The Virginian-Pilot has another funny editorial today, this one with the title above. Tackling a serious subject with humor and satire is a new twist for the Pilot’s editorial board, making for interesting reading. I’m betting I know which one of the board’s writer’s wrote this – and an earlier, equally funny – editorial.
Of course, guns in bars – excuse me, restaurants that sell alcohol, since Virginia has no bars – is really not a laughing matter. I’m sure that someone with a concealed weapons permit is going to walk up to the bartender and tell him s/he is carrying, and only drink non-alcoholic beverages all night. Can you imagine someone going to a sports bar – oops, restaurant that sells alcohol – to watch a game and drink only club soda? Neither can I. Nor will it happen.
I talked to one of the Democratic senators who supports this bill when I was in Richmond a couple of weeks ago. He asked me if I would support it if it was left up to the owners of the establishments. Funny, I told him, you guys didn’t leave the smoking ban up to the owners of the establishment. “Good point,” he said.
Former governor Tim Kaine vetoed such legislation when it passed the General Assembly. Gov. McDonnell has indicated he will sign it. The editorial writer sees a side benefit:
Given the law, it’ll [the one carrying a weapon]be the one drinking club soda. That might put a dent in a restaurant’s receipts, but it’ll do the same for Virginia’s drunken-driving rate. See how that works? With the right marketing, even good sense’s loss can be Virginia’s gain.
Yeah, right.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
While the really important issues go unattended, this is about as logical a bill as the one about implantable tracking devices. I, too, want to meet someone packing a gun who goes to a bar but not to drink. Is this for bounty hunters? I also want to meet some of those people who say their bosses have implanted tracking devices in them! They’ve got to be either sad or hilarious.
Well, the tracking devices bill passed 88-9. Guess there are plenty tin foil hats to pass around.
Chris,
You may not be aware that guns are allowed into restaurants that serve alcohol now, just not concealed. And there are no bars in VA. Yes, Vivian was making a joke about it, but, the main problem is the carrying in RESTAURANTS. Like Fuddruckers….
Why would you want firearms to be visible to the other alcohol imbibers, if over use is your concern? Secondly, former Gov. Kaine thought that it was reasonable for his government lawyers to be allowed to carry concealed without the necessary courses AND be allowed to do so in “bars”.
According to Wikipedia, Concealed Carriers may not be under the influence of alcohol, but does not say anything about open carriers.
Concealed Carry Permit holders tend to be more law abiding than most and value their permits. Drinking would be highly unlikely.
I understand the concerns about “hidden” guns in bars. A simple way to stop it is for property owners to put up “No Guns allowed” signs at the door. By law, no firearms are allowed inside. Hmmm, they could have done that with smoking…..
Yes, they could have done that with the smoking ban – and I would have been satisfied with that.
You know, VJP, I remember the same warnings about Dodge City on a Saturday night about concealed-carry when it was debated and enacted a few years back. Guess what? Never happened. Why should we credit such Chicken Little cries now?
This is bad for business on every level and one of the more stupid and egregious issues the legislature is wasting our taxpayer resources and time on. With thousands of Virginians’ lives spiraling out of control from being out of work, without health-care and being foreclosed on, don’t they have enough to do in Richmond ???!!! Voters need to fire anyone who supports this idiocy.
Many gun-owners also have a problem
with booze and are self-medicating for depression egged on by Big Pharma– a volatile mix. Keep yer distance, folks!
And there are no controls over what a pistol-packer drinks before they enter the establishment or what they stash in their car for “cigarette breaks.” Oh, and don’t forget the numerous pills people self-medicate with in an increasing, violent, offensive, racist culture mixed with general rising anger being stoked by the likes of such nutbags as Teabaggers/Palin-landers/blind followers of Pat Robertson and the gods of FOX Noise??? HATE SPEECH DOES NOT QUALIFY AS ‘FREE SPEECH.’ Period.
The article, while funny/absurd in parts, is also a sick commentary on where our violence-obsessed, war and fear-mongering culture has come–we already ARE “the Wild West of the East.”
What a despicable example for our youth.
Just like with smoking, this decision should be the province of the owner/operator of the bar, er…the restaurant that serves alcohol.
I’d agree it’s up to the property owner. However, if we have to meddle with this, the law should include a real penalty for drinking – not being drunk, drinking at all — while carrying a loaded firearm, concealed or not. That’s consistent with what we expect from armed military and polic, who have better firearms training than the average citizen. How about up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine AND mandatory revocation of the offender’s carry permit?
Look at you, trying to take our guns away!
OK