Guns and alcohol don’t mix well

Carrying a firearm in a bar or a restaurant that serves alcohol is a dicey matter, and handling guns and alcohol does not come without due responsibility and understanding of state law.

Simply put, do not drink alcohol and handle firearms at the same time. There are other self-defense options in environments where alcohol is served or present.

One answer: just as a group will typically have a designated driver while drinking away from home, if they need the protection of a firearm they could also have a designated firearm carrier, most likely being the same person who is driving.

Concealed or open carry in a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol has the potential to be dangerous, and a number of states and establishments that serve alcohol prohibit it.

Handling a firearm while inebriated is irresponsible, but the issue can be easily alleviated. If a designated driver is already in the squad, why not assign them the duty of concealed carrying, provided they’re legally carrying and appropriately trained?

The message here isn’t to nitpick over having a beer to compliment dinner. For the purpose here, consider instead the presence of alcohol in a social setting that may end up with the consumer having impaired judgment and motor skills.

The matter of carrying a firearm where alcohol is served is a complicated equation of legality, risk, statistics and personal preference.

Consider the legality of carrying a gun under the influence of alcohol

Concealed and open carry permits contain a list of prohibited circumstances wherein one can carry, and carrying a gun under the influence of alcohol or drugs is typically one of those cases.

Whether or not a permit is required, it still behooves firearms carriers to responsibly handle their weapon, and most know that alcohol clouds judgment and that one bad choice can lead to a snowball effect.

According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, among the 11.1 million victims of violence each year at that time, 1 in 4 were certain that the offender had been drinking before committing the crime.

That’s approximately 2.7 million people.

What does this mean? It means alcohol certainly plays a factor in clouding the judgment of individuals prone to committing acts of violence.

This provides evidence that, despite some dissenting opinion, a firearm as a means of self-defense could be a necessary tool on a sober individual in an environment where alcohol is present.

That being said, carrying a firearm in a bar or a restaurant that serves alcohol is complicated. It’s a practice subject to state laws and being that state laws vary, research your state before carrying a firearm into one of those establishments. Contact a local sheriff, lawyer or legal authority for current laws on the matter in your state and county.

According to a 2010 report from the New York Times, Tennessee, Arizona, Georgia and Virginia had recently enacted laws explicitly allowing loaded guns in bars, and 18 states allow firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol. What’s more, 20 other states do not address the matter at all.

The NRA said it’s irresponsible to carry a gun while drinking at a nightclub

Recent political and popular culture figure Donald Trump took a stance on the matter of carrying gun in nightclubs following a mass shooting in an Orlando, Florida nightclub.

“If we had, if we had, people where the bullets were going in the opposite direction, right smack between the eyes of this maniac — if some of those wonderful people had guns strapped right here, right to their waist or right to their ankle, and this son of a bitch comes out and starts shooting, and one of the people in that room happened to have it, and goes boom — boom — you know what, that would have been a beautiful, beautiful sight, folks,” said Trump, a candidate for Republican presidential nominee with 1,542 delegates as of July 2016, at a rally in Houston.

However, he adjusted that stance in a tweet.

“When I said that if, within the Orlando club, you had some people with guns, I was obviously talking about additional guards or employees,” he wrote.

The National Rifle Association disagreed with his original stance.

“No one thinks that people should go into a nightclub drinking and carrying firearms — that defies common sense,” Chris Cox, executive director of the N.R.A. said on ABC. “It also defies the law.”

An answer to consider on guns and alcohol

Alcohol and places that serve it contribute to a potentially risky and dangerous environment, and the combination of guns and alcohol exasperate risk.

The nature of the establishment serving alcohol matters when choosing a location to grab a drink at.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism spent $918,856 on a five-year study that yielded admittedly obvious results. The report, according to CNS News, yielded that bar fights tend to happen in darker, dirtier bars frequented by heavy drinking, less agreeable people.

Huh.

The matter is simple. Drinking alcohol is not evil and carrying guns is not evil. However, drinking alcohol and carrying a firearm can yield irresponsible, unintended results due to impaired judgment and motor skills.

Get a sober, designated carrier — an idea supported by multiple people and organizations such as the Pink Pistols — on the next outing. Make sure they’re equipped with a Bigfoot gun belt and holster that both aid retention. Alternatively, carry pepper spray, or take hand-to-hand self-defense courses as a precaution. Having a good time while drinking does not mean safety has to be sidelined.

Use vigilance, preparation and common sense to your advantage.