Got Pulled Over
 

Delete

Not sure why you go to work with Airsoft in your trunk...

...but usually if they are locked up it's never an issue. I've yet to hear someone get their stuff confiscated because it was in the trunk.

If your worried. Before the officer says anything, be very frank and tell him exactly what you have in the car.

The officer would probably appreciate that, rather than discovering it himself.

Have you been home since you last played? Did you have time to take yourself out of the car?

I won't quite be quick to talk about the airsoft stuff but if I was asked to step out of the car or if I suspected a search of the vehicle I would let them know before they even started. Woudn't tell them anything on a routine stop unless you'd like the stop to be more then just routine.

come on, dd - you know how it is... after a nice, long game you just realise you just dont have enough gear and guns, so you decide you dont really need any sleep this week... so you pull double shifts at work the whole week to save money for that new ics ak74.

im pretty sure im not the only one doing that

Are you serious?? Every lawyer will advise the opposite for a reason. You want a confession, do it on Sunday.

Keep your guns in the trunk. Police are not allowed to search your trunk, without your permission or a warrant (they'll never get a warrant). The most they can do is detain you untill a K9 unit shows up to sniff out the car (hopefully you don't smoke pot in your car).

Or they can find some bullshit charge to lay on you.

Therefore don't say shit untill they start a search. Which will start inside the car, then they'll ask, "May I look in the trunk, sir?". This is your cue to say, "Yes sir, however blah blah blah airsoft blah blah blah." Personally I would call it a BB gun.

Volenteer NOTHING.......just my 2 cents.

Wow, I did not know that. Good stuff to know.

Keep That Pie Hole SHUT
 

From experience, most police officers are not in the "brownie Points for being Honest" Business.

They are there to enforce a set of rules, not understand or interperet your specific "situation". Don't offer any information you are not directly asked for, and as soon as you have to offer something incriminating, ask for your lawyer, and keep your mouth shut.

This is from, personal experience, several police officers I have come to know on Metro over the years, from both sides of the bars.

The nice guy routine might truely be honest, but I guarantee, they will turn on you in a second if they think anything is even a little hinky.

hmmm i have a question... what's this 'after hours'... ??

Aren't people free to walk and drive when they want in Alberta?

Actually I believe with a Learners permit you are not permitted to drive after dark, except where the driving is required to get to work.

By mentioning you were on your way to work you may have been okay. Of course if you had 3-4 buddies in the car the story wouldn't be quite so believable.

I remeber one time I was heading back form work and got pulled over. The cop was talking to me and he sow the I had a unopen 6 pak and he was just chacking if it was not open then I guess when I was unloading my gear on of my pistols fell out and that was freacky cuz he drow his pistol and call for back up. He pulled me out and handcoft me and put me in the back of the cop car. I was telling him it was airsoft but he said he would chack it out after back up came. He said the only reason he let me go (with out my TM DESERT EAGLE ) is cuz I had a trigger lock on it.

It wasnt in a lockable bag/case/ect why? Not flaming you, but just curious.

From now on, please do take that extra 5 minutes to unload your gear from your car; not only does it protect you from these sorts of troubles, it'll also protects your gear from some lucky car thief.

get the closest out and say fastest as you can: freeze! get down!! freeze!!! get down! and then full auto at is eye. that's the way we do here in guncity, qc, ca
we call this the "technical confusion"

Good lesson to be learnt. If you have any type of firearms in the vehicle you should tell the cops out of respect for them and for your safety. Here's my story from a while back:

http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=14743

I have a gun bag and where zip up is brocken and it dont zip up right. So I unloded my gear and missed it cuz I needed to clean my truck. Found $50 when I did.

R.A.T.M., Noticed your not on the ASC Verified user's list, may I ask how old you are?

Psst, I'd reccommend getting a new gun bag right away. On that topic, (Sorry for the thread jack) Does anyone know any places in the Lower Mainland (BC) selling 28" gun bag's?

Back on topic. Lesson learned, Don't have Airsoft in your vehicle unless you must.

http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/info_for-r.../airguns_e.asp

firemachine69: Even though it's not required by law to safely store and transport your airsoft gun, is it worth it to have it taken away or to sit in the back of the cruiser and answer useless bullsh!t questions from the p0-p0?

There's a reason why that page is printed out and sitting neatly along side the gun case. ;)

However, yea, keep it in your trunk. At least.

Actually, you're wrong. The police may search your vehicle without premission or a warrent if there is probably cause, in other words, evidence that something illegal is in your trunk.

This "volenteer nothing" crap will lead to nothing but trouble. If they ask, for example "do you have anything in the trunk?", tell them, BEFORE they ask to or start a search. Taking that stance just makes things worse, as, if you really haven't done anything wrong, why should you be so sealed lips about it?

You might not consider it wrong, but they might.

Did I mention probable cause? YES. However if they pull you over for just a spot check and there is no probable cause. Then they have no right to search your car or trunk.

This is much better than having what appears to be an assult rifle sitting on your back seat in plain view. You are asking for nothing but trouble doing this.

AKA Probable cause.

In other words, comply with their demands.

ONLY answer the questions asked.

Hopefully that was a little clearer? And "Actually" I was right. Next time I post I'll be somewhat more articulate.

Roll The Dice
 

The bottom line here is the rules are "interpreted" differently by everyone who runs into them.

Regardless of how dilligent you are in storing and transporting you gear, the police officer you run into, his/her mood at the time, how your conduct makes them "feel" about you are what will determine the outcome.

All I can control is the way the guns are handled. So I do to the best of my ability. I made a decision when I started airsoft to treat the guns as "firearms".

They are stored AND travel with trigger locks in locked hardcases.

If you love your game, airsoft, buddy and yourself. Please follow the rule.

Keep OUR Airsoft low profile! As all of above mentioned.

So there is no more "what if the police....... " things and everything happy .

Simple logic, right :)

Has anyone else noticed that all of the "OMG DAS COPS JUST PULL ME OVER, BUT DIDN'T NOTICE MY GUNS LOSE IN DAS BACK OF MY RIDE YO!" type of incidents are caused by just plain stupid lack of responsibility by the owner.

Gees, keep them locked in a gun case in the trunk at least, if not with a trigger lock on them also.

NOT you back seat, NOT your front seat, NOT your glove box. YOUR TRUNK.

Yes they are "toys" but they are toys that look like real firearms and need to be treated as such. If ya can't get the through your head...

This type of lack responsibility and common sense only leads to bad press and image for the sport. Not to mention a nice bad mark on your record if the cops decided that you have a prohibited device or other charge.

Why? So the cops will become as confused as we are? Lol

as someone said already

"trigger lock this http://www.diggerhistory.info/images...cent/steyr.jpg"

Cut some steel plates and weld them onto a common style of trigger lock(s)? :lol:

Make a small trigger guard for your aug where no one can put their finger into, would kinda work I guess.

As far as the police searching vehicles issue, from what I understand (as it was explained to me) the "Highway Safety Act" gives officers the right to pull your vehicle off of the road if they suspect it *might* be unsafe. So what an officer can do if they're dying to search a vehicle but don't have permission is to simply look under the car, claim that they see some wires hanging down or something and declare the vehicle unsafe, at which point the vehicle is toweed away and searched for safety infractions, anything illegal found during the search is fair game.
Moral of the story, just be honest, an officer might read someone being tight-liped as suspicious and, in the interest of safety(god knows enough idiots carry weapons in this world), investigate.

I posted this experience somewhere else some time ago but cannot find it, so here it is again...

I am coming home from Morb's house after some gear work. Brought my M4 with me so he could make a new slither attachment for a new hardpoint Gump installed on my primary. I'm driving my shitty oldsmobile, on which the trunk is broken, hence my gear is in the back.

I come up to a R.I.D.E. checkpoint on Albion Vaughn Rd in Bolton. I'm not even thinking about airsoft, I'm not thinking about that fucktard who got busted today. I am thinking about my warm bed. Good thing I had nothing to drink at Rob's, no problem.

Roll up to the first cop in the line, and here is how it goes:

"Evening Sir, how are you tonight?"
"Good evening officer, I'm just fine, how are you?"
"A little cold... had anything to drink tonight?"
[officer does the usual nose in your face - poor bastard, I haven't brushed all day]
"No sir."
"Where you headed?"
"Heading home sir."

[as he proceeds to shine his light in the back of the car]

"Where's home?"
"Tottenham"
"Where you coming from?"
"Mississauga, visiting a friend"
"I see... is that a gun the back of your car?"

[HOLY JESUS GOD, AND THAT SHIT TONIGHT ON THE RADIO - I AM SO TOTALLY FUCKED... okay, don't panic, he looks young enough to be into airsoft]

"No, sir, its a paintball gun..."
"A little big for a paintball gun isn't it?"
"No sir, actually its a hardshell case from Canadian Tire, the paintball gun is smaller than the case."
"Do you mind if I have a look at it?"

[Okay, think fast, what did (friendname deleted) say about this situation... I remember, they actually don't have the right to search the car and you can refuse to show him, as long as you don't give them a reason to suspect you of a crime... play along those lines, but don't be an an asshat. ednote: I had forgotten (friendname deleted) had said the TRUNK and not the whole car - if he sees something in the window, its fair game...]

"Actually sir, I do mind."
"Oh really, why is that?"
"Well sir, its personal property, and its cold out, and I'd like to get home and go to bed."
"I'd like to see what is in the case sir."
"Why is that officer?"
"Because I have to satisfy myself that you don't have a firearm"

[Okay, we're off (friendname deleted)' script now... shit... if I am an asshole about this, he will be too... lets explain it...]

"Officer, do you know what an airsoft gun is?"
"No."

[Awwwww fuck... this could go any direction]

"Well, its actually like paintball, but the guns are more realistic."

[I can sense this isn't going to fly...]

"I still have to see what is in the case sir... pull over under the 60 sign there."

[points flashlight - Okay now I am way off the script...]

I pull off to the side, my window is open, I have no jacket, I am freezing. , and I am shivering... he's going to think I am nervous. In fact I am not nervous, I am simply worried he's going to seize poor ol' Matilda (my M4) and send her to Ottawa for testing and I will never see her again. Damn, Gump just got her working perfect too.

I get out of the car and open the back door as the officer approaches.

"Would you prefer to remove the case from the car officer?"

[my thinking here is do NOTHING to give him any reason to feel threatened and make every movement and intention clear before I do it. He is already suspicious, don't make him nervous]

"No, you can remove it."

Okay, so I take it out and put the case on the trunk of the car and open it. I begin with the airsoft speech, mentioning that I am part of one of the biggest airsoft teams in Canada, and in fact we do have a number of police officers and military and ex-military on the team. As I open the case and show him:

"uh WOW... what does it shoot?"
"It shoots ABS plastic BBs"

[I hand him some bbs - at this point his partner comes over to have a look]

"You see, if you look at the ejection port, there is no gun bolt" [I show him the hop up] "and the magazines" [I show him the mag] "hold the bbs"

At this point his partner is listening and says "Thats cool!" The first cop visibly relaxes at this point and I feel pretty good that things are going to work out.

They forget about the R.I.D.E. check (cars are going by by now without being stopped) and I am giving them the Wolfpack pitch, where we play, etc, come on out.., etc... and I am freezing to death and just want to go home.

"What was that website again?"

[I make a mental note that they never asked my name or to see any ID]

"www.wolfpackairsoft.com" [out comes his notebook, he writes it down]

They say good bye to me and as I am getting into the car, I hear the first cop's partner say "That looks really cool, I wanna go play that..."

I gotta get the trunk fixed.

I wouldnt tell him straight up. Besides, if you kept your trunk _locked_ then the 5-0 would need a warrant to look into it. The stuff in the backseat however....

Next time it happens (if at all) if they po-po decide to have alook around your car, THEN tell them what they might find. Don't give them a reason to do a search.

It all boils down to Intent, what the officer feels the intended use of the AirSoft gun is. To keep his perception of your intent down, you should treat the AirSoft Guns as if they were realsteel. This way the officer understands your intent was to safely transport them to a game and not use them to knock off the 7/11 down the road.

If you can afford Airsoft you can afford trigger/cable locks for all your guns and cases as well. Keep them in your trunk in a locked case. Just because you may be in the right does not mean you won't be given a hard time. If I saw you on the news because of this sorta thing happening. I would think of you as nothing less than a stupid twat that should not be involved in this sport anyways.

and because you have nothing illegal to hide... usually :smack:

Only thing I ever got pulled over for was a burnt tail light... What an asshole bought it too, so just to spite him I replaced it right in front of him (although I still can't remember where I got the flashlight to do this, considering it was approximately 1am...)

i was thinking idiot...idiot...idiot...idiot while reading, and thought of this exact same thing.