frazzled wrote:Because lots of people get shot in bars?
...even though it is illegal to shoot someone?
Never mind whether it is legal to carry a gun in a bar, that's irrelevant. The fact that people get shot in bars is a GOOD REASON to allow those who may get shot AT to carry guns of their own to protect themselves from the CRIMINALS who are committing murder in bars.
This is the exact same old anti-gun argument. It doesn't change because it's a bar or because there is alcohol involved. I mean if guns and alcohol don't mix, then why not ban the alcohol in bars, since we have no Constitutional amendment that guarantees us the right to alcohol. Furthermore, it's the use of alcohol that is dangerous, not the carrying of guns. If you become intoxicated then there are all kinds of dangerous things you may be more likely to do, such as driving home or a litany of other things I could think of. So the problem is not guns, it's alcohol.
Because its effectively illegal in Texas to drink and carry?
But it's not merely
effectively illegal, but explicitly an offense to shoot someone in Texas. So if that law is not enough to prevent people from shooting one another in bars, then why should some inferred vague between-the-lines opinion be strong enough to dissuade criminals from shooting people? It's not like some BG is going to go into a bar, looking for someone who they think is in there who they intend to kill or to commit a robbery or drug deal or whatever, but see the 51% sign and say "oh, fiddlesticks. I can't go in and kill my rival drug dealer in that bar because I can't legally carry my stolen gun into a bar. Guess I'll have to wait until he comes out onto the sidewalk to kill him, since that's more legal".
Because the tempation will be extremely high to do so.
Temptation do do what? Shoot someone in a bar? I admit it. I have never gone into a bar unless I happened to be working (as a musician). I have no idea whether it's natural to wind up wanting to shoot somebody once I go into a bar for purposes other than work. Maybe that's what happens. But I kind of doubt it.
As you pointed out, it's already illegal in Texas to be intoxicated while carrying. So you would be at extreme risk of violating that law if you were to carry your gun into a bar and then begin drinking. But likewise it's illegal to drive while intoxicated and we don't ban cars from parking within walking distance of bars. So if we can trust people to drive to and from bars, and therefore assume the risk that they may become intoxicated and run afoul of the law, kill someone with their car, etc., then why not carrying a gun? Certainly DUI is far more common and dangerous than is shooting someone while intoxicated.
On the contrary, the 51% law, just like any other law preventing law-abiding citizens from lawfully carrying guns absolutely anywhere, is a bad law. Whatever arguments that are made to support the 51% are the same arguments made to prevent guns on college campuses, schools, post offices, court rooms, etc. The fact is that anywhere people go, there is a chance that criminals are going to carry guns and put others at risk, and disarming the law-abiding people in any environment does not make them more safe.
