The following is a video transcript.

I’d like to talk to you today about gun myths.

Myth Number One: When presenting your handgun license, you do not need to tell an officer if you are armed.

The current myth is you should present your concealed carry permit to the police officer and let him figure out whether you are armed or not. Wrong. The proper way to do it is to advise a police officer upon first contact that you are armed, and let him ask you whether you have a concealed carry permit and ask you to present it.

If so:

  1. Present your concealed carry permit; and
  2. Follow his instructions.

If he asks for your driver’s license and says something like, “Well, I am armed too,” then follow his instructions and your meeting with him will comply with the law, which requires you to state that you are armed.

Myth Number Two: You can carry a firearm in your car for self-defense.

The only time you can carry a firearm in your car for self-defense purposes is if you have a concealed carry license, and that’s limited to a pistol only.

Rifles and shotguns are outside of the Self-Defense Act, and they must be carried empty inside of a gun case if you carry them inside the cabin of your car. They must be prominently displayed so they can be seen by a police officer looking inside your car. Alternatively, they may be empty and inside a gun case in the trunk of your car.

Myth Number Three: The Castle Doctrine will protect you from prosecution if you drag the body inside.

A person could get into an altercation with a trespasser or an intruder outside on the grounds of their home, still being on their property, and this altercation leads to violence and leads to the intruder being shot. In order to be protected from accusations, some assume that all you need to do is to drag the deceased person into your home and somehow the Castle Doctrine will protect you from prosecution.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

If you are faced with imminent threat of death or imminent threat of great bodily injury, only then can you use deadly force to protect yourself. You should leave the body alone so that the police may have a clean crime scene to investigate and thereby exonerate you.

Should you have any questions about gun myths in the State of Oklahoma, please feel free to call U.S. LawShield and ask to speak with an Independent Program Attorney. Thank you very much.