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KCK police provide recommendations to those who conceal carry

Posted at 5:13 PM, Jul 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-07 18:41:58-04

It's an agonizing video of a traffic stop Wednesday night that's gone viral, showing the aftermath when a Minnesota police officer shot and killed 32-year old Philando Castile.

"I told him not to reach for it, I told him to get his hand off of it," the officer said in the video.

In the video, Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, claims her boyfriend had a license to conceal carry.

"They asked him for identification, and before they gave him a chance to get it they beared [sic] arms on him," Reynolds wrote Thursday.

You can watch the video on YouTube. WARNING: Contains graphic content.

The video has many people wondering what their rights are - if they have a conceal and carry permit and are pulled over by police.

Laws in the Sunflower State and the Show Me State are distinctive.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon recently vetoed a bill that would have allowed people to conceal carry without a permit.

It's been legal in Kansas since last year, adding another layer of risk for officers making traffic stops. 

KCK Police Officer Cameron Morgan says there are a couple of things you can do if you're pulled over.

"Let the officers know, 'Hey, I do have a weapon in the vehicle. What would you like me to do at this point?'" Morgan said.

Then listen to the officer.

"First we would give the verbal commands of what we would like them to do, then we would actually try to physically take the weapon for both of our safety," Morgan said.

The same thing goes if you're stopped walking down the street.

"We can tell them to put their hands on top of their heads so we can feel that their weapons are there," Morgan said.

But if red flags are raised, officers will call for backup.

Although other parts of the country are protesting divisions in their communities, police departments in the metro are working to build stronger ones.

"We believe that our community won't be affected by the things nationwide because of our relationship with our community," Morgan said.

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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com

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