A thank you and some questions

[buschwhaked]

First, I just want to say a thank you for what you guys do. I was pulled over in SW Colorado for not having my front license plate on my jeep. I was on my way to the Grand Canyon for a honeymoon and had started modifying my bumper but hadn't re-attached the plate yet. The officer noticed that was the case and I had the plate on my dash board and let me go with a warning. He was also really professional when it came to the firearm I had in my jeep with me. I informed him of it's presence (I don't think he noticed at first to be honest) and he just said "Well, don't touch it and we won't have a problem." Being from Atlanta I was totally expecting him to yank me out of the car at that point. I had just gotten back from Iraq and we talked about his experiences in Bosnia and how they compared. I was very thankful for him understanding the situation.

But since this is the "Ask a Cop" forum I do have a few questions, not all related.

1) I live at the corner of a busy intersection and people are always coming through bumping their sound systems. In CO Springs, to my understanding, it is a noise violation if the system can be heard 30ft outside the car. I can hear these systems in my bedroom, some even vibrate my furniture. Is this something I should address with LE or just tough it out? It is really annoying to hear that stuff day and night.

2) I don't have a CCW permit as of yet, but in Colorado open-carry is not common, but not unheard of. I usually only carry in my car if I am going through a bad neighborhood. My question is, when I am walking to my car on the apartment complexes property, I usually conceal the weapon so I don't freak out my neighbors. I read all the laws for Colorado concerning open carry and you're allowed to carry concealed in your residence. Is my walk to the car an extension of that principle?

3) I live directly accross the street form a day care, is that considered a school and I can't have a firearm w/in X number feet of it? This is where I live and it's not the best neighborhood in the world so I feel better with a firearm, but I want to be w/in the law.

4) I am considering a career in LE after I leave the military. When was in high school, I smoked a lot of marijuana. I haven't smoke since I graduated and I won't start applying for a position in LE until about 2011. That will be nine years from when I graduated HS. In the military, I have a very high level clearance and they are aware of my history and didn't disqual me for it. I was open about it during the interview process and was never arrested for it. Is this going to be more of a problem for LE than it was for the military?

5) There was a shooting near my apartment about a month ago. Two people were shooting at each other in the apartment complex across the street. I had my .40 in hand when I went outside to investigate (my wife heard it and I thought it was fireworks at first, then I heard the 'ping' of rounds flying close to me). I had a shot at about 30 yards to one of the shooters, but I didn't know if I could engage or not, so I just moved my wife and I into the bedroom. These guys were firing erratically and I was afraid of a round entering my apartment and hitting one of us. Were I to take the shot would that have been self defense?

Some of this may sound a little paranoid, but it really just falls under the 'just curious' area for me. Thank you for your repsonses ahead of time?

P.S.- We're just saving up for a house so we are planning on moving out of this crap hole of an area soon.

[Monkeybomb]

1) tough it out till you move there aren't enough officers to write enough tickets in your hood.
2) Concealed not on your property (ie outside of your appartment and caught might cause you a problem) Get your CCW its easy go to the EPSO website it will tell you everything you need to get it.
3) No such law in Colorado Springs just can't have it on the school grounds.
4) Maybe depends on where you apply. If it was as a juvy probably not a deal breaker.
5) If it's the shooting i'm thinking of who was the bad guy? Could you have shot an "innocent" person defending themselves from an attack. Best to go inside and protect your family. Call 911 and give a good description and witness statement to CSPD.

I can take a good guess on where you live. I would move sooner than later.......

[Sleuth]

And don't forget that not all LEO's work in uniform. Your 'two guys shooting at each other' could easily have been an officer and a bad guy, a CCW holder and a bad guy, or two bad guys. You did the right thing. But, I would never step outside with a gun visible. Responding officers may think you are a bad guy, and that could be a realy negative outcome.

Thanks for your service to our country.

[buschwhaked]

Yeah, it all happened really fast, and my weapon wasn't visible when I stepped outdoors. I did call 911 and tell them what I saw and apparently I wasn't the first either. The police response was really fast too, they were swarming the area in no time flat. I let one of the officers know what I had seen and he said thanks and sped off. I couldn't really give you too much since it was dark and 90ft away. But you all are right, I didn't think about the whole 'good guy bad guy' factor in that. Being from Atlanta it just looked like gang violence to me. It really freaked us out though. I just went back to Iraq mode for a minute. Monkeybomb, any resolution on that and what was it all about in the first place? I've checked the news and I haven't heard if the guy was caught.

[Sleuth]

I never wore a uniform - I was plain clothes for my entire career. And the possibility of the locals/CCW holders mistaking me for a bad guy was never far from my mind.