Trooper Hammons Discussed Handgun Etiquette And Emergency Vehicle Safety

State Trooper Stephen Hammons, Public Information Officer with Troop I visited 'Mornings With Ken and Bernie' today and discussed among other things:

• Handgun etiquette when stopped by an officer
• Yielding to emergency vehicles
• Bicycle safety

According to Trooper Hammons,

The State of Louisiana recognizes your vehicle as an extension of your home therefore it is a constitutionally protected area so you may have a handgun, shotgun or any legally owned firearm in your vehicle.  However if you are stopped by an officer, involved in a crash or even go through a safety checkpoint it is always advisable to tell the officer that you have a weapon with you.  This disclosure might help prevent a tense situation from happening if the officer sees the weapon while you are reaching for your license and/or registration.

On the topic of yielding to emergency vehicles Hammons said,

When being approached by an emergency vehicle with lights and siren on you should basically get out of the way.  Merge to the right and slow or stop depending on where you are.  We don't want you to pull into the right lane on the Interstate and stop but pull over and slow down.  At slower locations such as at intersections you should pullover and stop until the emergency vehicle passes.

Trooper Hammons had other safety tips and described mandatory hand signals for bicycle riders which you can hear in this interview: