[catagories: Washington Bankruptcy attorney]

Read on through this entire post- there really is something related to bankruptcy and the economy in this post.

For starters, I, James H. MaGee, grew up around firearms. I have even even killed a few furry and feathered beings while out hunting, as I grew up as an "almost-redneck" in eastern Washington. I do confess however, that I enjoyed the hiking part of hunting more than the killing and gutting part. And truly, I liked skiing and reading more than shooting. But as a youngster I was able to fit in well enough with the "kill it and eat it" crowd, and in I enjoy some degree of minimal fluency in "hunting and fishing" lingo.

I have been in a household owning firearms and have little problem with the "right to bear arms" language in the US Constitution.

Consequently, I hope that my beliefs offend no one, as I do not intend to be a boor or a pill. But I must say that this new trend of "guns in bars and cocktail lounges" seems absolutely loony! Read on for ANOTHER good reason besides the recession to stay home at night and avoid visiting your local watering hole….:

As reported October 3, 2010, NY Times: "In Nashville, happy-hour beers were going for $5 at Past Perfect, a cavernous bar just off this city’s strip of honky-tonk restaurants and tourist shops when Adam Ringenberg walked in with a loaded 9-millimeter pistol concealed in the front pocket of his gray slacks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/us/04guns.html?hp
Mr. Ringenberg, a technology consultant, is one of the state’s nearly 300,000 handgun-permit holders who have recently seen their rights greatly expanded by a controversial new law — one of the nation’s first — that allows them to carry loaded firearms into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

“If someone’s sticking a gun in my face, I’m not relying on their charity to keep me alive,” said Mr. Ringenberg, 30, who said he carries the gun for personal protection when he is not at work.

Gun rights advocates like Mr. Ringenberg may applaud the new law, but many customers, waiters and restaurateurs in this city are dismayed by the decision. “That’s not cool in my book,” said Art Andersen, 44, as he nursed a Coors Light at Sam’s Sports Bar and Grill near Vanderbilt University. “It opens the door to trouble. It’s giving you the right to be Wyatt Earp.”

Tennessee is one of four states that recently enacted laws explicitly allowing loaded guns in bars. Eighteen other states allow weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol. The new measures come amid two landmark Supreme Court rulings that citizens have an individual right — not just in connection with a well-regulated militia — to keep a loaded handgun for home defense.

Experts say these laws represent the latest wave in the country’s ongoing gun debate, as the gun lobby seeks, state by state, to expand the realm of guns to include nearly every aspect of civic life.

The rulings, which overturned handgun bans in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, have strengthened the stance of gun rights advocates nationwide. More than 250 lawsuits now challenge various gun laws, and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, a Republican, called for guns to be allowed on campuses after a shooting last week at the University of Texas at Austin.

The new laws in Tennessee, Arizona, Georgia and Virginia have also brought to light the status of 20 other states — New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts among them — which do not address the question, appearing by default to allow those with permits to bring guns into establishments that serve alcohol, according to the Legal Community Against Violence, a nonprofit group that advocates gun control and tracks state gun laws.

“A lot of states for a long time have not felt the need to say you could or couldn’t do it,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “There weren’t as many conceal carry permits out there, so it wasn’t really an issue.” Now, he said, “the attitude from the gun lobby is that they should be able to take their guns wherever they want. In the last year, they’re starting to move toward needing no permit at all.” "

Loony!

Here is the link to bankruptcy/economics:

As to economics, people like me with a wife and three young children are unlikely to visit a bar for a brew or two if there is ANY chance whatsoever that someone is packing heat inside the bar. I cannot see how "guns in bars" is good for the restaurant/bar business. I will stay home.

As to bankruptcy, intentional conduct (like shooting someone) can create a civil liability that is NOT dischargeable in either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Also, damages done while intoxicated can expect a difficult time in any bankruptcy plan or discharge efforts. Also, criminal restitution (the doctor bills for the person you shot) are also likewise difficult to discharge in bankruptcy.

IDEAS FOR ACTION: How is this for simple: Write to your state senator and state representatives: No guns in bars!