Dredged from the archives at What Would John Wayne Do!
I know that a lot of us carry firearms for personal protection, which had led me to wonder about the title of the thread. When you’re carrying, do you imbibe? Obviously, we all know that you shouldn’t drink and drive, but what about drinking and packing?
Please note, I am not a legal expert, and nothing I say should be construed as legal advice or counsel, please feel free to ignore me, and heed me only at your own risk.
Okay, now that I got that out of the way, let us look at the particulars of drinking and packing.
First thing we all know is that alcohol and firearms don’t mix. I can personally say I’ve had that pounded into my head for years, and the 2 alcohol related firearms accidents I’ve been witness to have reinforced that feeling. So, we can eliminate getting drunk and carrying; I think everyone’s okay with that.
Let’s imagine a hypothetical situation. You and the missus go out for dinner and a movie. At dinner, you have two drinks. Being a man of decent size and pacing yourself, two drinks does not raise your BAC above the legal limit, nor impair your judgment (you think). On your way to your vehicle, you are confronted and blah blah blah, you end up plugging some citizen who wanted to lighten you and wife of your goods. When the police officer shows up, how do you think his reaction will be if he smells alcohol on you? Now imagine the same scenario, except you are sober as a Baptist preacher on Sunday.
My feeling is that if I’m planning on having a few drinks, I leave the pistol at home; better yet so that I don’t have to go around unarmed, I don’t drink when I’m out. Plus, it saves me a tonne of money; buying booze from a liquor store and drinking at home is a lot less expensive. A great way to kill two birds with one stone is to volunteer to be the designated driver. I do this a lot as it allows me to stay sober, stay armed, and I get to laugh at the antics of all my drunk friends. I call that a win-win situation.
There are some states that forbid CCW holders from imbibing while they are in public and armed, some states don’t permit CCW holders to bring their firearms into bars. Know your local laws regarding weapons and alcohol before you do anything.
And remember that alcohol and firearms don’t mix.
It felt like this was especially appropriate as St. Patty’s Day is tomorrow. Indiana (where I love) has no prohibitions on carrying concealed in bars; I’ll be the designated driver for tonight’s St. Practice Day festivities, pretty much for the reasons stated above.
Here in TN, we can’t carry in any place that serves alcohol, and (I believe), we can’t have any alcohol in our systems while in possession of a firearm.
I’ve always felt the BAC limit for driving should be applied to carrying. There’s a lot bigger chance of killing someone while driving impaired than there is carrying a gun.
Of course, most of the gun mishaps will be self-inflicted, probably starting with the phrase “Hey, y’all, look at this!” :-)
The words “Hey ya’ll look at this” are usually my cue to excuse myself to another room.
As I stated on another site, I have carried in all degrees of sobriety and its counterpart. I have yet to harm anyone because I had a drink and a gun at the same time.
If one cannot drink and maintain decorum, one cannot and should not drink.
I actually was armed and pretty well oiled one night when three young men jumped me. This was many years ago, and I was much younger and stronger than now. It was obvious they expected surprise and fear to win the fight for them. They weren’t all that good. I just whipped their asses for them and never considered pulling my pistol. I did show it to them after and suggested they might want to rethink how much fun they were having beating up out of town construction workers. I was their fourth attempt and first failure. They retired from having that much fun.
There were no more attacks after that, so I am pretty sure those same 3 guys were the ones that had been doing it. The point being, I didn’t shoot them just because I could, nor did alcohol, of which I had a full load, alter my determination not to kill anybody if at all possible. I knew I would get hurt, and I did, but I was never in fear for my life and after the adrenaline kicked in to neutralize some of the booze, I was never even worried about losing.
It is a self-serving myth created by weaklings that booze will make one do things he shouldn’t or that one has no control over himself because he had a drink. Too many use it and too many others believe it.
Unfortunately, the too many that believe it, will believe a drinking shooter was wrong no matter how compelling the evidence to the contrary. So, as a practical matter it is better to not drink when packing. I think it sort of ironic, though, that the anti-gunners, have in effect used our right to carry to defacto imprison us in our homes or forego personal defense should a deadly situation arise if you leave your home and participate in perfectly normal behaviors that others do. At that point, your survival or likelihood of passing unharmed relies on chance and not any volition of the person. At that point, it is just a matter of whom the robber or rapists chooses and the misfortune of timing of opportunity.
How about that, imprisoned by a right. Yeah, I know nobody has to drink. Nobody has to talk either, should people packing be forced to be silent to avoid any possible conflict leading to a killing?
Here is where we get back to personal responsibility. Because I drink does not mean I am not 100% responsible for what I say or do. I don’t pretend it does and I don’t tolerate others pretending it for me, so that they may encumber me with their will as to the exercise of my rights.
We see this everywhere now. Can’t use a cell phone and drive, some states are contemplating a ban on eating or drinking while driving. There goes your on the way to work coffee. There are hundreds of things now you are barred from doing because someone has deemed you unreasonably irresponsible and incapable of governing your own actions.
In North Carolina, the number one reason for revoking CCW permits is a DWI conviction, whether packing at the time or not.
Driving a vehicle is a far more dangerous activity than carrying a gun. If you’re good at .08 for driving a car, you should be good for carrying a firearm.
I’ve always viewed the drinking/carrying issue as a relatively common sense. In this litigatious age, on the off chance that I have to plug someone, everything will be under scrutiny. Since I don’t drink much in public anyway, it’s simply easier for me to enjoy adult beverages at home.
If do drink while carrying, I apply the same rules that I would if I was driving, which are 1 beer/glass of wine/whatever every two hours.
Sobering post, well stated.
I don’t know if you did that on purpose or not – however your use of “sobering” easily wins you the Pun of the Day award.