You can rephrase this question all you want but the answer is the same. Don’t do it. You do not have control of everything in life. A driver can run a stop sign and the copbsmells booze on you. You can get pulled over for a brake light that is out. You can get carjacked. You may have to defend yourself at any point. There are infinite things that you are not in control of that may require police intervention and you do not want booze on your breath.
You could be at dinner having a beer and some asshat calls the cops for a man with a gun. Remember… We are all being criminalized by the media and some lawmakers. Do you really want to take that chance?
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First, at best, the “legal limit amount of beers” is for driving, not carrying a firearm. Second, IF you have an accident or are forced into using your firearm to save you or your girlfriends life, you are making it easy for a lawyer to ruin the rest of your life. If “two beers” are really that important to you, maybe you need to re-evaluate your why you drink at all.
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Welcome to the community @Randall39
Excellent question. We live in a society that promotes the consumption of alcohol and makes it focal point of social events. I don’t begrudge anyone their drink of choice.
I’ll have an ice tea with lemon!
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We also live in a society that hates guns and those that carry them. He stated he lived in Maryland so that goes double. So again, is having beer with your meal while carrying that important to you? The outcome could ruin your life.
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Personally, as long as you’re complying with the law, which in many states precludes the consumption of any alcohol WHILE carrying, I can buy the notion that it’s possible to have a drink, maybe two with a meal depending on the length of time, your weight, metabolism, food consumption and all those other factors, and you could be unaffected by a minute level of alcohol in your system on your way home. I’m sure that’s debatable but give me the benefit of the doubt in order to make my real point…
However, any time you’re carrying, you have to be prepared for the possibility that you will need to draw and possibly discharge your firearm. If either of those happens, you have to be prepared for the consequences. There are enough people being prosecuted for defending themselves in unequivocally justifiable self-defense situations who have been completely sober. Would you want to be the next Kyle Rittenhouse only you also had consumed alcohol a little while earlier? Do you think that fact will be described in terms that will portray you as virtually sober or falling-down drunk? Do you think the reports will include “with dinner”, “a drink or two”, how many hours it had been, that your BAC barely registered above zero?
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I don’t think a couple of beers would inhibit your driving or judgement. Would it put you over the limit in your State? If so, then don’t if your concerned. There are enough people giving reasons where and when you can’t or shouldn’t do this or that. Your and your family’s safety should come first so in my opinion, carry everywhere all the time. Better judged by 12 than carried by 6.
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I appreciate the feedback, however, I want to be clear, I never said I would be “drinking and carrying”. I said, I would lock the firearm in a lockbox in the trunk of my car. I have priorities, I am not an alcoholic, and I have never done this. It was a made up scenario. After reading MD law, it is best not to have A BEER and to leave it at home if there is a chance I stop and have lunch with my girlfriend. Thanks to all who responded, I appreciate the time you all spent to help me out.
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I thought you were pretty clear with your question @Huey0224 . A lot of answers here seemed to be based on a knee jerk anti alcohol bias. Just as there are people who judge guns to be evil no matter how you use them there are those that judge alcohol the same. Yes there are people who should not drink just as there are people who should never carry guns. But punishing everyone for the actions of a few is something that is usually frowned upon here.
No one should ever operate a vehicle, equipment, or carry a weapon when their judgement and reflexes are sufficiently impaired by alcohol, drugs, phone distractions, or simply being tired. But most people are fully capable of having a drink or two with a meal and maintaining sufficient control. Hence the legal alcohol limits for operating a vehicle which is far more dangerous than carrying a gun since you will be driving but are incredibly unlikely to ever need to draw your weapon. I personally believe a similar system should be applied to carrying a firearm since having a beer or glass of wine should not allow the government to violate your constitutional rights, at least since the repeal of prohibition.
But in most States there are laws against having a drink and carrying and we must follow them. Sounds like Maryland has worse laws than most. We also have to be willing to face the consequences of how are actions will be judged especially in anti gun areas. But that goes for all our actions in this anti gun environment.
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n.a. beer is great for those trying to lead a low/no alcohol life but if you look at the ingredients most of them still have some alcohol (like 0.5 %) so probably not a good drink either while you’re carrying.
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What you personally “believe” regarding what carrying a firearm and driving an automobile should have in common with regard to legal limits of alcohol consumption is irrelevant.
What is relevant here, is quite simply what a Prosecutor will be able to convince a Jury of if or when a CPL holder is tried for an otherwise justifiable use of deadly force with a firearm.
It’s zero tolerance if you are going to carry a firearm. One beer, one glass of wine could mean the difference between an otherwise “no bill” or a jury convicting a person of something that they should have been convicted of.
It wouldn’t even require a breathalyzer test result. All it takes is for one witness to convey in a statement that the CPL holder had a drink or a few drinks and the Prosecutor can run with that thread until your defense if unraveled.
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[quote=“Frank73, post:51, topic:74527”] One beer, one glass of wine could mean the difference between an otherwise “no bill” or a jury convicting a person of something that they should have been convicted of.
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I agreed with this in my response. But it is up to the carrier to decide if they should remain defenseless after legally having a drink (ie storing your gun in an appropriate place before consuming in States that have laws requiring this). Just as it is up to all of us to decide if we should or should not carry a firearm because anti gun folks will come after us if we defend ourselves regardless of what we were doing before during or after.
It seems like many here are fine with zero tolerance laws on alcohol and carry denying our natural and constitutional rights to self defense. If that is the case then should everyone on prescription medications be denied the right to self defense since they are likely more impaired than someone who has a drink? I hate drunk people with guns or behind the wheels of cars. But I get really frustrated when I see people get POd when rights they agree with are taken away but look the other way when rights they don’t like others having are violated.
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My take on this not the same as most responses I read. First, possessing alcohol , drinking alcohol, and being intoxicated are three entirely different things. There is nothing that would be wrong with you buying alcohol at a store and transporting it home. There would also be nothing wrong with having a class of wine with dinner or after dinner drink. The problem would come if you were impaired while possessing a firearm. Impaired means different things to many people. The definitive answer would be, what does your state law say about possessing a firearm and possessing alcohol, having an alcoholic drink but not being impaired, and what defines intoxicated? Then you can make an informed decision. For me, where I live, two fingers of Irish Whiskey with a good bold cigar is not an issue with my CPL. Not the same in every state.
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Same here in The Republic of California!
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wow! I live in San Diego Ca. Do you know what I had to go through, had to pay and not to mention the time it took to be issued a god given right! Good god man get real with yourself! Oh, it took 13 months!
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best thing dont carry if you choose to drink
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Rule 1, Do Not ever drink while carrying a gun or shooting guns.
Rule 2, if you must drink while carrying or shooting a gun, refer to rule 1.
In the words of the immortal John Wayne:
“I hope you know Guns and that who hit John don’t mix”.
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Don’t drink around firearms’ period. Not safe at anytime.
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@G.Washington , I apologize brother but I have not really been on much, still trying to caught up. I don’t even know the question. 
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