As an act of good faith, I would always disclose a firearm to LE if I am stopped. I do not currently CC, but I am applying for my permit. If the cop turns out to be a douche, than so be it. But I will act responsibly at all times.
We have rights, but also responsibilities.
Been carrying since 1978 (35 years). I've had permission slips in three different states, none of which required disclosure. I'm well aware of my responsibilities, and spontaneously telling
anyone what personal property I have in my pockets, waistband, strapped to my ankle or attached to my belt ain't one of 'em. I have, exercise and protect my rights, and there is
no "but" following that statement, and never will be.
And by the way, if a cop is a "douche," he's one whether you disclose or not, and disclosure is just as likely to throw his douchebaggery into overdrive as just shutting your mouth, letting him write you up for whatever he pulled you over for, and getting out of there without adding anything more for him to judge you about to the mix.
I can't speak for the rest of the responses, but I see a big difference between being stopped or approached by a cop and being questioned about a police matter, versus simply being in close proximity by chance. I would, out of courtesy, if if stopped or questioned by LE disclose that I am carrying. But I'm not going to just walk up to a random cop and say "Hey, I'm packing". That's just silly.
As NavyLCDR said, no sillier than thinking your permission slip is going to make you look "responsible" or "respectful" to a cop that has no legal right to that information. And as has been established, there is no obligation to disclose in the state in which you live.
Instead of just dismissing my question as "silly" though, how about answering it logically? The only conceivable reason you would think it "respectful" or "responsible" to inform them during an official contact is that they're cops who have a dangerous job yada yada yada, and you have this inexplicable idea that them knowing you're carrying is going to set their mind at ease that you 1), respect them, and 2), are perfectly responsible. They have the same dangerous job when they're just casually in close proximity to you, so logically, they "deserve" the same respect and responsibility. Where is the logical "silliness" in that?
The other way around is true though. It is silly to bring your gun into your conversations and/or official/casual contacts with them
all the time, unless, again as NavyLCDR said, your weapon has some bearing on the reason you're in a contact with them.
I wrote about a contact I had with cops in my own backyard just a few nights ago. As always, if I'm dressed, I'm armed. Read that post and tell me how it would've helped either the cop or me to disclose that I had a full-sized .45 with a flashlight/laser attached under my un-tucked shirt. The only other two contacts I've had with LEOs for more than 10 years were two stops at DUI check-points, which piss me off to no end anyway as I view them as blatant violations of my 4th Amendment rights. The last thing any of the cops at those two stops would've wanted was for my PO'ed attitude to be combined with, "Oh, by the way, here's my permission slip and I'm armed to the teeth!"
I really do wonder how responsible anyone who has as many contacts with cops as those who say "I
always disclose" is to begin with. Most of my life, I've driven as part of my job(s), so I guess I have always had a vested interest in driving like Gramps did, but even taking into account how many times I've had involuntary contacts with cops over my entire life, and I still don't think it's more than double the three I've mentioned here in this post. Bunch o' desperadoes populating this website lately! LOL
Blues