license. Deputy Alan Cox asks for his registration and proof of insurance, and as Smith turns his back to the cop to retrieve that information from his van, his legally owned concealed gun becomes barely visible in his back pocket.

I’ve seen the dash cam video a few times, and by the third time, I was finally able to make out a dark blur in his back, right pocket. Needless to say, it wasn’t obvious at all that he had a gun. And so what if it was obvious? But from that point on, the routine traffic stop descended into a confrontation with the cop screaming orders and expletives at the man to put his hands up and to get on the ground, face down with his hands behind his back.

When the cop first spotted the gun, he asked Smith, “Why do you carry a gun for?” Smith’s response was mostly inaudible, but he said something to the effect of, “I always carry a gun…I have a concealed carry permit.” A local news network reported on what ensued:

“Ten seconds later, he is being held at gunpoint. ‘Put your hands right up or I’ll shoot you in the f—— back,’ said Cox. Smith is legally licensed to carry a concealed weapon. ‘Get down on the f—— ground now,’ screamed Cox. Smith was arrested anyway charged with carrying a prohibited weapon openly.”

Deputy Cox blurted out that he didn’t care if he had a concealed carry permit. He could see the weapon, and that was a violation of the law. Actually, Florida state law was changed in 2011 to say the brief viewing of a gun in a non-threatening manner was not a violation of their concealed carry laws. For example, if a person is reaching for something in his vehicle, and his gun is exposed for half a second inadvertently, that would not be a violation of their concealed carry laws. Deputy Cox claimed that that half second was way too long, and that he felt threatened by the man who was calm and completely compliant.

And what kind of question is, “Why do you carry a gun for?” No, not just that the cop’s question ended with a preposition. I mean, why else would a person carry a gun but for self defense? Maybe Smith could have asked the cop the same question. Why does Cox get to not only carry a gun but point it right at the man and scream his head off like a mentally deranged individual with Tourette’s Syndrome? Oh, for personal defense? So, the taxpayers that write the cop’s paychecks aren’t afforded the same rights to self-defense as he is?

Thanks to the attention the dash cam video got on the internet, the state attorney decided not to prosecute the man, and the charges were dropped. The cop is now on “administrative leave pending an internal investigation,” which in cop-speak usually means paid vacation.

Here’s the dash cam video if you’re interested:

http://youtu.be/GijBNqUUlJc

[Ted Oplinger]

If Florida law is changed, then he should hire a good lawyer, get the charges dropped, then pursue unlawful arrest/harrassment charges against the deputy. Permit carriers have enough headaches to deal with without a self-righteous deputy trying to define just what our rights are in such a roughshod way.

Blessings,

[Guest]

Exactly!

[Guest]

That's right dgrimm. :)