treadlightly wrote:Dwhale, based on everything being as presented, you sound worthy of a second chance. For full disclosure, that was not my first perspective, but it sounds like you may have had a lapse in judgement. Barely over the limit, no problems with guns, a suspension by side effect. You were over the civilized line, but it doesn't sound like an aggravated case justifying a lifelong scarlet letter. Sin no more. None of us are perfect.
Don't let us down.
By contrast, one of our school board members was out enjoying back roads and a little too much white lightning one evening about 2 AM. A concerned motorist called 911 about his erratic driving. At the next town, a friendly local cop saw him cut and run with a clumsy u-turn, stopped him, determined he was plastered, and added a gun charge for the handgun bouncing around on the passenger's seat. Not concealed, not in a belt or shoulder holster, just rattling around loose in a pickup with an alleged drunk.
Local rumor maintains he was still turning the air blue when he got out of the lockup the next morning, which somehow reminds me of Milton on the beach in the final scenes in Office Space. With just one letter, he could shut that whole jail down, I'm sure.
The story is probably over as he's resigned from the school board and is moving on.
That is someone I'd like to see at some distance from the demography of lawful armed citizenry. He ain't fit, bless his heart.
Good Morning...and thank you for your response. The part of your post that struck me was the "Don't Let Us Down" comment.
It was a legitimate mistake to leave the lease that night. But looking back, it's easy to see how I unknowingly set myself up for the whole thing. Total lack of planning...I should've been thinking about the fact that I was going to need to go to town for food. But it never crossed my mind. I just came back up to the cabin covered in sweat and grabbed a cold beer. I don't even drink alcohol on a regular basis much less do I normally drink alone, it just seemed like
the thing to do. Hot and sweaty, at the deer lease, cold beer in the fridge...Then of course a few more cold ones while working around the cabin...then I got hungry.
I was pulled over, arrested, went to jail for the night, lost my driver's license for 30 days, & lost my CHL. But the VERY worst part of it all was that I had my wife of 25 years, 2 sons (10 & 12 years old at the time )...parents and friends
disappointed in me...because I drove under the influence. If you've never experienced it yourself, Imagine being a 43 year old family man, forced to call your father to ask him to drive 4 hours on a Friday night to bail you out of jail...definitely NOT a proud moment for my Pops!! My wife said that my youngest son, not understanding the difference between going to prison and going to jail, cried, saying he didn't know if he'd ever get to see his daddy again. (poor kiddo, that broke my heart)
Not saying any of that in an attempt to get any sympathy from you guys. Just trying to explain my current mind-set on the situation I put myself in. I will NEVER be in a position like that again. Ever. Never again will I get behind the wheel after drinking. But NOT because I lost my stinkin' CHL for 5 years.
Take Care, Shoot Str8 and God Bless.