You need to get a lawyer and sue the shit out of that cop. A gun charge is nothing to F around with dude.
You can’t throw your hands up and say “oh well” Your permit is gonna get revoked and the cops are gonna keep your gun illegally, and now if you get any future arrests or tickets, you’ll get slammed in court.

Clear your record ASAP, get some sweet $$$ out of the police department and that power-tripping cop, get your gun back, and live the good life. Take the permit issue to court, PROVE IT IS NOT EXPIRED. IT IS NONE NEGOTIABLE. Permits do not expire and magically unexpire, if your permit was valid but perhaps you carried an older, expired card with you, then contrary to the idiotic, public belief, the PERMIT is valid, the piece of paper is meaningless.
Example being if you drive without your license physically on you, that does not equal “driving without a license”. If you are licensed, you’re not required to have it on your person, the paper does not grant the license, you, the individual, are legally granted a license/permit and the paper is merely a legal document proving the validity license.

Do not give up now, otherwise you’ll regret it and your issues will compound.
This is super simple stuff, you could even argue it yourself if you wanted but a lawyer is better because legalese is annoying.

Wait, what? Is some of the story missing in the original post?

I’m glad! Apologies for being harsh, last update I saw didn’t look like you had fought it. That was total BS by the cop, and it seems crazy the law doesn’t allow to you have the gun on the seat, because there are also many laws preventing concealing firearms in your vehicle lol. Wtf.

Best of luck.
Congrats on selling the dealership.
Rental properties are a good idea, a relative of mine retired and bought 3 rental properties and it has allowed him to buy boats and all sorts of toys that normal retirement wouldn’t.

Invest in oil stocks and dividends and live off that money. Even with Electric, oil will last the rest d your life, and the dividends are some of the best on the market. Between stocks and rentals you should be Golden.

If you are breathing tomorrow just focus on that day keep it up indefinitely everything else will fall in line . Planning too far ahead is a fools errand.

Your arrest and status of your business are 2 different things. Since you run your own business it’s not like you have to worry about your boss firing you. It’s a minor infraction/inconvenience so just get over it. It’s not a big deal….but I would also advise that if you live in an area bad enough you feel the need to pack heat in your own neighborhood perhaps you should consider another part of town. Tons of places you can move to that are much better but that’s on you.

As far as your business there is a saying that you get out of it what you put into it…..in other words if you don’t follow up/monitor employees they WILL rob you blind. Don’t think employees are there because they want to be. It’s hard to find employees with true integrity….keep em on there toes like any day could be their last but be nice about it. Let them know that big brother is ALWAYS watching even if they are not. And if the cost of your product goes up then you need to raise the selling price….or find a cheaper “ Legal” means to obtain the product you are selling.

Rent houses are a crap shoot…if you want to be a slum lord then more power to you. Unless you are buying high end properties to rent I wouldn’t do it. Even if you buy middle class houses to rent there will be issues…think about why people rent. Most rent because they have relocated and need something quick or they can’t qualify for a loan. Many renters live paycheck to paycheck. Unless you like dealing with house repairs all the time or will make enough to pay for the emergency repairs to be done it’s just a bad idea IMO unless you are committed to it. Just make sure you know what you are getting into before you decide to buy rental properties. I am sure there are several folks here that can tell you all about it.

Life is stressful for many of us. Take a step back…breathe….have A drink and try to relax for just a moment. Don’t make a knee jerk reaction. Think things through. Perhaps make a list of what is most important to you or several lists….what you want out of life, what you want out of s job, etc. Then make a plan to get tje things you want/value most. There is more to life than toys/money.

I just started a new job myself and though it is very new I think it will put me in a better place. I literally think I have found a job that is almost stress free….it is technical and there are some challenges but I am not working 60 plus hrs a week with customers/technicians calling me morning, noon, and night 7 days a week. For the last 20 years I have worked very demanding jobs requiring basically on call support 24/7. Though I enjoyed what I did, I worked myself to death…..I have never known the meaning of a true 40 hr work week and when you are off you are actually off. Work always came home with me. I am looking forward to actually enjoying time with my wife, family, and friends. The sacrifice is I am definitely going to make less but it’s enough and I will have a life. It’s time I work so I can live and not live to work.

Life is short and the older you get is when you realize this. Hope you figure out what is the right choice for you to put you in a better place. Don’t let the small stuff drag you down!

Fortunately for you this is probably the best time in the last 50 years to be a job seeker. Employers are desperate for reliable workers. Google remote jobs if you want to work from home. Google jobs with high job satisfaction, if you rather go to a physical place of employment.

Working rental properties is hard work. And if you don't want to be tied down to the whims of your tenants, you will need to hire a property management company. Evictions for bad tenants are painfully hard. Folks can basically squat on your property for 3 months or more without you having the legal means to evict. And it will happen. Many renters are renters for a reason and it isn't reliability.

Whatever you do, don't rush it. You have money and you can buy yourself time to "find yourself" before making the next decision about your life.

Sounds like you are off the legal hook. The new law that allows carry w/o a permit hads opened many opportunities now, some for the police who strenuously object to you carrying a firearm. The law doesn't state they can't give you a hard time. It's about the only defense the LEOs have now that there is no longer a requirement to take classes about carrying etc. Why do you think there are more road rage shootings in Harris Co these days. Most folks think they can just use the "in fear for my life" or castle doctrine defense.
What they don't understand, again, since no education is required for carry, the legal aspects that will follow an incident. I know when I took my chl, that was covered adnausium. That was long before even open carry was a thing though.

I wish you a positive outcome in the business thing, I've lost one once, it's no fun. But as HEP stated, have gratitude the charges were dropped and for every morning you get out of bed.
Well he said that second part.

At least to start maybe volunteer work in your community? To keep busy and have some sense of purpose until you figure things out. Rental properties can work out well if you know what you are doing. A lot depends on how you approach it and the location and the type of properties you buy. Feel free to pm and I can share some things that have worked for me.

Life’s a bitch and then you marry one. Go figure.

damn, this story sucks. I thought it was normal for gun racks hanging from the back of truck windows. Guns are just the norm and nothing to be bothered about. In MO we have constitutional carry as well, but not as long as Texas has had it. I'm a big defender of cops, but every profession has their asshole rejects. Sorry you met one.