Carrying and Alcohol

[gvsugod]

If I am going out to dinner, where I may have a drink with my meal I carry.

If I am going out to drink, it stays at home.

 

[TheSpark]

Let me start this by saying I personally don't drink very often , if at all.

How does everyone feel about mixing carrying with drinking? Some of us may enjoy a drink or 7 at a wedding or bachelor party or because its Tuesday. Whatever the case may be, are you not suppose to be prepared for life thretening situations because you're drinking?

Obviously, your decision making is effected when drinking but I guess that's a choice you have to make.

I guess my question is do you leave it at home and do your drinking without it? I feel just because your intoxicated doesn't mean you don't have a right to protect yourself in case of an emergency. The decision you make will be one you have to live with intoxicated or not if its a wrong one.

Whays your take INGo? What do you do?

Carrying a gun is a huge responsibility. Drinking to the point where you lose your ability to be responsible while carrying a gun is very irresponsible in my opinion. However, it is possible to drink within your limits and still be very responsible carrying a gun.

Also, if you drink to the point where you are drunk while carrying then do you really think you will be able to effectively protect yourself with that gun? There is little chance you would be able to aim that well.

 

[Denny347]

I think that we are all in agreement. Drinking "per se" is fine while carrying. It's the drunk part that one should avoid.

 

[HoughMade]

Too drunk to drive = too drunk to carry in my books.

But I've got no problem carrying while drinking a couple beers

As far as I can tell...at least from the deposition testimony, no one has ever had more than "a couple of beers"​.

 

[Cameramonkey]

As far as I can tell...at least from the deposition testimony, no one has ever had more than "a couple of beers"​.

Yep. I had just ONE drink Occifer, and I didnt even finish *hic* it...

 

[wtburnette]

Yep. I had just ONE drink Occifer, and I didnt even finish *hic* it...

Ooops, technical difficulty

 

[printcraft]

Ooops, technical difficulty

Hard to beat nicefun.net

 

[wtburnette]

Hard to beat nicefun.net

I prefer sexyfun.net personally

 

[slowG]

So it seems everyone agrees that drinking heavily and carrying is a bad idea..and irresponsible.

I still think someone full blown drunk has a right to defend himself , regardless of how well he will be able to do so.

just because someone made a decision to drink heavily doesn't mean they deserve to be a victim correct?

 

[Denny347]

So it seems everyone agrees that drinking heavily and carrying is a bad idea..and irresponsible.

I still think someone full blown drunk has a right to defend himself , regardless of how well he will be able to do so.

Sure, but judgement will be so impaired by then that an overreaction by the drunk is likely and could be costly.

 

[wtburnette]

Sure, but judgement will be so impaired by then that an overreaction by the drunk is likely and could be costly.

That's my feeling as well. It's a fine balance between having the right to get drunk, having the right to carry a weapon and doing both at once.

 

[slowG]

It's a tough call.

 

[wtburnette]

It's a tough call.

Each of us has to make that decision for him or herself. That's what personal accountability and responsibility means. I wouldn't do it, but someone else has the freedom to choose differently.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I know its not apples to apples since one is not a constitutional right (so skip that excuse for this discussion), but devils advocate, couldnt driving be construed similarly on its face? After all if you just have a buzz, you can probably make it home OK, unless something extenuating comes up. So if you carry drunk and drive drunk and you dont shoot anyone and make it home without hitting anything that makes it OK?

 

[ATM]

I know its not apples to apples since one is not a constitutional right (so skip that excuse for this discussion), but devils advocate, couldnt driving be construed similarly on its face? After all if you just have a buzz, you can probably make it home OK, unless something extenuating comes up. So if you carry drunk and drive drunk and you dont shoot anyone and make it home without hitting anything that makes it OK?

yes

 

[slowG]

The same could be said about carrying in your own home. If you were attacked at gun point there , is it more acceptable then if you were being given a ride home from somewhere and it happens during the ride home? both cases you still are a victim.

 

[calcot7]

This. I don't drink at all now, but when I did, I still carried. There are some who get hot-headed and pick fights even after only a beer or two. Those kind of people should definitely not drink while carrying (and some would argue that with such little self-control, they shouldn't be carrying at all).

To break that down a little further.... that type of person should probably not drink at all either.

 

[singlesix]

I'm a big cheap-o so just water for me when I'm eating out; for what I pay for one drink in a bar I can get a whole six pack. Even if I hit the lotto I'm not going to drink while carrying, it's just another complication if I have to use my gun for self-defense, I don't care what the law states.

 

[chipbennett]

I know its not apples to apples since one is not a constitutional right (so skip that excuse for this discussion), but devils advocate, couldnt driving be construed similarly on its face? After all if you just have a buzz, you can probably make it home OK, unless something extenuating comes up. So if you carry drunk and drive drunk and you dont shoot anyone and make it home without hitting anything that makes it OK?

I don't think the two are really analogous:

1. Keeping and bearing arms is explicitly a right. Driving a car is not. Driving a car is a privilege, subject to reasonable regulation by the State.

2. When bearing arms, 99.999999% of the time, the firearm remains holstered, and untouched by the bearer. Thus, carrying while under any level of influence of alcohol poses an extremely low risk of misuse of the firearm, or threat to bystanders. When driving a car, 100% of the time, the movement of several thousand pounds of mass and inertia are under the direct control of the driver. Thus, driving while under the influence of alcohol poses a risk of misuse of the vehicle, directly proportional to the degree of inebriation - and a commensurate risk of threat to bystanders.

3. The demonstrated public harm of driving under the influence of alcohol is orders of magnitude greater than the demonstrated public harm of misuse of firearms, whether under the influence of alcohol or not.

 

[cbhausen]

Quite simply, a good shoot is a good shoot and a bad shoot is a bad shoot. We all are affected differently by intoxicants. If drinking to excess (or at all) would make you more likely to do a bad shoot, then don't drink. I drink my share of beer (while pacing myself) and never drink hard stuff unless someone buys me a shot on rare occasion. Drink responsibly and carry on. Just be responsible so our politicians don't take the choice from us.