Dear Mahatma: When I'm roundin' third and headed for home in a parking lot, there are often official-looking stop signs. On closer inspection, they look smaller or otherwise different than stop signs on city streets. I think these signs do not carry the force of law, but rather are suggestions by the property owners to convince the parking lot drivers to stop as a matter of courtesy. What say?
-- Put Me In Coach
Dear Reader: Put me in, I can play, center field. Yeah, a lyric from good old John Fogerty.
Parking lot signage does not have the force of traffic law, it being on private property. That doesn't exclude drivers from insurance law or civil law.
Dear Mahatma: Why do we see so many vehicles on the road with expired temporary tags? Today on a 20-minute drive around town I saw three different vehicles with expired tags. Why does law enforcement not pull these over and require the owner to pay any fines, sales tax and penalties?
-- Every Day
Dear Every: Ask law enforcement, as we have, and the answer is mostly generic blah.
Our view is that an expired tag is not a high law enforcement priority, what with speeding, running red lights and drive-by shootings.
Oh, the things we learn here. For instance, an old friend asked whether a person who has a concealed carry license must tell a police officer of that fact when stopped on the highway.
Our experience with firearms is limited, although Uncle Sam found us to be an expert marksman four years running. So we asked Bill Sadler of the Arkansas State Police because that agency administers the license process.
He referred us to Rule 3.2 of the Arkansas State Police Concealed Handgun Carry License Rules, titled Contact with Law Enforcement.
While in possession of a handgun, the rule says, if a licensee is asked for identification by a law enforcement officer, "(t)he licensee shall also notify the officer that he or she holds a concealed handgun carry license and that he or she has a handgun in his or her possession."
If the licensee doesn't have the handgun in his possession, no need to tell the officer.
Is this a matter of state law? Sort of, because state law gives the state police authority to make the rules, of which this is one. Further, if a licensee violates a rule, the matter would be addressed in an administrative hearing. A license holder could be issued a letter of caution, or his license could be temporarily suspended or even revoked.
Vanity plate on a Tesla: NO MPG.
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