you cant drink if your carrying concealed anyway, so what is the big deal with allowing it?
Yes, but just because a restaurant SERVES alcohol does not require me to DRINK it...
The law in NC currently forbids anyone to carry in any Pizza Hut, Ruby Tuesdays, Olive Garden, almost EVERY Asian restaurant (Chinese,Japanese, Thai, etc) or ANY OTHER place that serves alcohol--whether or not they are planning to imbibe themselves.
I like to go to nice restaurants with my wife and family. Most "upscale" restaurants serve alcohol. Under NC law, I currently am forbiddento enter such establishments if I am carrying--DESPITE the fact that I rarely drink, and am almost ALWAYS the "designated driver" as well as the "designated OC/CCer" when we go out. If my wife, or my in-laws, or my 27-year-old daughters want to have a glass of wine with dinner, then I can either not go out with them, or I must go unarmed and defenseless under current NC law.
I don't know about you, but NEITHER of those options are acceptable for me.
In VA, I can OC or CC in ANY restaurant--whether they only serve iced tea, or have a fully-stocked bar. The legislature in VA understands that the mere presence of alcohol in an establishment DOES NOT instantly turn every patron into a raving drunken maniac. Why can't NC's legislature understand that?
Currently, if I want to go to a restaurant like this with my family, I must:
1) leave my gun in my car--unattended, in a dark parking lot with no security so that any thug who might want to steal it will have a pretty easy go of it (well, except for the fact that it's in a lock box that is secured to the chassis with aircraft-grade stainless steel cables) and
2) sit in a restaurant with my family with NO MEANS of self defense.
Current NC law actually CONTRIBUTES to the illegal gun problem in NC. The NC DOJ's own web site says that over 70% of handguns reported stolen in NC are stolen from vehicles Maybe if we weren't forced by this stupid "establishments that serve alcohol" ban, those numbers would come WAY down.
Because it's a LOT more difficult for some thug to steal my gun from the level-2 retention holster on my hip than it is from a car that is left unattended for a few hours.
Are you REALLY so daft that you didn't think this thing out before posting a ridiculous comment like that?