When you have a license to carry a gun in the U.S., you can legally have a concealed firearm. Usually, you’d mention this to officers if they happen to stop you for any reason. What happens if you did and the police take your gun, anyway? A Black man in Washington, DC, found out quickly that the police aren’t on your side when they took his gun from him at a traffic stop. And apparently, it wasn’t done with probable cause. The frustrating conversation that follows shows us that even if somebody is a licensed gun owner, it doesn’t seem to matter to the police.
Recently, President Trump led a federal takeover of Washington, DC, and now the city’s streets are flooded with police, federal agents, and military. There have been many videos released during this takeover showing police and agents flexing their power and taking advantage of the people. In a recent Reddit post on r/liberalgunowners, we see a perfect example of police allegedly breaking the law. It reveals a Black man holding up his license to carry a gun and telling DC police they didn’t have the right to confiscate his firearm.
Several cops surround him as he asks a police officer, “Hey sir, can I get your name? You just took my gun from me.” When he gets the police officer’s name, he asks him why he took his gun from him. “You did not tell me that you were armed when you were stopped by the police,” the office explains. However, that man argues he did indeed tell them as soon as he was pulled over.
It turns out the man filming the video did not have his firearm returned to him. He was told to leave the scene even though they detained his licensed weapon. The Reddit poster also explained that when police seize a firearm, it’s nearly impossible to get it back. More importantly, it’s likely to return damaged or even be sold at auctions.
“Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. have stopped pursuing felony charges against individuals simply for carrying rifles or shotguns in public,” one Redditor attempted to explain. However, as another commenter pointed out, “Regrettably, this will not be enforced equally. If black: straight to jail. If white: ignore. It’s blatant at this point.” But I think another Redditor put it perfectly:
It’s obvious DC police are using any excuse they need to remove a ‘threat.’ I’m not even surprised it was a Black man targeted, too. If he did reveal to the police he was licensed to carry, then a good lawyer can make a case. I think one Redditor broke down the situation perfectly: “Ain’t none of those pigs voting Dem.”
