[P95Carry]

Sorry! Another thread!

I am not a heavy drinker and also do not condone the casual mixing of alcohol with carry - they are not good bedfellows. I doubt we would disagree on that in principle. Sober is good!

However - and this where things strike me as tricky --

I do most evenings, now included - enjoy a few shots of whiskey, vodka, whatever - such that when I quit - I go to turn in relaxed and comfortable, tho far from incapable! I would tho not choose to drive - DUI is not my bag!

If tho - somehow - I found an intruder at 1.00am, and so had to defend self - I would NOT be technically sober! I can ''have a few'' and be well capable - no staggering or loud singing - but in a court of law, if I was proven to have been under the influence - I am thinking this would be far from helpful had I had recourse to use a firearm.

Should this mean, that late in the evening - because I carry 16/7 - I should not/must not ever have a drink or three? How might I be expected to know that something was gonna go down, after I had imbibed a bit?

Your thoughts folks?

 

[CLASS3NH]

:022: One glass of wine, and I'm ready for the sack...A Mike's hard lemonade has the same effect on me. I never could hold my alcohol.probably never will. Does this make me a "cheap date" or what? LOL :biggrin:

 

[The Tourist]

I don't drink much either. Sometimes only one drink per year.

I missed Cinco de Mayo because I had to work.

So far in 2005, I've had one small glass of chablis. It was my birthday, it was a Sicilian restaurant, I wanted a margarita, I was with a church elder, bada bing, bada boom, I settled for wine.

But I have the right as an adult to have a reasonable amount to drink. If I'm in my home I have the right to have an unreasonable amount.

If am aggressor presses the point, and I have made every effort to peacefully disuade him, then he will get a sloppy, poorly shot group of Golden Sabers in and about his blurry sternum.

Heck, a dead aggressor. I'll to that.

 

[P95Carry]

Does this make me a "cheap date" or what?

CLASS3 - yep - you are obviously ''anybody's'' LOL :biggrin:

I often wonder - seeing as I never drink during the day - whether my evening few drinks is habit or dependence. In the end I can't really be bothered to decide - because it is what I WANT to do. That said - I still wonder - if I had to defend home and self - how I'd come out of it all!

 

[Team American]

Colorado uses the same standard for CCW as for driving under the influence... carry in bars is not prohibited by law. I've had a beer with lunch or dinner while CCW'ing and then started the "am I impaired?" guessing game.

You can bet that a prosecutor would make hay with any alcohol consumed prior to a shooting....better be darned sure you are under the .05 (or whatever it is these days) limit while carrying in public. As far as your home defense scenario, I think you have every right to defend yourself whether drunk or sober...just be sure it's a legal shoot to begin with...course, I'm not a lawyer :wink:
YMMV

 

[Al Lowe]

Even if you're 5 sheets to the wind, IF you are in the right, and you're at home, I don't believe they can do much about it.

Granted, a prosecutor MAY try to get you. Then again, I'd say it depends a lot on the record of the person you shot. As for being impaired, IF you manage to hit the guy, there may be a good argument that you were not that impaired if you could hit him.

As in anything, it's all a crap shoot in the end. Do your best, and let God take care of the rest.

 

[preacherman]

Just remember, if you shot the BG five times, and the Judge asks you why, don't say that you put one shot in each of the five you could see! :biggrin:

 

[Prospector]

Good thread....I've not considered that before. I'm a casual drinker too and got on this daily regimen of having a snifter of brandy when I get home from work...my excuse is I've heard/read where a shot a day is good for the health...of course, that's negated by my smoking! LOL

I too would be considered a "cheap drunk" as it doesn't take a lot to get me to a buzz. I know my limits. I've not consumed enough for that buzz in over 25 years.....don't like not being in total control of my functions.

I would assume, possibly wrong, that should you be in an "episode" with a BG, the LEOs would not have you take a breathelizer or blood test unless they smelled booze on ya....(make sure you don't greet them at the door with a gun in one hand and a bottle in the other). :tongue:

 

[P95Carry]

Just remember, if you shot the BG five times, and the Judge asks you why, don't say that you put one shot in each of the five you could see!

Hahaa! Peter - you are as ever - delightfully predictable LOL! :biggrin:

I'd reckon tho - I'd be no worse than 2 sheets to the wind - so for me two shots. One for each!!

 

[Al Lowe]

Just an FYI. I used to be a SERIOUS drinker. Mind you, this was about 27 years ago. I was 22, worked as both an armed security officer, and private investigator. Never drank on duty, nor 8 hours before going to work. But when I got off work, man, could I tie one on.

Both age, and children have tempered my drinking habits. In addition to the fact I just don't find it that enjoyble anymore. Now I'm lucky if I have a drink once every couple of months. But since Michigan law won't let me take my gun into a bar, that curtails my drinking even more. While I can go into a resteraunt that serves, the most I have is ONE beer. Our BAC for CCW is .02, which I think is a bit draconian, but that's the way it is. IF we could carry into bars, STILL the most I'd have is one beer. I usually only get the taste for beer every once in a great while. And when I do drink, it's at home.

But that's just me.

 

[Scott]

Like Al I used to be quite the drinker. A quart of hard liquor in an evening was the norm. Now I am much more restrained. In fact health issues have all but eliminated adult beverages from my menu.

In Virginia there is no standard for Drunk In Public (DIP) or carrying concealed while under the influence. We insure our students understand this, and that they should refrain from imbibing while carrying in public.

At home that is your decision.

-Scott-

 

[rfurtkamp]

There's no published standard - can't carry *concealed* while intoxicated in ID.

Make sure it's visible if you're rip-roaring drunk.

And should I ever wonder on the rare, rare occasion I drink out in the wild whether that second beer transforms me into the Incredible Risk Magnet, I pull up the shirt and let the grip be visible discreetly so it's suddenly carried openly.

 

[rocky]

seems unless someone breaks in soon after ya finish drinking you would probably be ok. It may lead to civil law problems more than ,criminal. I'm sure if ya blew and .0? , civilly a case could be made. What to do? everyone needs to decide for themselves.

 

[rfurtkamp]

Civil it depends on the state. If it's a good shoot here, a criminal can't benefit from their crime in civil court.

It'll cost me money to defend, sure - but I'd rather pay my lawyer than the bastard's estate.

 

[TAPS CCW]

Bad news is if you are in a situation, and the officer smells a hint of alcohol he'll put on the report "HBD" (Has Been Drinking). I advise my students after the incident when you go to the hospital to be checked out get a complete toxicology test for drugs and alcohol. You're paying for it so it belongs to you. It might come handy in court.

 

[Tom357]

I am on-call 7x24. I don't ever drink more than would allow me to drive. Do I drink socially? Absolutely. Never on an empty stomach. I have one shot, not three. Or I have a beer. Or I have a glass of wine. And I make it last. After that, I drink water. That way, I don't have to worry about it.

 

[ExSoldier]

Your thoughts folks?

I RARELY drink. When I think I'm going to have something alcoholic like at a party or some sort of group social situation, I am strictly NOT drinking. Period. That said, were I to be at home and having a beer or a Bacardi (my nephew is one of their executives so I get the new products for my birthday--which is TOMORROW!), and I were forced into a self defense encounter, I'd have to go with another poster and put several controlled pairs into a somewhat larger torso area than I'm normally used to doing!

 

[P95Carry]

ExSoldier -

my birthday--which is TOMORROW!

Happy Birthday dude for tomorrow - in case I forget!!

Thx for the input guys. :smile:

 

[Bumper]

I don't drink enough (maybe a 6 pack or two per year) for it to be a problem. In Arizona you better not be carrying if you are drinking. But should I have to use my gun after I have been drinking, it will be at home. Never heard that people that have had a drink are not allowed to defend themselves from a felon in their own home.

 

[HotGuns]

If you have ANY alcohol in your system during ANY shoot...its not a good thing and it dang sure cant help.

It more than likey will come up in court...whether it is a justified shooting or not.

Alcohol impairs judgement. Its not a stretch of the imagination to think that ones judgment was subject to question during a shoot and any lawyer worth his salt is more than likey gonna question that judgement and capitalize on the fact that you had a "few" before going to bed.

All it takes to muck thing ups on a jury is for a couple of people to question your judgement in a shooting situation.Right..wrong...it wont matter....

Now that I've said that...let me clarify my position here...
I personally think if someone is in your house and you blast him... the decision to be there was his and it shouldnt matter how much you drank.However...that just aint the way it works out in the real world...