On alcohol and carrying - a civil discussion

[DocGKR]

I like a glass of good wine or beer as much as anyone, however, alcohol and firearms do not mix. Ever. In addition, many LE agencies and civilian CCW regulations have strict prohibitions against carrying a weapon while drinking alcohol. Thus if an individual governed under those conditions wants to drink, they must not be carrying a weapon. I know a lot of folks in just that situation who don't carry their firearm when out partying and drinking...that is a prudent choice. What is utterly STUPID is to go out into a public place like a bar with a bunch of other people whose judgement and inhibitions may be altered and expect to not have trouble--especially if you are LE and may be recognized by miscreants who you have had previous interactions. If you want to imbibe alcohol, I'd recommend doing it at home; if for some reason you must go out in public to drink, then it would be quite wise to have a designated non-drinker to drive and serve as an armed escort. In the last 20+years I've seen far too many situations spin out of control when this rational approach is ignored...

[LittleLebowski]

I like a glass of good wine or beer as much as anyone, however, alcohol and firearms do not mix. Ever. In addition, many LE agencies and civilian CCW regulations have strict prohibitions against carrying a weapon while drinking alcohol. Thus if an individual governed under those conditions wants to drink, they must not be carrying a weapon. I know a lot of folks in just that situation who don't carry their firearm when out partying and drinking...that is a prudent choice. What is utterly STUPID is to go out into a public place like a bar with a bunch of other people whose judgement and inhibitions may be altered and expect to not have trouble--especially if you are LE and may be recognized by miscreants who you have had previous interactions. If you want to imbibe alcohol, I'd recommend doing it at home; if for some reason you must go out in public to drink, then it would be quite wise to have a designated non-drinker to drive and serve as an armed escort. In the last 20+years I've seen far too many situations spin out of control when this rational approach is ignored...

Well said, Doc. Case in point

[jslaker]

I'm single and relatively young compared to most of you (mid 20s), so the bar scene's still a fairly important part of my social life. I don't carry if I'm imbibing, that's simply out of the question so far as I'm concerned. Given that, I've found that being selective about where you go plays a major factor in how safe you are. Granted, things can go wrong anywhere but it's a matter of stacking the odds in your favor.

In my area, the places you are most likely to run into trouble are:
A. Thug bars
B. Redneck bars
C. Bars full of young GIs that have just graduated basic/returned from overseas

(Not a negative commentary on soldiers, just the reality of young men that have been pent up for months mixed with alcohol).

I basically limit myself to the after-work corner bar a third of a mile from my office and the local downtown bar district. The first because it's in a low-crime area of town, I'm friends with pretty much the entirety of the staff, and somebody in the kitchen or office usually has a firearm anyway. As for the downtown district? I stick to a couple of bars that are off the main beating path, on nights they don't attract a bad crowd. Downtown is also one of the only places I'm okay with relying on the police -- we're talking about a three-block area that usually has at least a dozen metro officers walking around, and lately they've been supplemented by MPs because of some issues with soldiers getting themselves in trouble.

I realize it's not for everyone, but for me I've struck a balance between carrying myself and carrying on with my social life that I'm happy with. I mostly wanted to point out that your options aren't limited to a binary carry or stay in.

[Kyle Reese]

I like a glass of good wine or beer as much as anyone, however, alcohol and firearms do not mix. Ever. In addition, many LE agencies and civilian CCW regulations have strict prohibitions against carrying a weapon while drinking alcohol. Thus if an individual governed under those conditions wants to drink, they must not be carrying a weapon. I know a lot of folks in just that situation who don't carry their firearm when out partying and drinking...that is a prudent choice. What is utterly STUPID is to go out into a public place like a bar with a bunch of other people whose judgement and inhibitions may be altered and expect to not have trouble--especially if you are LE and may be recognized by miscreants who you have had previous interactions. If you want to imbibe alcohol, I'd recommend doing it at home; if for some reason you must go out in public to drink, then it would be quite wise to have a designated non-drinker to drive and serve as an armed escort. In the last 20+years I've seen far too many situations spin out of control when this rational approach is ignored...

Agree 1000%. Much less drama / trouble having a beer quietly at home as opposed to going to a local watering hole where you cannot control the environment / patrons, etc.

That said, I drink about 5 beers per year (CONUS) so it's a non issue for me.

[TGS]

Here's a question for you guys;

I'm not sure of your families/lives, but it's just commonplace in mine to have wine with dinner without thinking of it as having a drink. It's just what you do with dinner. It's not boozing, it's just complementing that delicious chicken joseph with a tasty beverage. Totally different to us than mixing drinks or beer.

Have you ever realized you ordered a drink while carrying, but realized it a few minutes too late?

I was at a Macaroni Grill for dinner and ordered a glass of wine while carrying. Totally against the law, and I didn't realize I had done such until I finished that glass and switched to a sweet tea like I always do if I'm driving or going to carry later. Woops.....pucker factor override.......

I imagine there's quite a few people that have done so without realizing. Probably more as a product of carrying a mouse-gun and literally forgetting it's there I would bet. Even when I'm pocket carrying my 642 it's always jabbing me in some small manner resulting in me always being aware of it, thankfully.

[jslaker]

Here's a question for you guys;

I'm not sure of your families/lives, but it's just commonplace in mine to have wine with dinner without thinking of it as having a drink. It's just what you do with dinner. It's not boozing, it's just complementing that delicious chicken joseph with a tasty beverage. Totally different to us than mixing drinks or beer.

Have you ever realized you ordered a drink while carrying, but realized it a few minutes too late?

I was at a Macaroni Grill for dinner and ordered a glass of wine while carrying. Totally against the law, and I didn't realize I had done such until I finished that glass and switched to a sweet tea like I always do if I'm driving or going to carry later. Woops.....pucker factor override.......

I imagine there's quite a few people that have done so without realizing. Probably more as a product of carrying a mouse-gun and literally forgetting it's there I would bet. Even when I'm pocket carrying my 642 it's always jabbing me in some small manner resulting in me always being aware of it, thankfully.

Personally, I distinguish between a single drink with a meal and drinking for serious social purposes.

In all seriousness, at my size, a single beer over the course of an hour with a meal is barely going to blip my BAC. The guns go away if I intend to drink any more than that, though.

[JeffJ]

Yeah, I'm with you guys on that - in Texas the law is pretty vague, you can't carry while intoxicated and intoxicated is up to the discretion of the officer. So the safe thing to do is not to drink at all while carrying, however, I'll admit that one beer with a meal is not something that I get concerned about I'm not intoxicated after that. Although for me, as I've just entered my 30s I've discovered that my waist line is trying to expand and I need to pay more attention to my diet and exercise regime. Going from a couple of beers after work to no beers after work is a quick cut of 300-500 calories (never was a big light beer drinker) which has enabled me to pretty much eat how I want and not gain weight, I might still have a few drinks on the weekend but I'd rather carry.

To answer the OP question though - Johnny Walker Black it's blended so it's not as trendy and cool as a single malt but it's smooth with good flavor and not overpowering. The price is reasonable and most decent establishments stock it. Here in Texas in the summertime you've got to add an ice cube or two, what is room temperature in Scotland would be refrigerated here.

[TGS]

Yeah, I'm with you guys on that - in Texas the law is pretty vague, you can't carry while intoxicated and intoxicated is up to the discretion of the officer.

In Virginia, the consumption of alcohol while carrying is illegal. I could have gotten one wine tasting and been in some serious trouble.

I carry in Florida about 20-30 days out of the year. Florida is similar to Texas in that regards, you can't be intoxicated while carrying and there is no written law about consuming alcohol while carrying. I imagine if you're in 90% of Florida and a WASP with a southern accent you could be completely blitzed and the local deputies wouldn't care too much as long as you weren't disturbing anyone. At least that's been my experience......they certainly don't think any problem of the ol'boys shooting at our bubbles as we're just a few feet below the waterline....or driving 25mph, swerving, on any of the state/county roads and chucking empty PBR cans out the window......

[jslaker]

So far as I know, we don't really have any laws addressing carry while intoxicated here in GA. Closest to it that I'm aware of is a prohibition on carry in bars without the permission of the owner (and I've noticed a few bouncers suddenly wearing fanny packs since that law went into effect. )

[VolGrad]

Sort of sad a guy asks about people's drink preference and it turns into a lecture of sorts. We're all adults here and free to make our own choices, right? Just because someone chooses to have a drink every now and then doesn't automatically mean he has lost all of his good judgement. The press and anti-gun crowd tends to jump to the same conclusion all the time and we all get up in arms about it. Why here any different?

I don't believe in drinking and carrying, same as I don't believe in drinking & driving, but never understand why any time alcohol is mentioned on a gun forum people start to assume the worst.

THIS POST IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANY ONE IN PARTICULAR SO PLEASE DON'T GET OFFENDED. It's just a casual observation over several years of forum reading.