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I wonder if when the officer stops you he hasn't already run your license plate and knows a few things about you !
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After the incident that I described in my previous post, I wondered the same thing myself, particularly because I'd never been asked that question when pulled over before (though that was the first and only time I've been stopped by a State Trooper). Before I elaborate further, I should probably more thoroughly describe the incident in question:
I was stopped by an IN State Trooper for a seat belt violation. When the officer asked me if I had a firearm in the vehicle I told him that I did and he asked where it was. I replied that it was under the driver's seat and he asked me to hand it to him. I complied with his request and handed him my gun in the zippered case I keep it in. He asked if there was a round in the chamber (he hadn't actually seen the gun yet, he'd just been handed the zipped-up case) to which I replied that it was a revolver and that it was indeed loaded. He then asked for my driver's license, registration, and LTCH (that's what a CCL is called in IN) and took them, along with my handgun back to his car. He returned with my license, registration, LTCH, still-loaded revolver, and a ticket for the seat belt violation and we both went on our way.
Shortly after the aforementioned traffic stop, I asked that question of an acquaintance of mine who happens to be a reserve deputy for the Bartholomew County IN Sheriff's Dept. He told me that it was unlikely that the State Police had LTCH info when running plates and that it was probably just the policy of the State Police to ask. He also told me that, because I did indeed have a gun in the vehicle when I was stopped, that when my plates were run in the future the officer would probably be informed that I was known to carry a handgun and possibly the make, model, and serial number of the gun I had that day (S&W Model 629-6 if anyone cares).