When dealing with one’s right to bear arms, there is a fine line between addressing public safety concerns and infringing on that right.
Some jurisdictions place limits on where you can carry a gun. Across the nation, it is illegal to carry a gun inside a Post Office or other Federal building. Other areas limit one’s ability to carry a gun if they are going to a restaurant that serves alcohol – regardless of whether or not that person is drinking.
Lawmakers address public safety concerns by imposing restrictions on dangerous activity. Driving while intoxicated is obviously a public safety concern, so states impose a legal limit of alcohol one can consume and still be able to drive. In a perfect world, this will help to keep the public safe, as no one will drive while intoxicated. It’s not a perfect world however, and many people break this law and drive anyway.
If there is a limit to how much one can drink and still be able to drive, why do guns get unequal treatment? After all, a car can be a deadly weapon if operated by an irresponsible driver, just as a gun can be a deadly weapon if used by an irresponsible person. If you can say that a person with a gun who goes to a restaurant that serves alcohol has the potential to be dangerous, why can’t you say the same for a person who drives to that restaurant? It doesn’t mean that the person is going to saddle up to the bar, take six shots of whiskey, have eight beers and go on a shooting rampage, just as someone wouldn’t drink that much and then get behind the wheel.
A responsible gun owner will plan ahead, and leave their gun at home if they know they’ll be drinking. Just as a responsible driver would find a designated driver before heading out to drink.
If states are going to ban firearms in establishments that serve alcohol, they should also ban people from driving to them. The public would be outraged at such a ridiculous law, that it would be shot down almost immediately (no pun intended).
Check to see if your state has laws like this and question your elected officials about them.
Leave a Reply