Read this small article from the Richmond Times-Disgrace.

[url]http://www.timesdispatch.com/editorial/MGBPM70X2VC.html[/url]

[b]Guns & Booze [/b]
Dec 11, 2001

No doubt the September 11 terrorist attacks have induced anxiety in New Yorkers and Inside-the-Beltway-types - verily, all Americans. And anxiety and accompanying stress, in turn, have sent wary patriots to their local taphouses - and to magistrates to register for concealed-carry permits.

Consider these recent headlines:

-At Airports, Spirits Soaring; Anxiety, Long Waits Beget Longer Bar Tabs (The Washington Post);

-In a Stressed City, No Room at the Bar (The New York Times); and

-Weapons Permit Applications Surge; Gun Sellers Say Trend Is Historic in Times of Public Anxiety (The Washington Post).

Reports The Times, "The dramatic rise in consumption of alcoholic beverages immediately after Sept. 11 was a nationwide phenomenon, liquor distributors and others in the business say. But nowhere was it more evident than in New York." Not only are more people heading to the neighborhood bar, but they are drinking more once there.

The Post notes, "In Florida, background checks [for permits] jumped 50 percent in September, according to the Florida Department of Lew Enforcement. Concealed-carry-permit requests in Texas almost tripled between the week before Sept. 11 and the week ending Oct. 27, said the Texas Department of Public Safety."

In Virginia, those who possess concealed-carry permits cannot possess their weapons in establishments that serve liquor or beer. Some in the state legislature believe it's time to scrap that restriction. Yet guns, booze, anxiety, and stress can combine for a deadly mix.

Question: If Virginia mirrors the national trend, is such a measure a good idea?

Respond here:
[url]http://www.timesdispatch.com/editorial/letters.htm[/url]

According to [url]www.packing.org[/url] You can carry a pistol into an establishment which serves alcohol if you are [b]open[/b] carrying.

So, just un-conceal that piece and you are legal. [:D]

Here it is from their site...
"carrying concealed in places that serve alcohol is prohibited, evenlicensed, but open carry there is allowed. "