I'll take your word that the license status comes up when they run your plate. Specific statutes aside, there are numerous varying court rulings on what officers are or are not allowed to do in the interest of their own safety during a traffic stop. Most of those center around the concept of what's within arms reach, and a firearm on your person could be deemed to fit that description. I'm not saying I would or that any specific jurisdiction would. I'm saying that the possibility exists based on past cases. It's quite possible that if you refuse to answer the question the officer will ask you to step out of the vehicle. If you have a firearm on you at that time, legally or not, the general legal consensus is that the officer can take it from you for the sake of his own safety and for yours as well. An officer who is nervous about you being armed also poses a potential threat to you as well. He doesn't need a warrant because this isn't a search, per se. Now having said all that, there's lots of debate on this practice, and not all courts are in 100% agreement. Either way, in my mind it really doesn't necessarily have to be a case of what's right. If you want to argue what's right, and you're willing to fall on your sword for it, then by all means argue with a stubborn cop, go to jail and fight it out in court. If the cop is being a real douche bag about it, then maybe he's looking for that fight (the legal fight I mean). But if I'm just wanting to go about my day, the cop is asking nicely, and he's asking in the interest of mutual safety, I don't really have a whole lot of problem with it. Well, maybe a teensy weensy bit, but not enough to make life difficult for both of us. Quite frankly, most of the cops around here just want to admire my gun and talk about guns in general (I've never had a traffic stop).
