I'm going to have to agree with frankie here and say that I believe this is a bad idea. We are already within the law to drink in places such as restaurants and the like, and I don't hear stories of CHLers unable to control themselves after having a drink or two. I don't disarm if I have a beer or two at a social occasion with friends. I am not impaired after a drink or two, and find it a ridiculous argument that I should remove my ability to defend myself with my firearm simply because I wanted to have a social gathering with friends and enjoy a beer.Russell wrote: Next, it would be removal of the prohibition against carrying at a 51% posted location as long as the actor is not drinking alcohol AT ALL
To illustrate this, I've calculated what BAC would be for me after 1 and two drinks using a tool that TXI posted in another thread: http://www.intox.com/wheel/drinkwheel.asp . I believe that this tool has no way to factor in consuming drinks along with a meal, which will make the absorption of alcohol into a normal person's bloodstream even slower. I personally very seldomly have a drink without eating first, but for the sake of simplicity, here are the numbers as provided by this tool:
I am male and weigh 285.
My BAC after having a single drink over the period of an hour (about the time it usually takes me to drink a beer) comes to .001. This is assuming that I finish my beer, which is typically not the case - I usually only get about 2/3 the way through it.
Now, let's say I really get at it and actually drink 2 beers within an hour's time (which never happens, btw - If I ever get a second beer, it's perhaps within 2 hours). 2 beers for me within an hour puts me at .014, still nowhere near having my mental and motor skills impaired. A more realistic example for me of 2 beers within 2 hours will put me at .002 BAC.
I understand your concerns, but I believe that they are unfounded. 12 years of CHL in Texas has shown that we are incredibly upstanding and responsible people. I believe your concerns make the assumption that CHLers are going to go out drinking heavily if we were allowed to carry in 51% establishments. I find it insulting that the current law believes that we are are unable enough to act responsibly within the confines of an establishment that serves alcohol as its primary business, just as it is ridiculous to assume that we will be unable to control our primal urges in the setting of a professional sporting event. I know how to act responsibly regardless of the environment I am in, and I believe that to be the case for the vast majority of other CHLers out there. All these restrictions do is disarm responsible folks in environments where they may be most likely to be endangered (such as traveling to and from the parking lot).
