Water Cooler Wars: Guns in South Carolina bars and restaurants

Jake: Guns and bars or restaurants just don't mix

Guns are a tricky thing to me. On one hand, I am someone who certainly believes in the Second Amendment. On the other hand, I dont think the Second Amendment as it is written is built for the age of guns and violence we live in.

Lately, guns have made the news more than they should. Over the past month alone, there have been more than five different shooting incidents on college campuses, city malls and plain, ol everyday neighborhoods. Five. Thats a huge number and one that needs to be addressed by us as citizens where we continue to allow such things to happen with a frequency that rivals the number of football games played by one team in a month.

When something terrible happens once, we should look at it closely. If it happens a second time, we should re-evaluate the way we monitor and disavow what has happened. But when something awful involving guns happens five times in a month, there is a much bigger issue than the Second Amendment. At that point, its our responsibility to put aside personal feelings and come up with a solution to a problem that grows bigger by the day.

The stuff that has been happening is scary and I feel like it can only get worse with a new piece of legislation that is on Gov. Nikki Haleys desk. The governor has, in her possession, a law that would make it OK for people to carry a concealed weapon into bars and restaurants in South Carolina.

Now, those same businesses can put a sign up on their door that reads no weapons allowed, but it doesnt change the fact that such a decision shouldnt be placed on a business owner but with the government that has been elected and appointed to protect the citizens of the city, the state and the country that we live in.

Ive worked in the bar industry, and Ive seen some pretty unsavory characters walk through the door. Some have been the nicest people youd ever meet and others have been royal jerks from the kingdom of Jerklandia, but never at any time did I worry that the possible jerk could pull out a gun and do myself and the customers bodily harm. Not once. That was my peace of mind. It came from the fact that no one ever pulled a gun on me in any bar, no one ever threatened me with a gun and I never saw a gun in anyones possession while at said bar or restaurant.

Now, its possible that will happen. Now, I know of four people alone who said they will carry a gun into the first restaurant or bar they visit after this bill passes (and its expected to). I dont understand it. I dont understand why someone thinks they will be able to stop someone with a gun with a gun of their own. Could it happen? I guess. But the odds are so wildly low that there is no reason to tempt fate by upping those odds of a shooting because you want to act like Billy Bada$$ whose gun will be pried from his cold, dead hands.

I hope the bars and restaurants will realize how silly this is, put up the sign and never speak of it again. But what topic involving guns ever has been decided that way. Id wager not too many.

Michael: As usual, caution must be exercised

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Water Cooler Wars: Guns in South Carolina bars and restaurants