Should You Carry Concealed While Drinking?
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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Just one vote from a teetotaler! Despite what our culture says, there’s NEVER a necessity to drink intoxicants ,yet plenty of appropriate times for concealed carry!
Alcohol and drugs can cause clear thinking impairments. Most of our shootings in CTX happen when a bar patron gets mad and goes to their car to retrieve a firearm. I always carry for this reason. I limit and know how much I can drink and never reach a buzzed state. It is unsafe in today’s times to not carry and be able to protect yourself.
Here in Georgia you can legally carry in bars, churches, etc.
However, you have to have a BAC of less than 0.08 same as drunk driving, or you may lose your license/permit.
Another thing to consider is that fact that a liberal jury or judge might hold it against you and your judgement to defend yourself when your life is threatened.
Why take a chance on going to jail or losing your CCW privilege?
Drinking & carrying is no different then driving a car in my state since they just lower the BAC to carrying from .10 to .08!!!
I was always taught that firearms and alcohol don’t mix well, whether at the range or when you carry. If you carry while out on the town or join your friends for a night of pub crawling…don’t carry. If you feel you must carry, drink club soda with a twist of lime. IF something bad happens and there is ‘any’ question as to impairment, you most likely will lose. In today’s society, where prosecutors look for reasons to bring people up on firearm charges, it is not a good position to be in. You could even pass a sobriety exam or breathalyzer, but if any level of alcohol is detected, you will be in for a rough ride. This includes states or communities that are extremely gun friendly.
Great articles. Keep ’em coming. Thanks.
j@r
I rarely drink except at home, so it is usually not an issue for me. On the rare occasion that I do drink outside the home, I choose not to carry as it is illegal to do so in my state.
Testosterone and alcohol alone is a volatile mix, resulting in too many “good-‘ole-boy” country bar fights. Add gunpowder to this formula and guns replace fists, to the peril of bystanders. There is no cut and dried answer for this dilemma, just education and common sense – for which the latter is sorely lacking.
You shouldn’t carry under any drug enhancement