Traveling to your State over Christmas

[Antares]

I will be traveling from Missouri to Houston over Christmas and have a valid CCW permit from MO. I know we have reciprocity with Texas, and I want to know if by chance you get stopped by the police or highway patrol do you have to declare that you are armed. In Missouri you have to tell them if they ask, but otherwise the choice is yours.
Thanks for the info and I am looking forward to travelling to your state again.

[joe817]

There is no Texas statute requiring you to declare you are armed, HOWEVER, you ARE required to display your CHL with your DL when the officer demands to see your id. And in doing that, 99 times out of 100 he will probably ask you if you are armed and where the gun is.

And welcome to the forum! Glad to have you with us!

[glocklvr]

visit this site http://www.handgunlaw.us" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it will give you alot of good info

[longtooth]

My way & others will varry.

I wear mine in an ID pack on lanyard around my neck. I have no trouble getting it out by the time I am approached. Hands on the wheel. Dome lights on if dark.
Could I see your DL
Hand DL/CHL/POI. Yes Sir, My name is Longtooth, I have a Texas CHL & I am armed.
I have been asked where it was both times I have been stopped but never further.

If I were a visitor to Texas my process would be the same adding a statement about recaprocity:

Could I see your DL?
Yes sir, I am Longtooth, I have a Misouri Conceal Carry permit, WE have reciprocity w/ Texas & I am armed.

They can disarm you if they choose.

LT

[Keith B]

Also, be aware that in Texas it is a violation of the law if you carry into a prohibited place and you can be arrested if discovered carrying, where in Missouri you are just asked to leave. As the person before stated, go to http://www.handgunlaw.us" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and look over the Texas page.

And as you are probably aware, no open carry anywhere in Texas, even in the wide open plains.

Have a safe trip!

[Oldgringo]

longtooth wrote:

I wear mine in an ID pack on lanyard around my neck.

You wear a 1911 around your neck?

[jimlongley]

longtooth wrote:

I wear mine in an ID pack on lanyard around my neck.

You wear a 1911 around your neck?

I tried that once in the Navy, settled for a lanyard that wrappped over my shoulder.

[longtooth]

Arr right you guys,
Yall no I had a hard time in 3rd grade grammar clas

Iment my plastic & DL not my

[mikeintexas]

It's a tough crowd, Longtooth!!

[srothstein]

They can disarm you if they choose.

I wanted to re-emphasize this since it is easily missed. Texas has a law that specifically allows an officer to disarm a CHL during a stop. The law says if the officer is concerned about his safety or the citizens, but in reality many officers do it for all stops. If an officer asks for you to hand him the weapon, or remove it and leave it int he car, or some other varioation of this, you must legally obey. He will give the gun back when he is done (barring other things cropping up on the stop of course). Some officers will unload the gun or even the magazine, but they must give it back to you before they leave.

I wanted to go over this since I have not hard of other states with this kind of law (I have not checked for it either though).

On the plus side, many officers also ignore your CHL and give it right back saying they don't care. But obviously, we don't need to warn you about them.

[casingpoint]

Louisiana where I reside has the same provisions. Mandatory disclosure on a stop, and you can be disarmed for the duration. The same goes, I reckon, for a Terry Stop if other weapons not requiring disclosure are found on a person during a pat down frisk. But all must be returned if there is no arrest made.

[ELB]

... HOWEVER, you ARE required to display your CHL with your DL when the officer demands to see your id. And in doing that, 99 times out of 100 he will probably ask you if you are armed and where the gun is.

This is not quite correct. The requirement to display a CHL along with DL or ID exists only when the CHL holder is armed. No gun, no requirement to display. Whether you should do so anyway is up to individual. Addtionally, HB2730 removed the penalty for failure to display, effective 1 Sep 09. However, these updates have not yet been posted to the online Texas statutes at http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[joe817]

... HOWEVER, you ARE required to display your CHL with your DL when the officer demands to see your id. And in doing that, 99 times out of 100 he will probably ask you if you are armed and where the gun is.

This is not quite correct. The requirement to display a CHL along with DL or ID exists only when the CHL holder is armed. No gun, no requirement to display. Whether you should do so anyway is up to individual. Addtionally, HB2730 removed the penalty for failure to display, effective 1 Sep 09. However, these updates have not yet been posted to the online Texas statutes at http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Quite right ELB, I know that. I guess I should have prefaced my remark by saying "assuming you are armed". It really didn't dawn on me that a CHL holder would be out and about 'unarmed'. I guess it happens though....but not to me.

And thanks for the clarification.