Impairment

[Firefighterchen]

I'M ADDICTED TO THESE POLLS.

Quick poll of impairments. Just interested in what the numbers are.

Yes, I feel comfortable carrying after:

I have had 1-2 beers or 1 glass of wine?

I have had 2+ beers, or 2+ glasses of wine?

I am tired?

I am exhausted from a work out?

I am on prescription medication? (ie: Vicodin (Hydrocodone), Percoc
et (Oxycodone), etc)

I am on over the counter medication? (ie: Tylenol, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc)

After I have drank caffeine? (ie: Coffee or soda)

I have just smoked a cigarette?

I am starting to feel smoking withdrawals? (if you decided to quit)

I am not physically well enough to sprint 100 yards minimum and keep a sight picture aligned? (understandable for those that have decided that flight is no longer an option at all (due to age, physical impairment, weight, etc), in which case this option does not include you obviously.

EDITED: Thanks you Tuts for pointing out a big mess up in the poll. I am assuming the poll was voted based on the recent changes in the OP.

 

[tcox4freedom]

I don't drink or smoke. My age & health forces me to take OTC and RX meds. But, I feel completely comfortable carrying at all times.

However, I do admit that sometimes "carrying" does get uncomfortable; especially after a long day. When this happens I head to the house, put on my sweats and "chillax".

 

[Iam2Taz]

I don't drink... So, not an option. If I am on medication stronger than asprin, I am in the hospital. I can run 100 yards, easily, but that is about it. (2 miles at a jog and I am done.) So, I am not running much farther than 100 yards, then I am gonna stop and get really ticked off.

 

[DemocratGunOwner]

I don't smoke, so I'm an N/A on those.

"Prescription" medication is such a catch-all as to be difficult. For example, I have a prescription for ibuprofen, that I can accomplish the same dosage by just taking three Advil instead of two. In Oregon, Sudafed is now prescription. Do I feel comfortable while under the influence of those? Absolutely. Would I feel comfortable carrying under the influence of the cocktail of narcotic painkillers, muscle relaxants, and stimulants I take when my back acts up? Probably not - but if I'm in that condition, I'm likely stuck at home anyway.

I know, from direct testing, that 1-2 beers puts me at 0.01-0.02. (Although I've gained weight since then, so probably solidly below 0.02 now.)

The way I see it, in everything except self-caused true impairment (alcohol, drugs,) the other conditions are exactly when I want a firearm on me most. If I'm just leaving the gym, and am physically exhausted from it enough that it's hard to hold the sights on target, I'm probably also *EASY* prey to being a victim of violence should someone choose to. Not in condition to run away, not in condition to physically fight back. The firearm is then the last resort of safety.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

All these selections doesn't suit me at all. I drink probably about once or twice a year with dinner on occasions or events but I rather do not. 'Don't smoke either so where is my choice?

 

[Firefighterchen]

Sudafed gives me such bad gas...it's horrible!!!!!!

 

[Nightmare45]

I do not smoke or chew, if I have a drink I do not carry.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I don`t smoke or drink, I don`t drink coffee, and very little soda, and I only prescription medication when needed for a bad back and knees. I could probably run 100 yards, but that would be about it.

 

[cougaram]

Sudafed gives me such bad gas...it's horrible!!!!!!

In that case, be careful not to carry your spare magazines near the 'blasting area'.

 

[Firefighterchen]

Interesting results....

 

[JohnD13]

I'm not a smoker or drinker. I take perscription meds for several problems, including some for pain. I could not sprint 20 yards due to back problems. I am not at all uncomfortable carrying. Due to the fact that I cant run, I'll have to stand my ground.

 

[tuts40]

Wow. So my being drunk and sweaty after a bottle of wine while working out at the gym with a cig in my mouth, buzzed on oxy's (Rx, ya know) and coffee is normal? Sweet. ...Where did I put my frigg'n gun?

 

[NavyLCDR]

The gun on my belt is no different than the cell phone in my pocket. It's only an object. A tool. That's all. Nothing more. Just because I am carrying it, does not mean I have to play with it or use it. Just like car keys in my pocket does not mean I have to drive. I have ridden as a passenger in my own automobile and in a taxi because I was not, for some reason or another, capable of safely driving, and I had my own car keys and my own vehicle accessible to me at the time.

Part of the fuel that we give to the anti-gun crowd is that we, as the "pro-gun" crowd DO treat guns differently than any other tool. The only thing that differentiates a gun from any other tool is that the Constitution is supposed to guarantee the right to CARRY a gun.

 

[Firefighterchen]

Wow. So my being drunk and sweaty after a bottle of wine while working out at the gym with a cig in my mouth, buzzed on oxy's (Rx, ya know) and coffee is normal? Sweet. ...Where did I put my frigg'n gun?

The only option that could be considered drunk has one vote. So no, it's not normal.

I understand the sarcasm, but people jump straight to the extreme in a lot of debates.

Someone with 8 hours of sleep who has been awake for less than 18 hours, with 2 beers has a better mindset than some one with 7 hours of sleep and has been up for 19 hours, with no beer.

http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/

Edited; someone voted for the only option....why do I think it was tuts that voted there....

 

[localgirl]

Actually, I was going to vote for some of the more "knock you out" type if things, but honestly, I don't think there's anything, short of hallucinating and seeing monsters or zombies or some damn thing, that is going to make me a different person, or a more careless person, than I normally am. Maybe going home with the wrong person after a night of debauchery, OK, but shooting someone? Can't see it more likely to happen drunk or sober.

That being said, I would be nervous about judging other people's reactions and stupidity if they were to find my weapon, and if I planned a drunken all-night spree out on the town, would probably choose to carry something less lethal.

 

[NavyLCDR]

That being said, I would be nervous about judging other people's reactions and stupidity if they were to find my weapon, and if I planned a drunken all-night spree out on the town, would probably choose to carry something less lethal.

Assuming I wasn't going to an establishment prohibited by statute, I would choose to conceal rather than open carry, in that instance.

Maybe going home with the wrong person after a night of debauchery, OK,

As much as it pains me to do so, I'm going to leave that one alone....

 

[tuts40]

The only option that could be considered drunk has one vote. So no, it's not normal.

I understand the sarcasm, but people jump straight to the extreme in a lot of debates.

Someone with 8 hours of sleep who has been awake for less than 18 hours, with 2 beers has a better mindset than some one with 7 hours of sleep and has been up for 19 hours, with no beer.

Facts and Stats : Drowsy Driving – Stay Alert, Arrive Alive

Edited; someone voted for the only option....why do I think it was tuts that voted there....

I didn't vote. Why? The question itself versus the choices. What do I mean? The question is essentially asking for a "yes" or a "no" response for each choice. Example: "Do you feel comfortable carrying after you are tired?" A direct and concise answer would be a 'yes' or a 'no'. By selecting a choice with a check mark only, it would not be clear whether the responder is replying with a 'yes' or a 'no' to the question. Therefore, I did not vote.

 

[grmerrill]

The gun on my belt is no different than the cell phone in my pocket. It's only an object. A tool. That's all. Nothing more. Just because I am carrying it, does not mean I have to play with it or use it. Just like car keys in my pocket does not mean I have to drive. I have ridden as a passenger in my own automobile and in a taxi because I was not, for some reason or another, capable of safely driving, and I had my own car keys and my own vehicle accessible to me at the time.

Not trying to argue with you...we have gone the rounds. Just want to provide a counter point for discussion.

I carry my gun because I believe I need it for protection, and I carry it because I will use it if I need to. I have no other reason to carry my gun, "because I can" doesn't make sense to me. I "can" carry around my nail gun and circular saw, but I don't, they serve no purpose at the time and they aren't ornamental. My tools stay at home. My gun goes with me.

 

[tuts40]

Not trying to argue with you...we have gone the rounds. Just want to provide a counter point for discussion.

I carry my gun because I believe I need it for protection, and I carry it because I will use it if I need to. I have no other reason to carry my gun, "because I can" doesn't make sense to me. I "can" carry around my nail gun and circular saw, but I don't, they serve no purpose at the time and they aren't ornamental. My tools stay at home. My gun goes with me.

Grmerril,
I agree with you, not be confrontational to anyone tho, I just happen to agree with your counter point. If ya believe you can carry a gun and think you do not have to use it, well, how would you know that ahead of time? For me, it's about personal and family protection. It's not about the idea of being armed and whatever sense of satisfaction I get from it other than the unlikely and unwanted need to defend my life.

True, a gun is nothing more than a tool. But comparing it to car keys or a phone in regard to being simply objects to have with you is a bit much for me to understand for so many obvious reasons I would think.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Not trying to argue with you...we have gone the rounds. Just want to provide a counter point for discussion.

I carry my gun because I believe I need it for protection, and I carry it because I will use it if I need to. I have no other reason to carry my gun, "because I can" doesn't make sense to me. I "can" carry around my nail gun and circular saw, but I don't, they serve no purpose at the time and they aren't ornamental. My tools stay at home. My gun goes with me.

The gun is simply the tool you will use to defend yourself with. You leave your nail gun at home. Why? Because you have no need for a nail gun in a restaurant eating dinner, because it is a tool you would use to fasten things together with, and there generally is no need for that eating dinner in a restaurant. People generally keep their tools where they are needed. We have no way of knowing when or where we will need to use our gun as a tool to defend ourselves with. Therefore it is appropriate to carry the tool for self defense wherever it may be needed, which has proven in history to be just about anywhere.

Now, applying the drinking and tool carrying argument.... would you lock up your nail gun if you were going to have a few beers in the back yard during a BBQ? Maybe you should, in case you suddenly develop the urge to play with your nail gun after having a few drinks.

That's the differentiation. You have the problem with someone drinking with a gun on their belt, and you will leave if you know that to be the case. Yet, it seems like you have no problems at all staying and eating dinner in a restaurant where people are drinking with car keys in their pockets. Yet you are many, many, many times more likely to be injured or killed by a person driving a vehicle under the influence than being shot by a person under the influence, so why do you feel comfortable with them drinking with car keys in their pockets? The laws make no difference, because it is just as illegal to negligently discharge a firearm (whether or not alcohol is involved) as it is to negligently operate a vehicle. Once again, it simply must boil down to a fear of the gun, IF the gun remains in it's holster.

Someone actually HANDLING the gun under the influence is a completely different matter, just like OPERATING a motor vehicle is a completely different matter other than just posssesing car keys.

True, a gun is nothing more than a tool. But comparing it to car keys or a phone in regard to being simply objects to have with you is a bit much for me to understand for so many obvious reasons I would think.

The biggest reason it is so hard for some people to understand is because that is what the anti-gun groups have been indoctrinating the general population to believe. Criminals can and do use a sledge hammer, screwdriver, kitchen knife to commit crimes with. What makes those tools different than guns? Granted, there are very, very few legitimate reasons to carry a sledge hammer with you shopping in Wal Mart.... which is not true with the gun.