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, 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 a critter. 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.
Well i have a Concealed Handgun permit and the laws work the same with as if you were driving a car. You cannot carry the weapon if you are completly plastered. There are rules and laws to it that protect you, but haveing a Concealed handgun legally is best these days
Thanks to Ohio’s CCW law, I don’t even have the option of entering any place serving alcohol when i’m carrying.
So that’s why I’ll just sit at home, on my back porch, scotch in hand, pipe in mouth, and gun on him.
John Wayne would’ve wanted it that way.
This came up for me the first time last Friday. Some friends invited us out to dinner and I happen to be carrying. They ordered multiple pitchers of margaritas.
But I was aware I was carrying and chose not to imbibe. Just doesn’t seem a good idea to impair your judgment when carrying a deadly tool of any kind.