‘Guns and Booze’ Missed the Point
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I’m responding to the editorial, “Guns and Booze.” How does a nationwide increase in alcohol consumption, coupled with an increase in concealed carry gun permit applications, transform into a plea to retain Virginia’s restaurant ban on concealed firearms?
You appear to be using comparisons derived from the tragedy to promote your real agenda – Virginia gun policy. You fail to mention that firearm purchases have also increased dramatically nationwide. This increase in weapons alone should be the real catalyst for your concern, but it’s only the Virginia restaurant issue that compels you to elucidate.

You also are incorrect about the current law: Concealed carry permit holders are not prohibited from possessing their weapons in Virginia establishments that serve liquor or beer. Anyone may openly carry a holsteredfirearm in plain view. Which condition is more likely to cause trepidation for ill-informed restaurant patrons – a firearm concealed or one displayed?

Some people drink to relax or to assuage fear and anxiety. There are others who drink to excess and threaten the public safety – this is the real danger to others. Booze, anxiety, and stress can combine with a 4,000-pound moving automobile for a more deadly mix. A drunkard should stay away from an automobile as surely as he should stay away from a firearm. Concealed carry permit holders are more likely to show restraint when imbibing because they have set themselves to a higher standard of responsibility, and statistics across our nation historically support this. Jeffrey S. Ruiz. annandale.