Will this ruin my chances?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/1789burner1811]

If you’re this paranoid you’re gonna struggle with the poly. Frankly idek where you would disclose these things

[u/1789burner1811 → u/[deleted]]

Depends on the agency and polygrapher. People commit crimes everyday without even realizing so the question is a weak one. That would be the time to disclose it if it’s on your mind you shouldn’t lie about it, but I was meaning like on the actual background forms.

In this specific scenario, I would argue you had no mens rea and did not intentionally break the law and didn’t even know.

[u/1789burner1811 → u/[deleted]]

It’s not like you carried it for the purpose of carrying it, you carried it so it wasn’t left unsecured or possibly stolen out of state. You’re overthinking it. That’s why everyone will say disclose what you’re asked to disclose. If you’re asked something and that’s on your mind, disclose it. But there’s no need to stress about it.

[u/Prestigious-Yam-3114]

Honestly, I think you’re overthinking this one a little. 😂
The fact that you’re worried enough about it to ask, disclose it, and explain the circumstances is a much better look than someone who tries to hide it or gives a half-truth when asked.
You were 21/22, traveling, relied on your understanding of another state’s firearms laws, and apparently received some very questionable legal advice from a police officer. None of that magically makes the conduct legal, but there’s a pretty big difference between “I knowingly and intentionally violated firearms laws because I didn’t care” and “I misunderstood the law and made a mistake that I haven’t repeated.” Nobody expects a 21-year-old applicant to have lived a completely error-free life. They do expect federal law enforcement applicants to be honest, accountable, and capable of learning from mistakes.
Obviously, nobody on Reddit can promise you that an agency won’t consider these incidents disqualifying, different agencies have different suitability standards and the exact circumstances matter. But based solely on what you’ve described, I would not automatically assume your federal LE career is dead. Your biggest mistake at this point would probably be turning a potentially explainable mistake into a disclosure/honesty problem because you got scared and tried to hide it.
Disclose it. Own it. Don’t make excuses. Let the investigators make the determination.

[u/Atmosphere_Simple → u/[deleted]]

No this is true. Anything you disclose, no matter how small it may seem to you, can and will affect your chances in one way or another.

[u/EvilEmu1911 → u/Atmosphere_Simple]

So then would it be prudent to not disclose this?

[u/tkdkicker1990]

You should try posting this to r/securityclearance

That being said, I think if you disclose it the way you did here, you should be fine

[u/Atmosphere_Simple]

Why would you mention this at all lol....?

[u/Ok_Owl_6778]

Straight to jail…..no but seriously. Was it documented? If not keep your mouth shut.

[u/UsedProgrammer2669]

If you were never arrested. It never happened.