Poll: Tennessee voters oppose guns in establishments with alcohol

[Trailboss60]

I haven't seen any problems at all with Arizona allowing ccw'ers to carry in restaurants for the last 10 months, it sounds like either too many com-libs have moved to the Volunteer state, or some crooked polling is going on.

Probably the latter, especially seeing how this rag piece of "journalism" was written.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...voters-oppose/

Poll: Tennessee voters oppose guns in establishments with alcohol
Seven out of 10 against mixing weapons, booze in public

* By Chas Sisk, The Tennessean

law that allows handguns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol is proving to be unpopular with Tennesseans.

Seven in 10 voters said they oppose the law passed earlier this year that lets holders of handgun-carry permits take their weapons into any establishment that sells alcohol. Supporters of the gun law say it will make the state safer, but voters said in interviews that the prospect of guns mixing with alcohol is too dangerous.

"No one wants them there," said Carol Yager, a Brentwood woman who took part in a poll last week by Mason-Dixon Research & Poling Inc. for the Tennessee Newspaper Network.

The findings match the results of earlier polls taken by Middle Tennessee State University and on behalf of the state tourism industry, both of which showed widespread opposition to the law. Nonetheless, state lawmakers twice passed measures permitting guns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol in the last two years, both times over the veto of Gov. Phil Bredesen.

"You would think (legislators) would vote the way their constituents want," said Will Cheek, a Nashville attorney who led a successful legal challenge to the first of the two gun laws. "I think the legislators are out of touch with the people."

But Steve Frieler of Brighton is one of those surveyed who supports the law.

"It's my Second Amendment right and I don't want anyone to trample on my rights, any of them," said Frieler, who identified himself as an independent. "Criminals will always have guns. We have to be able to protect ourselves."

A statistically equal portion of men and women were against the gun law, and opposition was even across the state's three grand divisions.

Eighty-two percent of Democrats and 71 percent of independents were opposed to the gun law, and a majority of Republicans, 59 percent, were against it as well.

David Deckard, a 59-year-old autoworker from Lynn-ville, said the law simply does not fit modern Tennessee.

"We're not living back in the 1800s," he said. "It's not like we're a bunch of cowboys. ... They need to leave their guns in their cars."

One of the law's sponsors, state Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, said the results were not convincing. He said pollsters should have pointed out that the law says people cannot drink alcohol while carrying their guns and can be pre-empted by restaurant owners who post a sign at their entrances barring handguns.

"You can get different poll results just based on how the question is proposed," he said. "I don't think it (the poll) is right. I think a majority of folks in the state of Tennessee don't have a problem with it."

Pollsters surveyed 625 registered and likely voters across Tennessee by telephone Monday through Wednesday of last week. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Some of the responses are interesting....

[baxsom]

Texas has used the 51% rule ever since the ccw law went into affect. No bloodbaths at applebees yet.

[guntotin_fool]

polls are so easily tilted by wording and phrasing that no real information can come from it, unless you know exactly who drew the call list, who asked the questions and who was funding the study.

[excess3]

anyone from Texas...

have you ever seen a '51' sign?
.........................................
two bars I visit.
one seems to be a mostly food place.
has a sign, 'unlicensed possession is a felony'

other, mostly, alcohol,
no sign

[CBXJOHN]

Our carry rights were restored here in VA, only a handful of left wing whiners are lamenting. Under our law, we are not allowed to drink as well. My feeling is if you are allowed to drive to a bar and drink responsibly, one should have the same right when they carry. I think the stats would reflect the drunken driver IS A HELL OF A LOT more dangerous than the citizen who carries.

I'm surprised that Tennessee has reflected a turn around of opinion, it could be just the tail wagging the dog. Anyrate, in VA, thank God we have the VCDL, they continue fighting for our rights!

John

[Seraph]

It's pure equine excrement.

[Kokopelli]

Originally Posted by Seraph

It's pure equine excrement.

X2.. Footez in French...

I spent last week in Murfreesboro, Franklin and Nashville. Let me tell you.. I had to drive down toward Chattanooga to find a shop that had a 1911 or anything much. The Franklin GS had a couple and the Outpost Armory had a dozen or so, everyone else.. NONE. The proprietors are all extremely disgruntled and denouncing every politician that comes to mind. The people that get in the news in Nashville are not Tennesseans, just listen to our governor's accent. It's bogus.. period.. Ron

[BigHandEd]

the reason there is a quandry to begin with ..is the concept of mixing booze in public...period...drink..flirt..drink..fiight..dri nk...drive...kill.

if a drink "takes the edge off" or impairs, or makes you happy or helps you grieve...or excuses you being an a$$hole....then I can't justify it being a part of public....of driving...of carrying a handgun.

now..that said...if I'm going to a restaurant that happens to also have a bar, or if I'm working as a vendor at a bar...and not drinking..then i should not be prohibited from carrying legally...if I do carry and then decide to have a drink..then the entire responsibility for a gun or a driving accident should fall completely on me...yet we just buried a 17yr old girl in town this week cause a DUI with 3 priors and a shortened term of bracelet wearing allowed him to climb right back into the car and become a murderer.

go home and drink..smoke pot..whatever you want to do...but don't bring it my way..

[BillD]

We don't have the silly rules in Indiana. We can carry in bars, etc.

Amazingly we haven't had anyone get drunk and shoot up the bar because they have a gun.

Stupid people will be stupid whether or not they smoke dope or drink beforehand.

[RMF]

+1 Same thing in Colorado.

[SRJim]

It's funny, and ironic how this topic always brings out the opinions of folks that equate to them wanting to preserve rights for themselves but feel it's ok to judge and wants rights restricted for others in some galant effort to control other peoples behavior.

If I'm responsible enough to carry a weapon, and will stand up side by side and protect that right, how can you decide that that right should be conditional?

Hypocrisy flows freely in this forum....

[Danmerica1911]

Originally Posted by excess3

anyone from Texas...

have you ever seen a '51' sign?
.........................................
two bars I visit.
one seems to be a mostly food place.
has a sign, 'unlicensed possession is a felony'

other, mostly, alcohol,
no sign

I don't drink so I don't see any 51% signs.
But I do have chl friends that frequent bars and they say they have seen them.

[grimel]

Originally Posted by Seraph

It's pure equine excrement.

They are idiots. If they asked an actual cross section of the state they wouldn't like the results. They know to pull most of the poll population from Memphis and Nashville.

BTW, Tn hasn't had a change of opinion in less than a year. Our state legislature overturned our carpetbagging Gov's veto with a coalition of Dems and Repubs with are you ready, the Memphis/Nashville contingent being the supporters of the Gov.

[FAAPOD]

Originally Posted by excess3

anyone from Texas...

have you ever seen a '51' sign?
.........................................
two bars I visit.
one seems to be a mostly food place.
has a sign, 'unlicensed possession is a felony'

other, mostly, alcohol,
no sign

Yes I've seen them a few times.

We recently visited Tennessee. I thought it was odd that while I could carry into a restaurant that serves alcohol, I could not pop into a beer and wine place to pick up some beer to bring back to the cabin. The wife had to go in.

[Cannibul]

Originally Posted by BillD

We don't have the silly rules in Indiana. We can carry in bars, etc.

Amazingly we haven't had anyone get drunk and shoot up the bar because they have a gun.

Stupid people will be stupid whether or not they smoke dope or drink beforehand.

Oregon allows concealed carry in any bar and we don't have a problem with CCW holders getting drunk and shooting up the place.

Oregon also allows carry on school grounds. No problems there either.

[FAAPOD]

Double post, sorry. Didn't think the first one went through from my handheld.

[SistemaTodd]

Originally Posted by excess3

anyone from Texas...

have you ever seen a '51' sign?
.........................................
two bars I visit.
one seems to be a mostly food place.
has a sign, 'unlicensed possession is a felony'

other, mostly, alcohol,
no sign

Yup. Seen 'em.

This: 'unlicensed possession is a felony' is quite meaningless to a CHL, and most others.

[SRJim]

Originally Posted by SistemaTodd

Yup. Seen 'em.

This: 'unlicensed possession is a felony' is quite meaningless to a CHL, and most others.

Yep, they're out there because it's required by TABC. But I'd guess half or more cases where signs are, aren't posted properly including posted where they shouldn't be. But now, we are protected in that as of last year, it's a defense to prosecution if the sign isn't properly displayed. But if one can't tell what a 51% establishment is, they don't need to be out of the home.

And if one isn't sure, the TABC license they have posted on the wall clearly shows a "51" watermark if you can get close enough to see.

And I love the unlicensed carry sign. It only pertains to someone who by law is not permitted to carry...so again, it's the bad guys; although it does warn that outside the door it's a crime, but inside the door it's a bigger crime; as if we need to make sure a criminal knows what level criminal he is. Another TABC requirement, a real bright one at that.

[dcsans]

Originally Posted by excess3

anyone from Texas...

have you ever seen a '51' sign?
.........................................
two bars I visit.
one seems to be a mostly food place.
has a sign, 'unlicensed possession is a felony'

other, mostly, alcohol,
no sign

Yes I have, but you will have to go to a "bar" to see it. Restaurants that serve alcohol won't have it. I went to a pool hall with some friends and the 51% was at the front door.

[DivePanama]

Originally Posted by Cannibul

Oregon allows concealed carry in any bar and we don't have a problem with CCW holders getting drunk and shooting up the place.

Oregon also allows carry on school grounds. No problems there either.

WV also allows CC in bars and seems to have no issues either.

[GR8SKP]

This sorry excuse of a newspaper is very liberal and strongly anti-gun to the extent that they got the names and addresses of all CCW permit holders and published them under the pretext to inform and protect the public. Rep. Curry Todd is right. They should have infomed the people surveyed that the law prohibits drinking while carrying and establishments have the right to prohibit guns on their property. They have an agenda and they will do what they can to promote it.

[BillD]

Originally Posted by SRJim

And I love the unlicensed carry sign. It only pertains to someone who by law is not permitted to carry...so again, it's the bad guys; although it does warn that outside the door it's a crime, but inside the door it's a bigger crime; as if we need to make sure a criminal knows what level criminal he is. Another TABC requirement, a real bright one at that.

While they are criminals, there are a bunch of otherwise law abiding folks who carry guns and have for decades who don't get a permit.

I know several in IN. I'm sure it's the same way in TN.

[bbbean]

The problem in TN is the same problem we've seen on this board in conversations about guns and alcohol.

The antis (anti-gun, anti-alcohol) frame the issue as "should a wild eyed drunk in a rowdy bar where they fight all the time and talk about nothing but sports, politics, religion, and each other's wives be able to pull out a machine gun every time someone down the bar roots for the other team?" These folks assume that everyone in a bar is drunk, all drunks will fight, and that anyone in the bar with a gun will inevitably use it.

On the other hand, the voice of reason recognizes that people who carry everywhere also carry to dinner, most restaurants that serve alcohol are not rowdy bars full of angry drunks, and that most CCW permit holders are able to abstain from drinking, and might even be capable of having a drink with dinner and not getting into a fight. These people recognize that just as it is possible to go to a restaurant that serves alcohol and still be sober enough to drive home, it is possible to get through a night at that establishment without getting into a shootout.

The crux of the matter, as I see it, is that if angry drunks in a bar are shooting the place up the problem isn't guns - the problem is that there is a bar full of angry drunks and nobody is doing anything about it. I just stay out of places like that!

[Hillbilly Dan]

We will soon have a new man, Mr. Ron Ramsey running the state of TN and that will help us get things corrected, and we will be as we should be. All those who live in Tennessee should support and vote for Ron Ramsey.

[Harnasb]

I believe the Rhetoric is getting started to reflect the possibility of Haslam getting the job.
I believe I've heard rumors of him siding with Bloomberg.