[rock185]

You're not at fault as long as you were complying with what your laws require. Here in AZ., informing the officer is not required unless he or she asks. Unless there was something else that caused concern, it was not my practice to even ask. I made literally thousands of vehicle stops over 30+ years. I always assumed that drivers or occupants might be armed. This is the "Wild West" after all. Not required, but I always appreciated motorists letting me know they were armed. I just told them to leave their firearm wherever it was during our contact.

I observed a number of occasions where officers had taken control of weapons in this or that situation, sometimes just routine contacts, traffic stops,etc., and did not know how to make them safe. I was a firearms instructor and later an armorer, so sometimes got asked to unload the guns for them. The vast majority of officers have no interest, and little knowledge, about firearms beyond what they are paid to carry, train and qualify with. Some don't like guns at all. One implied that anyone with an interest in firearms beyond what the job required were, "Gun queers"....