Pistol mount
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,877
Likes: 368
From: North Dakota
Being in California, seeing the pics in this thread and reading the posts blows my mind.
You guys know you can't open carry loaded or unloaded handguns here? Getting a concealed weapons permit is virtually impossible. Long gun open carry is being considered for illegal status.
Guns need to be in a locked box in your vehicle. Ammo has to be in a separate locked box. Gun can't be loaded and in a locked container. I can't imagine gun ownership being much more restrictive than it is here.
Some rural areas you have a little more leeway.
It's like a different planet than what you guys are on.
You guys know you can't open carry loaded or unloaded handguns here? Getting a concealed weapons permit is virtually impossible. Long gun open carry is being considered for illegal status.
Guns need to be in a locked box in your vehicle. Ammo has to be in a separate locked box. Gun can't be loaded and in a locked container. I can't imagine gun ownership being much more restrictive than it is here.
Some rural areas you have a little more leeway.
It's like a different planet than what you guys are on.
Being in California, seeing the pics in this thread and reading the posts blows my mind.
You guys know you can't open carry loaded or unloaded handguns here? Getting a concealed weapons permit is virtually impossible. Long gun open carry is being considered for illegal status.
Guns need to be in a locked box in your vehicle. Ammo has to be in a separate locked box. Gun can't be loaded and in a locked container. I can't imagine gun ownership being much more restrictive than it is here.
Some rural areas you have a little more leeway.
It's like a different planet than what you guys are on.
You guys know you can't open carry loaded or unloaded handguns here? Getting a concealed weapons permit is virtually impossible. Long gun open carry is being considered for illegal status.
Guns need to be in a locked box in your vehicle. Ammo has to be in a separate locked box. Gun can't be loaded and in a locked container. I can't imagine gun ownership being much more restrictive than it is here.
Some rural areas you have a little more leeway.
It's like a different planet than what you guys are on.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 119
Likes: 6
From: Richmond Hill, GA
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,206
Likes: 1,603
From: Sonoma wine country/Left coast is the best coast
Since getting "caught" with a firearm in the vehicle is such a problem here (permanent confiscation, fines, ticket, hassles, possibly worse, etc.) I wouldn't even attempt it unless it was in the console that I could somehow lock quickly with a non-truck key in the event of a stop/search.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.
Terrorist Fighter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 438
Likes: 101
From: South Jersey
Since getting "caught" with a firearm in the vehicle is such a problem here (permanent confiscation, fines, ticket, hassles, possibly worse, etc.) I wouldn't even attempt it unless it was in the console that I could somehow lock quickly with a non-truck key in the event of a stop/search.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.
better looking than geno
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 275
From: Central Mississippi
Great information and ideas, thanks. Here most folks have "something" in their vehicles. It does get touchy as you travel, though. Just a few years ago the National Park Service would really hammer you if you were just crossing the Shenandoah Parkway and got stopped with a gun. Now Congress has resolved that issue.
It should be that your vehicle is an extension of your home. If someone pulls your door open and grabs you, same as a home invasion. You should have the right to protect yourself in your abode. Maybe someday...
Here is a great site for all these laws.
http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/USRVCarCarry.pdf
I really likes some of the pistol ideas here.
It should be that your vehicle is an extension of your home. If someone pulls your door open and grabs you, same as a home invasion. You should have the right to protect yourself in your abode. Maybe someday...
Here is a great site for all these laws.
http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/USRVCarCarry.pdf
I really likes some of the pistol ideas here.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 358
Likes: 117
From: Florida
Since getting "caught" with a firearm in the vehicle is such a problem here (permanent confiscation, fines, ticket, hassles, possibly worse, etc.) I wouldn't even attempt it unless it was in the console that I could somehow lock quickly with a non-truck key in the event of a stop/search.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.
I have a FFL, in my case I would just be transporting goods I buy and sell, right?
I guess in our next thread we need to discuss locations for firearms that can't be discovered by an illegal police search.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 392
Likes: 41
Being in California, seeing the pics in this thread and reading the posts blows my mind.
You guys know you can't open carry loaded or unloaded handguns here? Getting a concealed weapons permit is virtually impossible. Long gun open carry is being considered for illegal status.
Guns need to be in a locked box in your vehicle. Ammo has to be in a separate locked box. Gun can't be loaded and in a locked container. I can't imagine gun ownership being much more restrictive than it is here.
Some rural areas you have a little more leeway.
It's like a different planet than what you guys are on.
You guys know you can't open carry loaded or unloaded handguns here? Getting a concealed weapons permit is virtually impossible. Long gun open carry is being considered for illegal status.
Guns need to be in a locked box in your vehicle. Ammo has to be in a separate locked box. Gun can't be loaded and in a locked container. I can't imagine gun ownership being much more restrictive than it is here.
Some rural areas you have a little more leeway.
It's like a different planet than what you guys are on.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 978
Likes: 147
From: Mid-Michigan
Since getting "caught" with a firearm in the vehicle is such a problem here (permanent confiscation, fines, ticket, hassles, possibly worse, etc.) I wouldn't even attempt it unless it was in the console that I could somehow lock quickly with a non-truck key in the event of a stop/search.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.
Don't bother to read the story, it just shows an example of how things can spiral badly for almost no reason....
My 2 examples:
#1)
Thanksgiving 2009 I get a ticket driving on the freeway in Los Angeles (I live 400 miles away near San Francisco) for not wearing a safely belt. No problem, I pay the ticket via mail, the $190 check was cashed, and I figure I'm done with it. Wrong. Over a year later, (and after I've registered my vehicle again), I get stopped as part of a drunk road check. My eyes are red from working in the sun all day, I had not had any alcohol, but they were training a rookie and put me through a 1 minute in-car interview with some standard questions and a license/registration/insurance check. No sobriety tests, never got out of truck. No problem, it's helping train the rookie to protect and serve, that's how we all learn. BUT it turns out the safety belt ticket was never handled in the court system correctly, it showed that I failed to appear in court which produced a warrant and drivers license suspension. The officers (nice guys) on the scene were able to check further and see that I in fact had paid the fine, but that the ticket was not expunged, AND they could see there was no record of me being contacted about the possible issues, that there was a warrant for the failure to appear and my license was suspended. I was not allowed to drive until resolved. They allowed me to empty my truck on the sidewalk of all contents since the vehicle had to be impounded (I was 2 blocks from my house) and I walked home. Then they asked if there was anything they should know about in my truck and searched it. It was towed. I had to call the courts in the morning to have them send info to DMV, then go to DMV and get a copy of the drivers license being reissued, go to police dept. to show I had a valid license to allow truck to be released, go to tow yard to pay them for the privilege of towing my truck. 24 hours and $250 tow fees I was driving it home. All this started because of a safety belt ticket I had earned over a year earlier. From this incident, I didn't do anything wrong, didn't get a ticket, no fine.
#2)
When I was 19 going home from the beach in southern Cal, got stopped as soon as I pulled onto the road. I couldn't find the registration in the glove box after 10 seconds so the officer made me stand facing a wall and searched my car for the registration (back seat, trunk, duffel bag with wet bathing suits/towels, etc.) eventually found it in the glove box where I said it was. No ticket, don't even know why I was stopped. Stuff happens.
I was never angry, stuff happens that's unfair and expensive and you kinda hafta eat it sometimes. It's circumstances. It's life. But what if I had a legally registered firearm/ammo in my vehicle NOT in 2 individually locked boxes? WHOLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO WOULD HAVE ENSUED. I would be in a lot of trouble, on 'my record', loss of firearm, blah blah blah....I'm fearful to imagine what could have happened. Granted, this in in a small city near a large city...not out in the rural mountain/flatland boonies.
For the record, I've never robbed, burgled, assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, car jacked anyone as of yet. But I have gotten a few freeway speeding and safety belt tickets, and one failure to come to a complete stop (roll stop) at a sign.