imported post
All though a law related question is normally more state specific, I'm curious about this question in general, and would be interested to see if different states deal with the issue differently. Is ignorance of the law truely no excuse? What if you know the law, but don't know you're breaking it?
I wandered into a local restaurant this afternoon to pick up some fresh fish, and I was openly carrying, like usual. The conversations immediately started, as some of the employees had seen me there before, while others hadn't. Everything was cheerful and relaxed.
Now, the first time I visited the restaurant, I wasn't carrying since I wasn't sure if they served alcohol or not, and here in NC you can't carry where alcohol is served for consumption (open or concealed). After thoroughly reading through their menus and observing the restaurant, I was satisfied that they didn't serve alcohol.
Anyway back to the story. As I was standing there waiting for my food, I glanced down and noticed a rather small sign on the low counter. It said "Under no circumstances will anyone under 21 be sold alcohol". I thought to myself "that's an odd sign to have. Of course they wont serve anyone under 21, it's feder....uh oh". I kept my cool as my eyes darted around the restaurant looking for some other clue that they served alcohol. I read the menu on the wall, and the paper menu in my hands. I found nothing; not so much as beer or wine. I then glanced at the drink cooler that was positioned behind the counter, in the corner next to the drink fountains. I stepped forward in order to see the whole cooler. On the two bottom shelves, there were two rows of Corona and Miller. :banghead: Now at that point I realized I was officially breaking the law. Luckily, my food had just come off the grill, so I nonchalantly got my stuff and left.
Apparently they started serving beer since the first time that I was there, and they haven't done much to advertise it since.So here's the problem. I had no intention to break the law. I went through a reasonable number of steps to verify that my activities were indeed legal. Unfortunately, the situation changed, unbeknownst to me. If an officer had happened to walk in and recognize that I was armed illegally, I'm sure I would have been arrested. The question is, what are my chances of getting out of it in the long run? Would my lack of intent and knowledge of the situation matter? LEO's chime if here as well. I'm curious what you would do faced with an intelligent, well mannered person that broke the law, but swore he didn't know. Might you let them off? Or is the law the law, no matter what?
All though a law related question is normally more state specific, I'm curious about this question in general, and would be interested to see if different states deal with the issue differently. Is ignorance of the law truely no excuse? What if you know the law, but don't know you're breaking it?
I wandered into a local restaurant this afternoon to pick up some fresh fish, and I was openly carrying, like usual. The conversations immediately started, as some of the employees had seen me there before, while others hadn't. Everything was cheerful and relaxed.
Now, the first time I visited the restaurant, I wasn't carrying since I wasn't sure if they served alcohol or not, and here in NC you can't carry where alcohol is served for consumption (open or concealed). After thoroughly reading through their menus and observing the restaurant, I was satisfied that they didn't serve alcohol.
Anyway back to the story. As I was standing there waiting for my food, I glanced down and noticed a rather small sign on the low counter. It said "Under no circumstances will anyone under 21 be sold alcohol". I thought to myself "that's an odd sign to have. Of course they wont serve anyone under 21, it's feder....uh oh". I kept my cool as my eyes darted around the restaurant looking for some other clue that they served alcohol. I read the menu on the wall, and the paper menu in my hands. I found nothing; not so much as beer or wine. I then glanced at the drink cooler that was positioned behind the counter, in the corner next to the drink fountains. I stepped forward in order to see the whole cooler. On the two bottom shelves, there were two rows of Corona and Miller. :banghead: Now at that point I realized I was officially breaking the law. Luckily, my food had just come off the grill, so I nonchalantly got my stuff and left.
Apparently they started serving beer since the first time that I was there, and they haven't done much to advertise it since.So here's the problem. I had no intention to break the law. I went through a reasonable number of steps to verify that my activities were indeed legal. Unfortunately, the situation changed, unbeknownst to me. If an officer had happened to walk in and recognize that I was armed illegally, I'm sure I would have been arrested. The question is, what are my chances of getting out of it in the long run? Would my lack of intent and knowledge of the situation matter? LEO's chime if here as well. I'm curious what you would do faced with an intelligent, well mannered person that broke the law, but swore he didn't know. Might you let them off? Or is the law the law, no matter what?