Drunks and guns just dont mix.

[The Tourist]

I think the thrust of this debate--and alcohol has nothing to do with it in a strange way--is knowing yourself and personal responsibility.

Last night, I was to sharpen my boss' knife at my home, and he agreed to bring over dinner for my wife and myself. He wanted a very "high end" polish on his knife, something I charge about 60 dollars for in the real world.

My wife had bought me a bottle of Patron on her recent trip to Vegas. They had done an extended tour while out west and hit a gaming casino with discounts on alcohol and tobacco. She bougth the Patron for less than half of the cost in my area.

So how do you handle a knife with a Japanese edge while guzzling Patron?

Well, you don't. You can't. And any idiot that tells you he can must have an alcohol tolerance built on years of abuse.

But I do like the flavor and warm feeling of the spirits. And I've been under the weather for a few days, and 'blue agave' settles my stomach much like a hot toddie. I took one of those small "shot glasses" people use for dispensing liquid vitamins and poured a few drops of Patron. This amount was far less than 1/3 of a commercial shot.

As I worked, I'd stick my tongue into the glass, take a breath, relax, and go back to work. The only effect I felt was a warm tummy.

Why the story? Because guns are serious. Liquor is serious. Being an adult means you can't give in to every appetite you crave.

If I'd have had my way--after all, it is my house--I'd have taken a warm blanket, a tumbler of Patron or Don Julio, grabbed the remote and vegged. Yikes, I work and I'd been sick.

But my boss also has to work, and the knife I had did over 75% of the cutting chores he does in prepping a kitchen for baking. He opens containers by the carload. He had a shift later that night. And certainly, my wife deserves a free meal as the school year wraps up. She's already got her nose stuck in the computer far too long completing IEP reports.

A full tumbler of tequila was irresponsible. I know it, you know it, and all of the apologists out there know it. Laugh if you want, "but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." A drink and a blanket would have been a selfish desire.

 

[Cosmoline]

Well, you don't. You can't. And any idiot that tells you he can must have an alcohol tolerance built on years of abuse.

No, you just don't "guzzle" hard liquor on an empty stomach. Exactly how much did you consume?

 

[Cosmoline]

In the majority of the cases the defendant "only had two beers", never could figure that out. I don't think anyone is saying you cannot make your own decision about drinking while you carry.

AKcop, this is AKlawyer. Those people may not have been telling you the truth LOL OTOH I know of one who honestly only drank two beers. Now at some point she must have had the rest of the TWENTY FOUR swill pilsners they found empty in her car, but she couldn't remember since when they found her she was in a grad mal seizure and nearly died of alcohol poisoning. Her level was well over what should have been lethal. A lot of folks in this state will never be able to think of booze as anything but a way of getting completely smashed. Which is another reason you'll never, ever find me setting foot in an Alaska bar. The people in such places cannot be trusted. Frankly we'd be better off sealing them off some Friday night and gassing them to death en masse. Then the rest of us could enjoy a microbrew without all the restrictions.

 

[The Tourist]

"guzzle" hard liquor

About enough to cover a USA half dollar coin.

Why did you use the word "guzzle," are you a behavioral apologist?

And that's my point. The teetotler's want to use the word "guzzle" and the abusers want to use the word "limited." The real debate is over the word "responsible."

In fact, I have never "guzzled" liquor of any knid at any time in my life. Not once. I can't. If I put a bottle of spirits to my mouth like seen in a movie and drank several gulps I'd hurl so loud that Don Hayes would hear me in Texas. I've never wasted liquor, ever. I've always sipped. I'm too cheap.

But notice how you mentioned the word "guzzle" before you even approached the word "responsible" or "adult."

My point is that an adult makes these decisions long before the event happens. In my case, I made the decision in about 1969. It's flat out foolish to destroy an expensive Harley. Not after what I saw my Mother do.

So to use alcohol to a point where you are impaired at any level and handle firearms is not an adult decision. If nothing else, it violates the standards you've set for yourself.

(BTW, I'd left that little shot glass on the counter last night after I'd cleaned up. There was still a sticky spot in the bottom because I had not even consumed what I had poured. In my case, finishing my work was more important than even a tongueful of spirits. I'm glad when I "catch myself" doing that. After all of these decades, my standards apply even when I don't monitor myself consciously.)