Wild Arizona moves to OK concealed guns in bars and restaurants

Good news for drunk gunmen.

The Arizona state Senate has passed on to the House a bill that would allow people with concealed-weapons permits to carry their firearms into restaurants and bars serving alcohol, unless the establishment posts a sign forbidding it, but even then the legislation reduces the penalty for ignoring the sign if you're caught, which is unlikely if the gun is truly concealed.

The same bill was defeated Monday on a 14-14 tie with one member absent. So that member was brought in at gunpoint (just kidding) and the measure passed Tuesday 18-10.

The debate can be summarized in two quotes:

Republican Sen. Pam Gorman: "The people that have these permits are probably the most responsible gun owners we have."

Democrat Sen. Ken Cheuvront: "Alcohol and guns do not do well together."

Gunners claim they have a right to protect themselves, and leaving the firearm in a locked car invites theft by people without a stealing permit who would then be armed without a concealed-weapon permit. Which would be two laws broken.

The bad news for drunk gunmen is that they need to be intoxicated before entering the restaurant, which means you need to be a pedestrian or have a designated driver.

That's because the new legislation won't let you drink if you're packing concealed heat. But then again, if the heat is concealed, who's gonna know you're packing?

And even if the waiter does spot one unusually large ankle or become suspicious over a woman with three apparent breasts, how likely are they to say or do anything about it unless they too are armed?

So everything works out in the best Western tradition.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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