Bill to allow guns in bars should not become law

There are a number of pressing issues that face Tennessee in 2008, but the absence of guns in bars is not one of them.

Our state Senate apparently thinks otherwise, as it voted 24-6 last week to allow people with handgun-carry permits to bring guns into restaurants and bars that serve alcohol.

The Senate’s bill, which still has to gain support in the House, does come with its provisions. The person carrying the gun cannot drink alcohol. And the restaurant or bar owner still has the right to trump state law by declaring firearms illegal at his or her establishment.

These are sound stipulations, and no doubt essential if the bill should eventually twist its way through the House. But the underlying theme of this issue is why. Why was this bill introduced in the first place? Is there a swarm of people picketing Capitol Hill for the opportunity to carry guns into bars?

Tennessee law is just fine the way it is on this issue. There’s no reason to get out the tools and tinker with something that’s not broken.

Law enforcement officers throughout the state oppose this bill ‘ including Warren County Sheriff Jackie Matheny and McMinnville Police Chief Charlie Sewell.

‘I think it’s great for people to carry a weapon and protect themselves, but a bar is probably not the place,’ said Matheny. ‘We all know when people have too much to drink they don’t make wise decisions.’

Said Sewell, ‘I believe very strongly alcohol and weapons don’t mix.’

Like them or not, guns are ingrained in our society. The same can be said for alcohol. As separate entities, the two have their place ‘ and their problems. But mix them together and you have a cocktail with a potentially fatal aftertaste.

Just like drinking and driving don’t mix, neither do drinking and firearms. And while it’s easy to argue, under the letter of the proposed law, that the person with the gun won’t be drinking, there’s no denying the potential for a deadly confrontation increases when firearms are present ‘ in any situation.

Supporters of this bill say it’s vital to public safety because it gives people a chance to defend themselves in bars. This stance makes it seem like if you’re threatened in a bar, you have to stand with both hands behind your back and absorb a beating. What these bill supporters fail to mention is people already have the right to defend themselves. They can punch, kick, scratch, throw bottles, swing pool sticks and do anything necessary to protect their safety in the moments it takes to defuse the altercation.

What doesn’t need to happen is for gun-carrying citizens to start unloading rounds of ammunition in crowded bars. Maybe those bullets hit their intended target, maybe they don’t. Either way, it’s a losing proposition.

Lawmakers would better serve Tennesseans by trying to remedy the many problems facing this state, not creating new ones.