In Texas it is not illegal to drink while carrying, but it is illegal to be intoxicated while carrying. Lol. I love the smell of ambiguity in the morning don’t you? Some people are adamantly against any kind of drinking while they are carrying a firearm and some people don’t give two shits. Personally, I don’t believe in carrying while you’re drunk or tipsy, but that’s such a grey area its really hard to draw a definitive line.
I have carried and had a drink or two. I just don’t think it’s that serious. When you’re talking light casual drinking like a Glass of wine or a beer or two I don’t see a huge problem with carrying. I am not so naive as to ignore the glaring problem with being drunk or even tipsy and carrying a firearm. Liquid courage mixed with metal or plastic courage is a pretty deadly combination, but for recreational drinking (how’s that for a euphimisam) I don’t think the danger is that great.
However, a very strong argument can be made for not drinking at all when you’re carrying. Carrying a firearm is a lifestyle change no matter how lame it may sound. I can’t lie to myself and think that I can be as sharp with a drink in me as I would be without one. God forbid a situation arises where I need to pull my firearm I would definitely prefer to be completely on my “A” game.
Even worse, if I ever had to pull the trigger and then explain why I had alcohol in my system after taking someones life. There are many factors to consider when you decide to strap a gun on your hip and step out into the world. As I write this I have become conflicted about my stance on drinking while carrying. Simply not drinking is a small price to pay to be in the optimal frame of mind while carrying a firearm.
I think it reckless for me to assume that the idea of drinking and carrying a firearm is anything but serious. At this point Ide be a liar if I said I will never have a drink while carrying a firearm ever again, but I will say that it won’t be so easy to do without seriously considering the implications and potential consequences.
Do you have a drink when you carry? Why or why not?
