Washington Concealed Carry Laws Relating to Bars and Alcohol?

[Joe13]

Just remember that if a guy is sober, like the officer pulling you over, the smell of alcohol really stands out.

Breath mints!


Don't drink and drive.

 

[TCOV]

I appreciate the responses.

I wasn't intending to hit the happy hours while I was carrying. My concern was more along the lines of, if I was home on the weekend and sat down to have lunch at noon and had a beer with my sammich. One beer. Then an hour and a half later I had to run down to Home Depot because the Mrs has a "honey do" list longer than my arm, and if you've ever seen Mrs Cabo angry...well, you know that's not a very pleasant experience. I digress.

Anyway, I'm not sure what my BAC would be 1.5 hours later on a single beer and weighing 210 lbs. It would probably be .01 or something but it probably wouldn't be 0. And I was trying to determine if that was legal.

According to charts on alcohol use at your size you would register .0. The chart considers an average size male able to process one domestic beer an hour and peak at .02.

 

[beavertonbuck]

I respect everyone saying that you shouldn't be drinking in public when carrying a gun but it brings up an interesting scenario for you. Is it a good idea for a gun owner to ever drink? To the extent that alcohol impairs your judgment do you think a prosecutor cares whether you were drinking at home or at a restaurant. Regarding of where a self defense shooting occurs the same elements always have to be present- ability, opportunity and jeopardy.

It would seem to the extent that it isn't a good idea in your view to carry and drink once you break open the scotch or wine at your house the guns should go in the safe.

 

[redmond]

Having worked in forensic toxicology for over 30 years and observing many hundreds of people at various alcohol blood levels, my conclusion is that any measureable level of alcohol does impair judgment, reflexes, response times, memory, etc. - the higher the level, the worse. That is why DOT sets a limit of any detectable alcohol (>0.02 g/210L for breath alcohol analyzers) as unacceptable for CDL holders. At 0.04, it is a violation for them.

My personal practice is not to drive or handle firearms if I have any alcohol in my system. Alcohol levels in breath and blood drop by 0.015 per hour in the average person. We are responsible for our own actions and need to make our own decisions ahead of time, not in the moment.

 

[wired]

is it legal to lie to the cops? Cause in my book admitting you had a beer at lunch isnt worth bringing up.

It is perfectly legal not to say anything to the cops. I always cringe when I watch people on those shows like 48 hours where the cops are interrogating people in their little interrogation rooms. For HOURS . Shut the hell up people and call your damned lawyer !

 

[Sgt Nambu]

One thought on any level of drink, while carrying.

When is the last time you saw a prosecutor who was interested, even remotely, in truth, justice or fairness?

 

[CarlMc]

That reminds me of a possible quirk in the law. Can you carry if you work in a bar?

 

[Brutus57]

Your drinking should be appropriate to the rounds in your CCW pistol: 5 rounds of .357 in that snubbie...No more than 5 beers, 6 shooter=6 pack, 1911 seven plus one for the road, Glock 17, you are crawlin home. But seriously, guns and alcohol don't mix, have a nice Arnold Palmer....
If you can't walk in to a bar with out drinking alcohol and choose not to comply with the placard, then leave your piece elsewhere.

Always, always remember Murphy's Law, what can go wrong will go wrong... Don't tempt Murphy.

Brutus Out

 

[decklin]

That reminds me of a possible quirk in the law. Can you carry if you work in a bar?

Nope. There is no listed exception except for police.
Edited to add: I just went back and read the rcw again. I was wrong. There is an exception for the proprietor and employees.
See my next post.

 

[CarlMc]

Nope. There is no listed exception except for police.

But you are allowed to carry in your "fixed place of business" which could be a bar. One part of the law says you can, one says you can't, hence my question.
RCW 9.41.050 "(1)(a) Except in the person's place of abode or fixed place of business, a person shall not carry a pistol concealed on his or her person without a license to carry a concealed pistol."

 

[Brutus57]

A man walks in to a bar, with a gun.....



wait, wait, does the man that enters the bar already have a gun...or does the bar have a gun already when he walks in???

Brutus out

 

[decklin]

But you are allowed to carry in your "fixed place of business" which could be a bar. One part of the law says you can, one says you can't, hence my question.
RCW 9.41.050 "(1)(a) Except in the person's place of abode or fixed place of business, a person shall not carry a pistol concealed on his or her person without a license to carry a concealed pistol."

I went and checked and found I misspoke. I did not recall this section at the time.

RCW 9.41.300
Weapons prohibited in certain places—Local laws and ordinances—Exceptions—Penalty.
(1) It is unlawful for any person to enter the following places when he or she knowingly possesses or knowingly has under his or her control a weapon:

(d) That portion of an establishment classified by the *state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age; or

(10) Subsection (1)(d) of this section does not apply to the proprietor of the premises or his or her employees while engaged in their employment.

 

[AMT]

deckling, as mentioned before, you are to be commended for doing your due diligence before strapping on your firearm and thinking you can go anywhere, and do anything you want.

I do have to bring up something about drinking and carrying. As everyone knows, drinking is not illegal. Neither is marijuana anymore (in WA, OR and a few other places).

Try talking yourself out of a ticket (or prosecution) after you've had a drink and were caught driving impaired. Try doing the same after having "only a small portion of a bud" (think along the lines of, it was only 1 beer with a meal).

One drink or 10. A hit or two from a small bud or an entire Cheech and Chong sized roll all by yourself.

Ultimately, you can do whatever you want. You may also have to answer for whatever you do sober, drunk or high.

 

[CarlMc]

I went and checked and found I misspoke. I did not recall this section at the time.

RCW 9.41.300
Weapons prohibited in certain places—Local laws and ordinances—Exceptions—Penalty.
(1) It is unlawful for any person to enter the following places when he or she knowingly possesses or knowingly has under his or her control a weapon:

(d) That portion of an establishment classified by the *state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age; or

(10) Subsection (1)(d) of this section does not apply to the proprietor of the premises or his or her employees while engaged in their employment.

Thanks for that! I wasn't aware of that particular subsection.

 

[Bushman]

Following.

 

[whiskeybill]

Well since people are gonna throw in opinions...
I personally see nothing wrong with enjoying a beer (or whatever your choice) with lunch or dinner.
It's socially acceptable to have a drink and drive. Why is it ok for me to have a drink then climb in my 5,000lb truck, with a minimum of 9 controls to legally and correctly drive, at 60 mph surrounded by others doing the same thing, but not if I'm carrying a Sig with 4 controls?
It makes zero sense.
There is a big difference between drinking and drunk.

There is also a big difference between common sense and the law. The two rarely, if ever, go hand in hand.

 

[decklin]

There is also a big difference between common sense and the law. The two rarely, if ever, go hand in hand.

Your opinion.

 

[Bajjer]

Hey yall, first time poster here. I realise its an old thread, but it inspired me to sign up. For better or worse!

Im a bartender and i know its within my rights to carry while im working. I dont. On the rare occasion when i accidentally brought it with me, it sits deeply hidden in the back room where it wouldnt do a damn bit of good if i needed it. Walking out out the door alone in the wee hours... well thats a different story.

Point is: i realise alcohol and firearms should not be like butter and bread. And the OP clearly already understands this.

But so many responses are suggesting that we should abstain from alcohol completely if there is a weapon anywhere nearby. Many arguments are to avoid prosecution. One even suggested locking your guns in the safe while drinking at home.

Seriously?!! If you feel the need for that, please sell all your weapons, and never drink forever. Cuz i wouldnt trust you with a hammer.

And why are we focusing so hard on prosecution? If you draw your weapon it SHOULD be because youre afraid for your life. Would you rather be dead? Or hafta deal with an annoying legal battle? Even i/we end up doing a few years, i think most of us would choose life.

So live your life, carry within the law, and hope you never hafta draw.

If im sittin at my dining table gettin drunk as a skunk, and the bad man comes breaking thru the door... im not gonna be the dipslit that locked all his guns away.

As for carrying... you know yourself. If youve an alcohol problem and are prone to risky behavior, well then maybe you shouldnt be carrying at all. If you trust yourself, carry a conceal that no one can spot, and you have a cpl beers at the neighborhood bbq... well if nobody sees it then whats it matter?

Just my 2 cents for whomever doesnt care

Cheers!

 

[RicInOR]

RCW 9.41.300
Weapons prohibited in certain places—Local laws and ordinances—Exceptions—Penalty.
(1) It is unlawful for any person to enter the following places ...
(d) That portion of an establishment classified by the *state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age; or

Do I take this to mean you can not be armed in a liquor store? Tobacco Shop? Pot Shop?
Or does the LCB not control the latter? Would they be applied - extended ?

 

[Flymph]

Just don't go to bars, gotcha!