By: driveguy on 11/20/09
Gun's and alcohol. Feels like the old west huh folk's. I am a permit holder and would not even think of taking my gun into a bar when I planned on drinking. Stupid waste of time for local government discussing this issue. Responsible gun owners and carriers would agree that if I felt I needed my gun at an establishment then 1, I wouldn't be drinking and 2, probably not the best place to have dinner either.

By: shotgun on 11/20/09
Well, then, don't go to that one place over on Memorial. You might get beat up in the parking lot. Once a restaurant has your money, you are on your own once you leave the building......

By: aeckfam on 11/20/09
Well, I'll stick to eating at Cracker Barrel and similiar places where I can still carry. And I'll continue to carry my weapon into wal-mart to buy food for dinner. Sorry Chili's, Outback, O'Charleys :( I do like your food...but I am not going to end up like the young man who was beaten and robbed in the M'boro O'Charleys parking lot a few months back. A gun does no good when it is left in the car and you get approached by an attacker in the parking lot.


And is it a "bar" when it has to make 50% or more of its profit from food? I think it should be called "guns in restaurants that serve alcohol." I love the twisted title the liberal media gave this law.

By: aeckfam on 11/20/09
Driveguy, what did you not understand about the law? You can't carry and drink alcohol period. This law did not allow people to carry and drink. It allowed someone to carry to Chili's...not to carry and drink margaritas at Chilis.

By: parkerq on 11/20/09
Yeah that o charlies is the same one that that manager got shot and killed at when it was robbed. I carried into lots of restraunts when this was legall and nothing bad happened oh well I guess I am with yall and just going to be eating at cracker barrel and mcdonalds.

By: canalou on 11/20/09
Common sense...when did it ever make sense to make a law where guns and alcohol mixed...?

By: thankyouforsmoking on 11/20/09
Canalou, the guns and alcohol don't mix. That's the point. We have never been able to carry and drink at the same time, and we shouldn't be able to. If I'm capable of carrying elsewhere while sober, why can't I carry (sober) in a place where other patrons might be drinking? I'm still in control of me and my firearm. I want the option to be able to defend myself wherever I go, but if that means I can't eat at certain restaurants, then Chik-fil-a will be getting the money from my restaurant envelope.

By: abide on 11/21/09
thankyouforsmoking you cant argue with canalou same type of flaming liberal as that judge that made the pantywaisted decision yesterday.

By: driveguy on 11/21/09
aeckfam,
I understand the law completely. Not all carriers are going to be responsible like us. There is always an idiot that will arrive at the restaurant that serves alcohol with the intention of only having dinner and carrying his weapon. Will run into friends that are drinking and will not make the right choice. This law that they can make that choice is stupid and a waste of time. Don't go to those restaurants that serve alcohol with your weapon period for the same reason we carry, you can't trust everyone to make the right choice.

By: Duvics on 11/21/09
I think abide needs a tissue for his issue.

By: aeckfam on 11/21/09
driveguy,

The person who is going to carry and drink...is going to carry and drink whether there is a law or not. Laws don't stop criminals.

I should be able to go eat dinner at Chili's or Outback and not worry about being robbed at gunpoint or beaten by some thug (as was the case at O'Charleys). I should have the right to protect my LIFE. period.

By: Ponycar on 11/22/09
Your correct aeckfam, the law states that you can't carry and consume alcohol period. Every carry permit holder knows that. If I wanted to disregard that law, I don't need to go to an eating establishment that serves alcohol to do it. This is a stupid waste of time, and taxpayer money. Do they really think that a law abiding citizen with a carry permit is gonna get drunk and go off the deep end with his gun while eating dinner with his family at O' Charlies ? Gun restrictions on law abiding citizens only assures criminals that there prey is unarmed.Most gun crimes are NOT commited by carry permit holders.

By: abide on 11/22/09
If I had a tissue I would wipe the crying liberals eyes.

By: jg13 on 11/23/09
I just don't get how everyone on here is saying with a straight face that Liberals are the ones crying over this. I don't see anyone crying on here except the gun nuts who are throwing a tantrum because the mean ol' judge won't let them take their toys to the restaurant. It's the same people, by the way, who are too afraid to settle their disputes like men: without guns.

By: abide on 11/23/09
We dont carry guns to settle disputes we carry guns to try to protect ourselves from the ones that do not have RESPECT for the law, and their are plenty of them on the news every day. You better bet they will be packing.

By: driveguy on 11/23/09
jg13,
First of all aeckfam, ponycar and I are not discussing disputes. We are discussing a contitutional right to keep and bear arms. I don't need a gun to settle a dispute. I carry one to protect my family and myself. We are discussing whether this is a waste of time and taxpayer money. It's not a tantrum and they are not toy's. Better to have it and not need than to need it and not have it when it comes to your family.

By: jg13 on 11/24/09
Abide and driveguy,

Irrelevant to the point. The point I was making is that it is ridiculous to say Liberals are crying over this when it is clearly the extremist Conservatives that have the issues. Plus, dispute or protection, it will always be a little cowardly to take a gun to Applebees.

Driveguy, I can't quite figure out where you're coming from. You admit that even your friends drink when they carry, people can't be trusted to make good decisions, and you shouldn't be allowed to carry a gun anywhere that serves alcohol, but you still defend the right to do so?

And Ponycar,

I've seen a "law abiding citizen with a carry permit get drunk and go off the deep end with his gun". It's THE reason I'm against anyone carrying guns to bars, restaurants, parks, etc. The barrier to entry for a permit is virtually non-existent in TN and until that changes, the rights of the thoughtful, responsible, level headed permit holders will always be trumped by the actions of hot headed gun nuts.

By: abide on 11/25/09
jg13 I dont dispute the guy you talk about,what bothers me most about this issue is 99.99 percent of gun related crimes are commited by people who do not have carry permits and the other .01 percent are people like the guy you talk about who make bad decisions and then all permit holders get lumped together. I dont want my right to carry taken away because of someones bad decision, I cannot control no ones actions but my own and I dont want to be charged with that responsibility. The people that commit gun crimes have no regard for the laws or human life. Yes I ageree there are hot headed gun nuts but there are also hot headed gun control nuts that affect my safty and right to carry because they foolishly think gun control will stop criminals, I feel safe saying gun control wont even put a dent in crime if not make it worse than it is.

By: driveguy on 11/25/09
jg13,
Don't beleive I said my freinds carry and drink. I said that there will always be an idiot that carries that does not make the right choice. As aeckfam said, "laws don't stop criminals". In that logic, this law only affects law abiding gun carriers so, the law is a waste of time. If passed, I merely stated that I would not frequent restaurants that serve alcohol. No big loss for me, we don't drink but, it will be a loss for some restaurants from loss of business. I am sure there are other carriers that will follow that rule.
One question, when the permit carrier you talk of goes "off the deep end" What will you do to protect your family at that time? As soon as he does, he is no longer a law abiding permit holder, he is a criminal and no better than the criminal that has no carry permit but will still carry a gun to do harm. If this law passes then it will mark the spots for criminals to exact their crimes because they will at least have the advantage of no one legally carring in those establishments. I am not sure where you are coming from with the Applebees comment, it is not for inside the restaurant, it is for walking the parking lot in and out. Why is that cowardly? Just because it's Applebees doesn't mean criminals won't go there. Deer hunters go where the deer are correct?

By: jg13 on 11/25/09
When the drunk pulled the gun, the police were called. The security could do nothing but calm the situation and hope the guy didn't start shooting. While the cops were dragging him out, he was shouting that his "rights" were being violated and that he had a permit. I've found the dirty little secret is that this happens somewhat frequently to varying degrees but bars and restaurants don't report it because of the negative publicity. On one side, they get the reputation for being an unsafe bar, on the other side, if they deny gun owners, they open themselves up to reticule from the right. Not to mention the increase in liability insurance premiums every time they report an incident.

No doubt most permit holders are fully law abiding citizens with only the best intentions. I grew up in WV where everyone owns a gun and everyone hunts. Believe it or not, even me. I'll never be opposed to gun ownership, only in favor of tougher standards. For example, I was required, as part of the public school curriculum, to take gun safety and hunter safety courses.

As unfair as it may be, as I said previously, when it comes to guns, the actions of the few will be the standard to which the whole is judged.