[Ben Towe]

Lesson to be learned: don't be an idiot when you're carrying a gun. If they want you to disarm, be polite and do it. We were recently were stopped in Missouri by a trooper for a DOT inspection and two of us were carrying. We immediately informed and he asked us for our handguns and we handed them over. He was obviously nervous but very professional. The only part that made me a little uneasy was his unfamiliarity with the 1911 platform; I had to talk him through clearing my weapon. I don't like handing a loaded weapon off and certainly not to someone unfamiliar with it. That said, short of making a scene, there wasn't much choice, and he wasn't unsafe with it. He checked to to make sure they weren't stolen, did his inspection, handed our pistols back and sent us on our way. If we had pulled a stunt like this guy did we might have ended up in a Missouri jail, or worse. As it was, we got let go on a couple DOT violations (and I'm certain the fact we were armed citizens is why) and were on our way in a few minutes.