Noticed a drunk CCW'ing- what to do

[CoRoMo]

I smell sheepdogs.

 

[Lou McGopher]

If bad driving was a guaranteed symptom of being drunk, then cops wouldn't need breathalyzers, would they? They'd only have to stop you for driving dangerously or having caused a collision, and give you a ticket/arrest you, regardless of whether they thought you were drunk or not. Instead of being punished for having hurt someone, or causing property damage, or behaving recklessly, you get arrested simply for your BAC.
Lots of people drive drunk, and never hurt anybody or damage anything. We all have seen people do this. Many of us have done it ourselves. Most drunk people do not hurt anyone.
Did you know 11% of fatal accidents involve drivers over the age of 65? Safety analysts predict that by 2030, this will have increased to 25%, as the baby boomers all reach that age. How about revoking the licenses of people over 65? Being very sleepy has been shown to impair your motor skills and reaction times worse than being drunk. Should we put up road blocks and checkpoints to test drivers for how sleepy they are, and throw them in jail, fine them thousands of dollars, send them to counseling, and suspend their license if they are found to be over the legal sleepiness limit?

It's silly to punish someone for what they might do. If there is no victim, there should be no crime. That goes for someone carrying a weapon while intoxicated, too.

 

[REAPER4206969]

It's silly to punish someone for what they might do. If there is no victim, there should be no crime. That goes for someone carrying a weapon while intoxicated, too.

I am intrigued with your philosophy and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[REAPER4206969]

I smell sheepdogs.

 

[ArmedBear]

genius-

I'd add something else.

Most accidents are caused by "driver inattention." If someone is driving LIKE he/she is drunk, that should be a punishable offense. A high BAL could be evidence at a trial. But if the person is stone cold sober, I DON'T CARE. Same crime.

Conversely, if someone has a BAL of .1 but nobody can tell by their driving, I don't care, either. Let them go home.

 

[REAPER4206969]

I guess the fact that you dont makes you a sociopath... much like many psycho's of the past and present.

How many of these “psycho’s” do you think carried pistols in the Green dragon tavern?

 

[ShadyScott999]

I woulda called the cops. That MYOB stuff is a load of crap. How do you know he isn't gonna stop somewhere get pissed off and start blasting? Its the guys own fault for making it seen that he was carrying. I will be the black sheep of this thread. I would have most definitely called. If he was a cop, no foul, if he wasn't he is being irresponsible and doesn't need that gun.

Someone tell me the difference of a guy drinking a beer with a gun and a guy getting high and driving? If your family drives on the roads, wouldn't you call the cops? Or drinking and driving for that matter? Anyone who says MYOB is a hypocrite if you wouldn't do it cause it could save someone.

Thing is, the guy wasn't doing anything illegal. Sounds like what an anti would say.

When you live in a glass house...

 

[PT1911]

well.. when the drunkard is waving his gun around and shoots your child because you didnt take action when you could have then you only have yourself to blame....

call me what you like, responsibility and accountability should be characteristics of all who carry guns. supporting any actions contrary to that is an ignorant way of thinking... I am uncertain how someone can look at the world in such a way as to think they need to carry 24/7 and yet still think so much of human actions to see the very best in a possible drunk carrying a gun.. he must be responsible... there is no way anything could go wrong... but I still have my .45 and 37 extra mags situated strategically over my body just in case someone decides they want make a wrong move.

I am baffled...

It's silly to punish someone for what they might do.

ever heard of conspiracy to commit...etc... If someone can make a reasonable assumption of an eventual mis-step that results in harm of some sort then why not call the police? If there is no issue, calling them wont lead to one... if there is or may be, calling them could prevent a serious issue.

 

[rainbowbob]

If he was a cop, no foul...

What?

Let me see if I understand this...

A citizen with a defensive firearm having a few drinks and talking a little loud with his friends should be arrested...but a cop doing the same thing is no problem.

Does that sum it up?

 

[REAPER4206969]

ever heard of conspiracy to commit...etc...

Yes and those laws are morally wrong.

 

[REAPER4206969]

A citizen with a defensive firearm having a few drinks and talking a little loud with his friends should be arrested...but a cop doing the same thing is no problem.

You are a member of the worthless Proletarian. The lives of the Agents of the glorious State are far more valuable than yours!

 

[fatfreddiescat]

he was probably a UC on the job......

 

[REAPER4206969]

So?.

 

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

You are a member of the worthless Proletarian. The lives of the Agents of the glorious State are far more valuable than yours

If you're the bourgeoise, I certainly hope taking things out of context is not a character trait.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

he was probably a UC on the job......

Not doing very good at UC is he? Why not let the wire show?

 

[irishsquid]

I guess if it were somebody I knew I would approach them and see if I could quietly convince them to go lock it up in their car.

Probably not a good idea. Drunks, even friends, can turn belligerent very quickly. The gun needs to locked up in the car BEFORE someone starts drinking. Better yet, locked up at HOME because you shouldn't be drinking and driving either.

Flame away folks. I'm getting used to it.

 

[JWF III]

Alright, this is a long thread, and I agree with some and disagree with some. Nothing new there. I just want to touch on a few statements.

First, if I were in the situation, a confrontation would only spell disastor. Trying to talk sense into a drunk, ain't gonna happen.

He was probebly in LAW enforcement, and that was his duty weapon, so its ok.

That doesn't make one da** bit of difference. If anything that makes it worse. If I knew that was the case, I would do everything I could to get his gun (or his job) taken from him. Being that irresponsible has no boundry of profession.

With that being said, IF (very big IF) he was UC, and IF he was stone-cold sober and acting, only then is he doing his job professionally.

I would have gone some place else.

booze and guns do not mix. hell booze and most things don't mix.

+1 by a thousand. I would have gone somewhere else, and told the manager WHY I was going somewhere else. Managers don't take kindly to anyone (legally or illegally) running off their customers.

in GA it is illegal. Flame me all you want it should be illegal everywhere if you drink. You have a greater responsibility when you have a firearm, and you SHOULD be held to higher standards compared to citizens that don't carry. that is my 2 cents, and I am done with this thread. Hope no one has to witness a gun carrier drink while your family is eating. Cause your reaction would be different that what you posted.

kyo, PT1911, and I all agree here. It's funny how all this common sense is coming from the deep south. If you are carrying you should be held to a higher standard. If not legally or morally, it should be self-policed by the ccw community. If this drunk did something stupid, and hurt somebody, it could effect each and every one of us.

Same with the "He was probably a cop" mentality. They too should be held to a higher standard.

If he starts waving the gun around like a maniac, then you've got something to worry about.

And at that point in time, it would be to late. The police won't be there for several minutes. He is brandishing a firearm, so he is posing a threat to you and your family. Are you going to shoot someone you were so addimently defending just a minute ago?

If something bad went down, AD etc., there again it would reflect extremely poorly on the rest of us more responsible carriers.

The same thing you do in all situations where your rights aren't being violated and your life is in jeopardy, nothing. The second he crosses the line, take action. Until then, nobody is being hurt and no real crimes are being committed.

So you do nothing when your life is in jeopardy? That is very interesting.

Like I said earlier, when he crosses the line, its's too late. He crossed the line "wide open" and there is very little chance to deescalate the situation without shots being fired, either in action or accidently. There again, notifying the manager as to why you're leaving does two things. It gaurantees this drunk isn't going to hurt you or your family, and hopefully the manager will take action to ensure the drunk doesn't hurt any other customers.

I don't know the specifics of the Oregon law, but in GA, if the property owner request you to remove a weapon you have 2 choices. Remove the weapon, or remove yourself from the premises. If Oregon law is similar, it's easy enough. If it's not, the bartender simply stops serving the table any alcohol. They'll leave soon enough.

But to touch back on the GA law, in this situation a simple call to the local LE would be all that's needed. One alcoholic drink=illegal to carry. And though I wish the law could be selectively enforced per the situation, that realistically isn't possible. And I'd rather have the law the way it is than the other way.

Wyman

 

[Lou McGopher]

Probably not a good idea. Drunks, even friends, can turn belligerent very quickly. The gun needs to locked up in the car BEFORE someone starts drinking. Better yet, locked up at HOME because you shouldn't be drinking and driving either.

You should also lock up all the knives, razors, baseball bats, prybars, tire irons, fireplace pokers, flammable liquids, rocks and other heavy objects, and put tire boots on all the cars. Better yet, just place all alcohol in polystyrene containers and lock the person in a padded cell before they start drinking, and don't let them out until they are sober. After all drunks, even friends, can turn belligerent very quickly. You can't trust anybody to not become a homicidal maniac once Satan's water is coursing through their arteries.

 

[rainbowbob]

I would have gone somewhere else, and told the manager WHY I was going somewhere else.

What would you have said to the bartender?

How about this?

"There's a customer sitting over there having an animated conversation with his friends and bothering no one who I'm pretty sure might have a firearm because I saw the outline under his clothes of what looked like a gun and I'm leaving."

Hopefully, the bartender would say something like...

"Goodnight."

Managers don't take kindly to anyone (legally or illegally) running off their customers.

And perhaps he wouldn't take too kindly to your attempt to run off customers who may be some of his best-paying regulars. Maybe folks who have never given him a minute of trouble.

In case you folks didn't read the original post (always a good idea before responding to a thread)...

The OP stated he saw the guy printing. He didn't actually see a gun. In his opinion, the guy was drunk, but he really has no way of knowing what his BAL is. The guy caused no problems for anybody in the bar, unless talking loud with your friends in a bar is a problem (and apparently it is for the OP).

My advice to the OP is to find another place to eat, and stay out of bars where people often talk loud.

My advice to the rest of the busy-bodies here is to MYOB unless you see a violent crime in progress.

Of course, genius has the best answer:

You can't trust anybody to not become a homicidal maniac once Satan's water is coursing through their arteries.

We should just prohibit the sale and consumption of the vile stuff. That would solve the problem.

 

[catspa]

genius:You should also lock up all the knives, razors, baseball bats, prybars, tire irons, fireplace pokers, flammable liquids, rocks and other heavy objects, and put tire boots on all the cars.

Um, you forgot chainsaws, which around here when mixed with alcohol sometimes cause clothing damage or serious injury. Problem is, a guy who's a drunk at night might be a d*mn good timber faller during the day.

Easier to see him printing though, with a Stihl 066 tucked down his waistband.

Parker, who prefers an 021 for pocket carry...

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Your quandry is emotional, not rational.

No not necessarily. There is certainly a place for reporting known crimes. It's a good question. What if no one ever reported a witnessed crime? Would society be better or worse off?

Personally, I would MMOB in that situation, and think that that is the better answer here,since he doesn't appear to be harming anyone, but I couldn't fault someone for trying to correct a dangerous (and most likely illegal) situation, or at least *questioning* what the best course of action is - that's not irrational to do so.

He was probebly in LAW enforcement, and that was his duty weapon, so its ok.

I really hope you're being sarcastic, because if not, that's one of the silliest things ever posted. If anything, law enforcement should be held to a higher standard, and cops on duty are not allowed to drink alcohol.

 

[rainbowbob]

...cops on duty are never allowed to drink alcohol.

Aren't LEOs in many departments required to CCW while off-duty?

Are these same LEOs allowed to drink while off-duty?

If that's the case, then in effect they would be required to CCW - even while drinking.

I have no problem with that, just Like I have no problem with the average citizen carrying while drinking - as long as they are not behaving recklessly and endangering others.

 

[a2fireball]

I woulda called the cops. That MYOB stuff is a load of crap.

I'm with KYO on this one. What goes on in public IS my business. Do whatever you want in your own home. Step out onto the streets of this country and you answer to the rest of us. If I thought the guy was ****ing up at the bar, I would call the cops, let them sort it out. BTW, the whole problem is avoided if the guy keeps his weapon properly concealed.

 

[rbernie]

BTW, the whole problem is avoided if the guy keeps his weapon properly concealed.

So printing while drinking is a danger, and not printing while drinking makes it OK?

I see.

 

[a2fireball]

So printing while drinking is a danger, and not printing while drinking makes it OK?

I see.

Of course not. If nobody reasonably believes one is in possession of a weapon, then there is no further issue.