SHOULD YOU CARRY WHILE ON MEDICATION?

The Second Amendment gives us the right to bear arms, to defend ourselves. Better does that right extend even if you are under the influence?

Visit any forum discussion for gun enthusiasts and raise the topic of whether you should carry under the influence of alcohol or drugs and you will receive back a litany of different opinions on the subject.

• “I can handle my liquor (or pain meds) and no one has the right to relieve me of my firearm. “
• “Alcohol and drugs impair your ability to think and slow down you reactions. It is just common sense that you should not carry a firearm while drinking.

The truth is, your opinion doesn’t matter. The facts and the law say:

Alcohol turns off your brain, starting with your higher level thinking abilities, and working its way down to your motor controls.  Drugs (even prescription drugs) can make you drowsy, slur your speech and slow your reflexes.

If you are under the influence and you are required to protect your life or someone else’s, the first consideration of the investigating officers and city or county prosecuting attorney will be; would you have shot the person if you were not under the influence. Whether or not alcohol or the medication did influence the shooting, you will still be defending yourself for being under the influence when discharging your weapon, either in criminal or civil court or both.

Being prescribed legal medications by a physician generally won’t preclude you from getting a CCW or buying a gun. The problem occurs when you are pulled over by the cops for speeding, DUI check, whatever. Even though you are taking a legal medication, the cops can arrest you and drug test you and it will show. If you’re ever detained by the police for anything and have a drug test, you may be looking at a DUI or something similar. This could get a CCW revoked.

Most states reserve the right to revoke a concealed carry pistol permit under reasonable suspicion and chemical analysis. That means, if a police officer has probable cause that you may have been drinking or are under the influence of a drug and you have a weapon on you, he has the authority granted to him by the state to immediately revoke that permit.

It is almost always a crime to possess a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or any controlled substance. Many states also prohibit people from carrying a firearm into establishments that serve liquor even with a concealed carry permit, and even if you are not drinking.

Think of carrying just like you would a drivers license and driving, by itself its perfectly fine with the proper license, but throw ANY mind-altering substance into the mix and it becomes dangerous and illegal. It’s not about the Second Amendment; it is about not endangering others lives by your actions.