# "Turn in your badge and your weapon" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058 "2011-07-06T16:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/21 "2011-07-08T19:11:21Z")
You can take my badge and my gun…but my shield and crossbow…! Well fuck YOU ! One more day until retirement, he had a wife Goddamit , sob, … ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/22 "2011-07-08T20:36:01Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Huh. I thought cops _had_ to turn in their badges and guns to solve the tough cases and get justice for their dead partners, despite the commissioner’s attempts at a cover-up. Almost. Their partners must also have been only two weeks away from retirement. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/23 "2011-07-09T02:51:56Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > OTOH, it probably is just a dramatic trope. 🙂 [Indeed](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TurnInYourBadge) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/24 "2011-07-09T05:13:21Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > OTOH, it probably is just a dramatic trope. 🙂 No, actually it’s pretty accurate. You have to immediately turn in your badge and ID card and then we send somebody to your house to collect any firearms you have registered under your badge. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/25 "2011-07-09T05:16:47Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I don’t have a cite, but it was in today’s paper that the Wheeling, WV cops are stopping people who open carry. Completely legal, but the chief says that it is so unusual that he has the right to stop people, take the gun, run the serial number, ask questions, and then return it. A suit was just filed in federal court. Justifiably so. That’s a violation of a couple of amendments. They might get the ACLU and the NRA to join forces on this one. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/26 "2011-07-09T06:04:25Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Cite(s) please? :dubious: > AND, while it might be (technically) _ **legal** _ to carry a weapon, (as long as it is visible), I would be willing to make a substantial bet, that the local law enforcement will be seriously questioning you, as to _ **why** _ you feel the need to carry said weapon openly, in public. :eek: > (Not to mention, convincing you to _ **not** _, do so. Legal or not! ;)) > At least, they _ **will** _, here in Houston! Just sayin’…😃 Take a long gander at [THIS](http://opencarry.org/) cite, especially the [MAPS](http://opencarry.org/opencarry.html) page and the [FORUM](http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/forum.php) page where people post their experiences open carrying. It **is** legal in most states and police departments around the country have been paying out a lot of money in law suit settlements for harassing OCers. The department I was on for 25 years issued a weapon, but officers were allowed to carry their own as long as it was of one of the approved models and calibers, and they qualified with it during training. Suspended officers did have their badge, ID cards, keys, and weapon taken from them. If they carried their own weapon the ammo (department issued) was confiscated. After I retired I took a part-time position with another agency. Part-timers are required to buy ALL their own equipment (uniform, gun, duty belt) except the badge and ammo. Luckily after over 2 decades I had a lot of my own equipment and didn’t have to go broke buying the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/27 "2011-07-11T00:23:00Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You need a to provide counter-cites for that and not the other way around. Open carry of guns in the U.S. isn’t given by law, it is only taken away. It certainly isn’t legal everywhere but you can openly carry firearms around freely most places in the U.S. by land area. Law enforcement can try to talk to you all they want just like they can ask where bought those cool clothes but you don’t have to cooperate if you aren’t doing anything wrong. It makes sense if you think about it. There are lots of legal guns in the U.S. and their owners often need to take them from place place to place. There are websites that break down local laws by town, city, and state but those are specific restrictions. Outside of those restrictions, you can walk around with shotguns, rifles, and handguns all you want as long as you don’t threaten anyone or cause some other mayhem. Many states have specific restrictions on gun carry inside of banks and places that serve alcohol for obvious reasons and private property owners generally have right to refuse access to refuse entry or eject people that have a gun for no other reason but it is technically legal most other places by land area. I stand corrected sir. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058/28 "2011-07-11T01:09:52Z")
Even if a cop has their own personal carry permit and their own personal weapon, once their police carrying privileges have been revoked wouldn’t it be illegal to carry inside a police station or courthouse? (Where they would presumably be asked to surrender their badge and gun). If they are suspended or fired due to a felony criminal charge against them that might void their personal carry permit too, but I’m not sure of that. But aside from any legalities it isn’t good management to send an employee who has just been fired or suspended out into the office or courthouse carrying a loaded gun so I’m sure they are legally able to prevent that even if by just giving them their gun back outside the building after their entry badge is taken away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-in-your-badge-and-your-weapon/588058.md?page=1)