… Guns and alcohol simply will not mix.
But moving on to more serious matters, it would appear as though the usual, useful idiots are trotting out the usual, useless arguments about ZOMG guns in bars. Color me surprised. However, just like here in Tennessee all those years ago, most of the arguments against allowing law-abiding, trained, and permitted individuals to carry firearms into establishments that serve alcohol are based on misdirection (the bill does not exclusively cover "bars", but also restaurants), hysteria, and misinformation, but all those similarities bring up an interesting question: what has happened here in the Patron State of Shooting Stuff ever since it became legal to lawfully carry a firearm into restaurants over two years ago*?
Well, in stark contrast with the doom-and-gloom prognostications of hoplophobic liars, the answer has pretty much been "nothing":
In 2010, the year after the law first passed, the state’s tourism numbers were up 6.3 percent, according to state officials. Every county saw a boost in tourism, according to a report by the Department of Tourism Development and the U.S. Travel Association.
“It doesn’t surprise me that tourism didn’t drop,” said Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville. “There wasn’t one documented case still to this day of someone going into a bar, a gun permit holder, and using their firearm. There’s still not.”
[...]
In fact, abiding by the law appears to be just what the vast majority of Tennessee’s licensed gun-carriers are doing when they’re packing heat in establishments that serve alcohol. According to the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, not one person with a handgun permit has been convicted of brandishing their weapon while drinking in a bar.
“We have not been notified by any courts across the state for any violations of that law,” said department spokeswoman Jennifer Donnals. “To our knowledge, there have been no convictions of that law.”
Huh. Would you look at that. In a year when the economy is tanking, people are being laid off, homes are being foreclosed, and the depression recession we find ourselves in was getting into full swing, the tourism in Tennessee (one of our state’s prime sources of income, given our no-income-tax-but-state-wide-sales-tax arrangement) increased over 6%, despite allowing law-abiding citizens to peaceably carry firearms into establishments that serve alcohol. Why, it is almost like people do not mind the notion of respecting and preserving everyone’s individual rights! What a thought…
On the other hand, given the complete and utter lack of criminal convictions, fatalities, or even incidents from handgun carry permit holders bringing their sidearms along into restaurants, would you care to take a guess as to how many alcohol-related fatalities there were on the roads here in Tennessee in 2010? Unfortunately, the numbers have not been updated for that year quite yet, but if past history is any indication of future performance, we are looking at well over 300 deaths, and that does not include the thousands of people who failed breathalyzer tests. So rather than turn their attention to an activity that has a proven record of resulting in convictions and deaths, the "gun control" extremists single-mindedly focus on arbitrarily abridging people’s rights for no good reason whatsoever. How is that "common sense" again?
Once again, anti-rights cultists do not really care about the blood (or lack thereof) they are dancing in, they do not care about public safety, and they sure as hell do not care about the American people; they only care about control and how to increase it. Thankfully, Ohio is following the trend sweeping the nation of expanding and preserving freedoms and rights despite the fearmongering of hoplophobes, and if Tennessee is any indication, I think they will do just fine.
* – At least the first time. The bill had to be passed again with modified language later.
(Courtesy of Michael Silence and Senator Stacey Campfield.)
What worries me about your state is how the TSA is getting its tentacles, all Japanese anime-style, into interstate shipping.
Sounds just like what happened here in Virginia, except we did have one guy shoot himself in the leg because he was pocket carrying with no holster.
Just one, out of thousands of CHP holders, but our local anti-Rights shill is holding that up every chance he gets to support his positions (even if it’s entirely irrelevant – he recently used that incident as an example of why hands-on training should be required for a CHP, because we apparently are incapable of hitting what we’re aiming at). Yet he also whines that the decrease in crime at restaurants that serve alcohol in the year since concealed carry in those places was allowed is over too short a time to be considered relevant to the discussion.
That’s actually correct, but the cognitive dissonance between the two positions is jarring (one single event is enough to be relevant, but at the same time one year of data isn’t enough?).
If the truth was on their side, they wouldn’t need to resort to lies, exaggerations, and inconsistent arguments to support their agenda.
Frankly I think the vast majority of “the public” simply don’t care one way or the other; it isn’t something they consider when making a vacation decision.
Even Joan has admitted, when cajoling people to check whether business establishments they frequent ban guns on premises, that she doesn’t actually practice what she preaches.
alcade wrote:
I think you’re right. I think most of the restaurant owners don’t find it an issue as well. I found after writing my first letter to a posted restaurant that the owner simply didn’t really know why he had put up a “no guns” sign:
http://kirkosaurus.blogspot.com/2011/10/writing-letter-does-make-difference.html
Thanks for the linkage as always. Funny, I didn’t catch it when reading the article (because you post SO MANY links..) I saw it on the WP dashboard.
I’ve been taking great advantage of Ohio’s new law. I can’t tell you how much money I’m saving by not having a few beers with my meal.
Well. from the comments above (since I do not read her blog anymore) it appears that at least Joan Peterson is sufficiently good as a person to admit that she does not check on establishments regarding their status on allowing firearms. My opinion of her went up a notch. However, this clearly proves the point that it is a non-issue and that any noise she makes on the subject is pure propaganda.
Plain and simple… Tennessee is fast becoming the Texas we all dreamed about. Unfortunately, Texas, while still succeeding in the rights of it’s citizens, is not quite the Texas we all dreamed about.
@ Erin Palette: You and me, both. The slippery slope is only a fallacy if the trees are not whipping by you…
@ Jake: And all that aside, no matter how many people do get drunk and do stupid things at bars, that does not mean I will get drunk and do stupid things at bars, and, thus, there is absolutely no reason to limit my rights to self-defense. Drunk drivers account for millions of dollars in damages and thousands of deaths a year, and yet we do not stop all people from driving to establishments that serve alcohol, and driving on public roads is not covered by a specific clause of the Constitution.
‘Course, that argument really stretches the anti-rights cultists’ brains, so I do not imagine it sinking in…
@ alcade: WizardPC did an examination of all of the businesses supporting the no-firearms-in-establishments-that-serve-alcohol legislation in Nashville – not even the lawyer offices backing the lawsuit against the bill had signs up.
Gotta love the double standards, but it does illustrate the problem that, as you say, most people simply do not care, even when they say they do.
@ kirkosaurus: Letting businesses know can definitely change their minds, especially when the “gun control” extremists have a tendency of misleading businesses and the public about those signs.
@ Patrick: Eh, yeah, I get a little link-happy
. And with all of the designated driver campaigns out there, you would think “gun control” extremists would start a similar thing for designated carriers, if they really were concerned about people’s safety.
@ Braden Lynch: I dare say any noise she makes at all is propaganda, given she is a Brady board member.
@ Disavowed With Honor: Eh, TN has a long way to go… Blue Laws and legislation against automatic knives would be a good start.