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VIDEO: What to do during a traffic stop when you're legally carrying a gun

Posted at 6:00 AM, Oct 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-26 08:20:13-04

CINCINNATI -- In July 2016, Minnesota officer Jeronimo Yanez shot and killed Philando Castile after the 32-year-old told the officer during a traffic stop that he was carrying a weapon. 

The shooting made national headlines and sparked a conversation about the safety of traffic stops -- especially when a driver is legally armed. 

Yanez said he feared for his life and was acquitted of second-degree manslaughter this past June. He claimed Castile reached for his gun, so he shot him. Castile's girlfriend, who was in the car at the time of the shooting, said Castile was reaching for his ID card in his back pocket when Yanez shot him.

In a local case, police arrested Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Adolphus Washington -- a Cincinnati native and Taft High School graduate -- outside Splash Cincinnati in Sharonville in July when officers said he handled his gun inappropriately. He had a permit to carry the gun.

Washington, 24, said he was putting his gun away when a nearby officer started running toward him and yelled, "Don't you move. Don't you move, dude." Police documents state Washington was "displaying his gun" near officers.

"Why would you have that gun in your hand with a cop right in front of you?" the arresting officer asked Washington, over his insistence that he had been putting the gun away and had not intended to hurt anyone.

The standoff was diffused, and Washington was charged with improperly carrying a concealed weapon. He was later acquitted.

Drivers who are legally carrying guns can avoid dangerous and potentially deadly situations during traffic stops by following a set of rules.

Watch the video below to see those steps in action.

 

In the video above, retired Cincinnati Police Officer Terrence Forte and concealed carry instructor Joe Porter walk through the steps of safely navigating a traffic stop while carrying a gun. Forte and Porter teach gun safety, self-defense and concealed carry permit classes at RideOrDie Gun Training in Fairfield.