On October 1st 2013, a new law in NC went into effect that made it legal for concealed carriers to carry inside bars and restaurants. The law was met with praises from gun owners, and much negativity from people who feared the law would create disasters each and every day.
Nothing bad has happened.
Responsible gun owners across the state of NC are proving to the masses that regular old citizens such as ourselves are capable of carrying a loaded firearm — responsibly — with no ill effects to those around us.
Folks against the law were throwing scenarios out that they saw happening once the law kicked in. These scenarios ranged from people getting drunk while carrying and having an accident, to the wild west coming back with bar standoffs because one person spilled a drink on another.
Under the law, businesses are allowed to post signs that prohibit the carry of firearms inside their establishment. Some have chosen to go this route, but the majority have not.
We wrote an article about drinking and carrying a firearm and asked this question: Is having a drink an OK thing to do while carrying a firearm? The consensus was “Absolutely Not”.
This response didn’t surprise us, because the vast majority of gun owners are responsible citizens in all aspects of their lives.
The law in NC is written so that anyone who is carrying a firearm in an establishment that serves alcohol is not allowed to have a drink — at all.
“This is zero tolerance. There’s not point-one, point-eight, it’s zero-point-zero. Conceal-carry holders are not allowed to drink while in possession of firearm,” said Grass Roots member Thomas Rhyne, one of the groups most responsible for getting the new gun law passed.
So with this anniversary of a successful year, we thank NC gun owners for their continued responsibility to help us prove that we are capable of doing just that: being responsible.
