INDIANAPOLIS -- If you're a legal gun owner in the state of Indiana, do you have to tell a police officer you're armed during a traffic stop?
The video of a police officer shooting and killing Philando Castile in Minnesota because the officer saw a gun on Castile's hip sparked outrage across the country. It also brought up questions about what you should do in a similar situation.
Indiana law doesn't require you to tell an officer during a traffic stop that you have a gun. But police say you should anyway.
"We don't know what your intentions are when we come up to your car," said Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine.
To demonstrate what police say you should do in such a situation, Call 6 Investigates set up a mock traffic stop with Perrine. You can watch that in the video player above, or below:
Perrine says the important thing is to understand police have miliseconds to react when they see an unexpected gun, and that you can help deescalate the situation by remaining calm and following their requests.
Whether the gun is in the glove box or sitting in the front seat or on the center console, police say you should tell them about it – and don't make any sudden movements toward it.
For those who say it's their Second Amendment right and they shouldn't have to tell police, officers say at the end of the day it's all about safety, for you and them.
State police say clear communication with the officer is key to keeping the traffic stop safe for everybody.
