Allowing concealed weapons in bars heightens the risks of drunken arguments and fistfights ending in gunfire, Virginia police chiefs argued in a letter urging Gov. Bob McDonnell to veto the measure.
A bill passed by the General Assembly would allow patrons with concealed carry permits to pack heat in alcohol-serving establishments — provided they don’t drink.
Long supported by gun-rights advocates, the legislation is opposed by law enforcement groups who say it will needlessly mix handguns and booze.
The no-drinking provision is “absurd” and impractical to enforce, wrote Virginia Beach Police Chief Jake Jacocks Jr. in the letter to McDonnell.
Jacocks wrote the governor on behalf of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, whose legislative committee he co-heads.
“Allowing guns in bars is a recipe for disaster,” he wrote. “We can fully expect that at some point in the future a disagreement that today would likely end up in a verbal confrontation, or a bar fight, will inevitably end with gunfire if you sign this legislation into law.”
The police chief argued the average concealed-carry permit holder “is a well intended and law-abiding citizen,” but most lack formal training in conflict resolution. Hence, an armed bar patron — whether he’s been drinking or not — runs the risk of overreacting, “and someone is going to die as a result.”
“With our rights comes responsibility,” he wrote. “It is irresponsible for anyone other than a law enforcement officer to carry a firearm into a bar.”
McDonnell plans to sign the bill, which his predecessor — Tim Kaine — repeatedly vetoed.
The governor “believes that the foremost obligation of government is public safety,” said spokeswoman Taylor Thornley.
“Governor McDonnell will also continue to protect and uphold the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution,” she said.
