+1frankie_the_yankee wrote:Relax guys. It's just an expression. What I meant was that some of the teetotaler or "not one drop" people seem to have almost a religious fervor about it.
I have no intention of starting a 1st Amendment thread.
My own belief is that:
1) One drink does not impair my judgement in any significant way.
2) It is NOT illegal to carry after having one drink.
3) There is no moral justification for why I should give up my rights to the means of self defense just because I chose to have one drink.
4) Instructors who claim that one drink is illegal are full of baloney. IMO, this makes all of their other pronouncements and interpretations suspect. For that reason, I would not knowingly patronize them.
Finally, I would invite those not familiar to read this whole thread before posting. Most of your concerns have been addressed in spades.
I carry pretty much 24/7 these days and if i'm out to dinner or something I do occasionally have a drink. I dont have much of a craving for heavy drinking since a bit with alcohol poisoning a few years back in my partying days, but even if it wasn't for that I wouldn't be irresponsible enough to let myself get toasted while carrying.
There is nothing wrong with having a drink that does not impair your judgment while carrying though. I do it occasionally myself.
That being said, if I DID have to use deadly force after having a drink I sure would regret that coming up when being questioned by the police or in court. That would not put any points in my favor.