I must say that, when I read jrock18’s original post a couple days ago, I was struck forcefully (and not at all reassured) by his statement regarding his expectation of being periodically “intoxicated”, as he put it. At the time I didn’t think it would be worthwhile to ask him about it because I anticipated my observations being interpreted combatively, or seen as an attempt to provoke a flaming match. But given jrock18’s sustained interest in hearing others’ opinions and the fact that the alcohol issue is the topic of the last few posts, I think I’ll go ahead.
Jrock18,
You have admitted that you intend to intoxicate yourself, which is defined by Oxford as “cause to lose control of…faculties or behavior”. You have indicated that this state may be achieved in the presence of a firearm, a potentially lethal instrument. However, these two facts evidently do not cause you concern--the reason being that you claim to be in control of the degree to which your faculties will be impaired.
If you are “intoxicated” to any degree, it is undeniable that part of your judgment has gone haywire, or is not functioning at all. This being the case, how can you ensure that the first part to go south is not the part that controls your resolve to limit your drinking? Once you are not “you” anymore, how can you say for sure what is going to happen? How do you see through the haze and reconnect with the rational person who ordained exactly how much is too much? It is not enough to not be drunk to the point of “retardation”; for people who insist on being in complete control of their actions at all times (read "responsible people"), nothing less than full operating condition will suffice.
It is incomprehensible to me how any responsible gun owner could use any substance that impairs his judgment in the presence of his gun(s), no matter how slightly. Though I find it exasperating to hear people talk of the HUGE responsibility of handling and carrying firearms (you’d think they go around with drawn, gray faces from the strain—all it takes is common sense, the exercise of which shouldn’t feel like the weight of the world on your shoulders), one does have a simple, easy choice to make in situations such as yours: accountability or unaccountability. Guns and alcohol don’t mix, in however slight amounts of either.