doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Alcohol and firearms

I've been away from the Midwest for quite some time but when I resided there I used to regularly attend the CADA Shows which were held at the Pheasant Run Resort. There was an open bar at the show and in all my years of attendance I don't remember one issue due to this.
Any well regulated show that I know of requires all firearms to be unloaded and secured, usually with cable ties, to prevent any kind of accidents. How drinking in moderation which was all I ever observed under these circumstances can be an issue is a mystery to me.
N.B: The major gun shows in Arizona where I now reside have a no alcohol policy. This is solely due to the fact that the promoter is Mormon. Other smaller shows here have no such policy.
Jim

From where does the assumption come that any introduction of alcohol leads to inebriation? There are plenty of responsible people who can have a sip and not be steered toward stupid adventures.

Ok, should be easy to persuade a liability insurer to make an exception for responsible people and only apply the "no drinking" rule to the irresponsible.

I may be running against the grain of popular opinion when it comes to the consumption of alcohol in North America but to me it's much like having guns.

It's how we behave that should count, not whether we have had a drink or own a gun.

I make my own choices about this stuff. I never, ever have a drink while working. I never, ever drink before or during shooting. But those are my choices and I could care less about someone else having a drink while doing those things as long as he behaves responsibly.

I extend this thinking to driving as well. However, I think we should bring the hammer down on someone who causes problem because they have been drinking or because they have used a gun in an inappropriate way.

But that's just me. I think the state should butt out of a lot of things.

Does every gun show require liability insurance or is it conventional wisdom, like blaming lawyers for everything that goes wrong?
I'm not a lawyer, which is evident.

For crying out loud, the biggest antique gun show in the country (Beinfeld's Las Vegas show in January) is held in a CASINO.

I don't know details on this one, but the surmise about requirements -- insurance or municipal regs -- makes sense to me. This may depend on who owns the facility chosen by the producer of the show. My experience is there will be no drinking allowed in a municipal facility, and many shows are held in them.

Jay

We rightfully should have zero tolerance of alcohol at automotive driving events. Why would it be any different for people handling firearms. The anti-gun forces have long promoted a stereotype of hunters as drunken and irresponsible. If we tolerate the use of intoxicants at firearms events we have the potential of shooting ourselves in the foot...

J.K.B. von Falkenhorst

Eighthore, I attend gun shows 50 weekends a year. I setup at shows an average of eight times a year, been doing this for the past 28 years, so your right I am green as grass as far as gun shows. I have been reading this forum and others for longer than I can remember. I belong to three double gun collector associations. I have subscribed to the double gun journal since volume 1 issue 1 when Dan used to come to the Columbus Vet Memorial OGCA meetings talking to anyone who would listen about his dream of a quarterly publication dedicated to our beloved double guns. I have read them all cover to cover and refer back often to refresh myself. I figured it out at a young age that you learn more my listening or reading than talking. I think the reference to my total of 9 posts bares this out completely since this fact was pointed out by a person who has 10,511 posts. I did not start this thread to belittle this double gun dealer. Just a discussion on alcohol and guns. If people other than this serial poster would like to know his name I will consider it. I will tell you it happened at the OGCA show in Wilmington Ohio.

Must agree with ruffg, it's courting error to belittle someone's opinion or credibility based on small number of posts, or to attribute credibility based on large number.

Jay