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[entremet]

NASHVILLE — Happy-hour beers were going for $5 at Past Perfect, a cavernous bar just off this city’s strip of honky-tonks and tourist shops when Adam Ringenberg walked in with a loaded 9-millimeter pistol in the front pocket of his gray slacks.

Mr. Ringenberg, a technology consultant, is one of the state’s nearly 300,000 handgun permit holders who have recently seen their rights greatly expanded by a new law — one of the nation’s first — that allows them to carry loaded firearms into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

“If someone’s sticking a gun in my face, I’m not relying on their charity to keep me alive,” said Mr. Ringenberg, 30, who said he carries the gun for personal protection when he is not at work.

Gun rights advocates like Mr. Ringenberg may applaud the new law, but many customers, waiters and restaurateurs here are dismayed by the decision.

“That’s not cool in my book,” Art Andersen, 44, said as he nursed a Coors Light at Sam’s Sports Bar and Grill near Vanderbilt University. “It opens the door to trouble. It’s giving you the right to be Wyatt Earp.”

Tennessee is one of four states, along with Arizona, Georgia and Virginia, that recently enacted laws explicitly allowing loaded guns in bars. (Eighteen other states allow weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol.) The new measures in Tennessee and the three other states come after two landmark Supreme Court rulings that citizens have an individual right — not just in connection with a well-regulated militia — to keep a loaded handgun for home defense.

Experts say these laws represent the latest wave in the country’s gun debate, as the gun lobby seeks, state by state, to expand the realm of guns in everyday life.

The rulings, which overturned handgun bans in Washington and Chicago, have strengthened the stance of gun rights advocates nationwide. More than 250 lawsuits now challenge various gun laws, and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, a Republican, called for guns to be made legal on campuses after a shooting last week at the University of Texas, Austin, arguing that armed bystanders might have stopped the gunman.

The new laws have also brought to light the status of 20 other states — New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts among them — that do not address the question, appearing by default to allow those with permits to carry guns into establishments that serve alcohol, according to the Legal Community Against Violence, a nonprofit group that promotes gun control and tracks state gun laws....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/us/04guns.html?_r=1&ref=us

 

[BobsRevenge]

Ugh, these laws are so dumb. Who the hell passes these things?

 

[MrHicks]

Alcohol + Guns?
you gotta be shitting me

 

[Neuromancer]

Guns should be fine in bars and restaurant, as long you're not actually drinking.

Anyway the really bad dudes are going to bring them in no matter what.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Guns should be fine in bars and restaurant, as long you're not actually drinking.

Anyway the really bad dudes are going to bring them in no matter what.

Yeah, but now the really dumb ones can do it too.

 

[Agent Ironside]

I can see it now, Armed "good" drunk guy engages armed "bad" drunk that is trying to kill someone. End result, everybody dies.

 

[EL Beefo]

Shouldn't a private business be allowed the right to ban guns on their property? I don't see how a law can force a private business to allow guns anymore than one can be forced to get rid of dress codes.

 

[zoku88]

Shouldn't a private business be allowed the right to ban guns on their property? I don't see how a law can force a private business to allow guns anymore than one can be forced to get rid of dress codes.

Just like a private business can be forced to comply with food regulations...

 

[sweetvar26]

WTF.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Shouldn't a private business be allowed the right to ban guns on their property? I don't see how a law can force a private business to allow guns anymore than one can be forced to get rid of dress codes.

I can't walk into a GM plant without permission, but I can walk into any bar/restaurant.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

It opens the door to trouble. It’s giving you the right to be Wyatt Earp

my name is Wyatt Earp, it ends now.

guns and alcohol, I guess allw e're missing is tobacco and explosives and we got ourselves one heck of a party.

 

[speculawyer]

Meh. If nothing happens, it is fine. If drunks start shooting each other, the pendulum will swing back. We'll see what happens.

 

[Mr. B Natural]

Ugh, these laws are so dumb. Who the hell passes these things?

I'm guessing scared politicians that don't want to rumble.

^Gun violence in america is and has been appauling for years now. It's not news. Nobody cares. We "live" with it.

 

[Neuromancer]

Yeah, but now the really dumb ones can do it too.

Well most states force you to jump through a ton of hoops to get a conceal/carry license. So that hopefully vetts some of the most idiotic.

I can see it now, Armed "good" drunk guy engages armed "bad" drunk that is trying to kill someone. End result, everybody dies.

That is a danger. Even if you're trying to do the right thing, using a firearm when intoxicated could be a really bad idea.

Hopefully people who are responsible enough to obtain a conceal/carry license would be responsible enough not to drink when carrying.

 

[Vicetrailia]

Funny how people just want the old times back. Next they will want to be able to openly drink on the job all over again.

Well I actually wouldn't have a problem with that, but you know, those times are gone.

If you carry a gun you shouldn't be able to drink or be caught with a drink. It just isn't right. Everyone must now protect themselves from YOU.

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

As I said earlier...more and more like a third world country.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Funny how people just want the old times back. Next they will want to be able to openly drink on the job all over again.

Well I actually wouldn't have a problem with that, but you know, those times are gone.

I want them back too.

 

[Enosh]

I can see it now, Armed "good" drunk guy engages armed "bad" drunk that is trying to kill someone. End result, everybody dies.

it says "more states"

how many examples of this were so far with states that already alowed this?

 

[EL Beefo]

I can't walk into a GM plant without permission, but I can walk into any bar/restaurant.

I don't see how that makes a difference. I have a constitutional right to carry a firearm just as much as I do to wear a speedo and t-shirt proclaiming the superiority of white people, but you can bet I wouldn't be served if I walked into a McDonalds.

Personally I'm not opposed to laws allowing guns in bars, but I think the bar owners should have the final say.

 

[captive]

I'm guessing scared politicians that don't want to rumble.

^Gun violence in america is and has been appauling for years now. It's not news. Nobody cares. We "live" with it.

stats?

 

[LakeEarth]

Anyone else read "more guns in bears"?

 

[SapientWolf]

Shouldn't a private business be allowed the right to ban guns on their property? I don't see how a law can force a private business to allow guns anymore than one can be forced to get rid of dress codes.

They're allowed to in AZ but it's opt in. They have to post a sign specifically prohibiting people with a concealed carry license from bringing in their firearms. No clue on the other states.

The law gives certain people a false sense of security and has little other effect, positive or negative.

 

[Neuromancer]

stats?

Yeah I'd be curious. Last I heard, violent crimes (including with firearms) have been on the decline for years now.

 

[Skiptastic]

Happy hour is clearly going to turn into the end of Reservoir Dogs.

NASHVILLE — Happy-hour beers were going for $5 at Past Perfect, a cavernous bar just off this city’s strip of honky-tonks and tourist shops

What the fuck? $5 beers at Happy Hour? That's like, fucking, Sad Hour!

 

[Seth C]

I can't walk into a GM plant without permission, but I can walk into any bar/restaurant.

Yet the government doesn't have a problem telling you that you can't bring a firearm on any of their property, including schools, college campuses, and the like.

 

[zoku88]

I don't see how that makes a difference. I have a constitutional right to carry a firearm just as much as I do to wear a speedo and t-shirt proclaiming the superiority of white people, but you can bet I wouldn't be served if I walked into a McDonalds.

Personally I'm not opposed to laws allowing guns in bars, but I think the bar owners should have the final say.

Just because you have a right to bar arms doesn't mean you have the right to carry them wherever you want.

Also, private property open to the general public have different rules than private property that is not open to the public.

 

[Neuromancer]

Just because you have a right to bar arms doesn't mean you have the right to carry them wherever you want.

Also, private property open to the general public have different rules than private property that is not open to the public.

:lol

 

[Rocket Punch]

I dont see a problem with this, it's just like the Wild Wild West and see how many cool movies we got from them days.

 

[comedy bomb]

If someone’s sticking a gun in my face, I’m not relying on their charity to keep me alive

lol

if he went for his gun in this circumstance he'd be dead before he even got his hand on his piece.

 

[sixteen-bit]

it worked out well for simon pegg in shaun of the dead

 

[zoku88]

:lol

lol, Unfortunate typo :lol

 

[shuri]

I dont even want to imagine how much drama this could lead in gang frequented clubs! Holy shit!

 

[Nemo]

Welp, time for me to move to the US and set up my own wild west saloon

No one steal this idea btw

 

[captmcblack]

Are we as a country collectively that stupid?

How could it be a good idea to have firearms in a public place that serves ALCOHOL?

 

[Kaako]

Great combination, fuckwads.

 

[GDGF]

Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?

 

[Willectro]

Licensed firearms rarely cause problems. North America (Canada has this problem big time too) needs to focus more on curbing illegal firearms instead of harassing legitimate owners.

 

[AntoneM]

Shouldn't a private business be allowed the right to ban guns on their property? I don't see how a law can force a private business to allow guns anymore than one can be forced to get rid of dress codes.

that's how it is in AZ, if the business posts a "no guns allowed" sign provided for free by the state, then they can keep anyone with a gun out of the bar.

 

[RiccochetJ]

Well considering there are people who have guns in bars without a permit right now, this whole thing just kind of makes me shrug my shoulders.

 

[Kentpaul]

Alcohol + Guns?
you gotta be shitting me

Sounds fun right ?

 

[SnakeXs]

Remember how awesome food fights were?

It'll be like that, but drunk and with bullets!

 

[CrocMother]

These states have allowed guns in bars for a majority of their existence, it is a freedom that people are used to.

 

[besada]

Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?

The state legislators of the states who passed the laws and, presumably, their constituents.

 

[DarkKyo]

I read the title as "More States Allowing Guns in Bras" :lol

 

[Loxley]

You people are really surprised that a law like this got passed in Tennessee?

 

[Technosteve]

love america, love westerns, love gun fights. This law is a boon for gunfighters

 

[Neuromancer]

love america, love westerns, love gun fights. This law is a boon for gunfighters

Yep and it's only a matter of time before we're seeing clips on Youtube of people getting thrown out of windows and through swinging doors.

 

[stldave2]

Still illegal (and dumb) to drink and carry.

Still illegal (and immoral/dumb) to shoot someone unless your life is in danger.

 

[siddx]

I'm all for gun ownership (with certain limits and a tougher policy on purchasing) but this just seems like an incredibly stupid idea. Alcohol and firearms just don't mix.

 

[TimeLike]

I dont even want to imagine how much drama this could lead in gang frequented clubs! Holy shit!

Yeah I'm sure those gangsters are very happy that they can finally bring their guns to the club with them.