By Interest

Should You Carry Concealed While Drinking?

Published

3 years ago

June 28, 2021

Click on the picture to watch the video!

Legal issues do come into play, but let’s talk about responsibility first …

When it comes to carrying a concealed firearm for personal defense, everything is a series of tradeoffs. We may sacrifice stopping power in favor of concealability (or vice versa). We may choose to dress in a different way to better conceal our guns. But what about recreation–specifically, the kind in which alcohol might be involved? Is it a wise choice to carry concealed under those circumstances? The Personal Defense Network’s Rob Pincus chooses not to, and in this video, he explains his reasons why.

As Pincus points out, alcohol isn’t the only substance that can impair you; it’s just the one people think of most frequently. Another major factor that many people don’t consider is prescription medication. There are lots of meds out there that can cause dizziness, sleepiness, lack of judgement or even impaired response times–and many of them are available over the counter.

Many responsible gun owners feel that it’s acceptable (where legal) to indulge in a drink or two while carrying. It’s certainly true that for most of us, a single unit of alcohol when consumed with a meal will not cause any significant impairment. It’s also true that for many people, that single unit of alcohol has a way of becoming a whole platoon while they weren’t thinking about it. That’s the nature of a drug that lowers your inhibitions. Many defenders, like Pincus, choose to eliminate that worry entirely by switching to less-lethal defensive tools when they intend to drink. Others simply trust that they know when to stop. Where do you stand?

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