Keeefer's restaurant (courtesy restavista.com)

“Standing outside Wrigley Field, with the many bars and restaurants of Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood as a backdrop, Quinn urged voters to call their legislators and tell them to support tougher restrictions he wrote into the [concealed carry] bill, including a ban on guns in any place that serves alcohol,” stltoday.com reprots. “He said he wants places like Wrigleyville – where hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to see the historic ball field, catch a Cubs game and down a few beers – to remain safe and welcoming to tourists.” You’d kinda think legal concealed carry would help that effort, especially on the individual level. But then, that’s you. Governor Quinn reckons “allowing” guns in Illinois bars is “a prescription for violence and disaster.” The paper managed to scare-up a Land of Lincoln restauranteur who agrees that it’s all or nothing on concealed carry in businesses that serve alcohol, erring on the side of nothing. . .

Glenn Keefer, managing partner of Keefer’s restaurant in Chicago [above] and a board member of the lllinois Restaurant Association, said Friday the provision that allows guns in some but not all places that serve alcohol is “illogical.” [ED: wait for it. . . ] He said the restaurant association supports Quinn’s change because as currently written the law would require some bars and restaurants to post signs telling customers guns aren’t allowed. Those signs are often invisible to guests, Keefer said.

“Consistent rules are better,” he said.

He also said he worries an employee or a guest may have a confrontation with an intoxicated patron who is carrying a loaded gun.

Hey, worrying’s good. But it’s slightly less worrying if you’re armed. Know what I mean?

57 COMMENTS

  1. “Consistent rules are better”*

    Criminals ignore rules…..

    *Better for who?

  2. Bar patrons shooting up the place is a made up Wild Wild fantasy that people like Gov. Potatohead have. The real issue is gangbanging thugs shooting up their neighborhoods, but to call that out puts a spotlight on these same Pols failed policies.

    Did you know there was a mass shooting (8 shot) last night on the West side? No? Of course not, because the wrong people were shot in the wrong neighborhood.

    Illustrating Chicago’s Murders, Homicides, Violence and Idiocy at heyjackass.com

    • 8 shot in single West Side attack among 67 shot over long weekend

      http://tinyurl.com/n5g9fcx

      They should probably concentrate on the bad guys they already have versus the pretend ones in their heads.

      It just goes to show, these people are full of crap. I will put on my own tin foil hat, but I look it this way. We all know that the gangs are used to pump up votes in the city. I do not put it past them to have those guys have a shoot out in a bar just to prove their point. At the end of the day, the Chicago machine is rotten to the core and I do not put this past them.

      • So from that article, I took the address, listed as “the 2800 block of West Flournoy Street,” and punched it into Google StreetView, so I could see what kind of neighborhood it is. With the camera at 2800 W Flournoy, you can see at least 15 people within sight of the camera “just hanging out” on the sidewalks. A few more are obviously in motion from one place to another, but at least 15 “just hanging out.”

        Of course, maybe it was just Saturday, and nobody had to be at work.

        • Nah, that’s pretty standard in that neighborhood. My wife used to teach high school near there. I wasn’t heartbroken when she quit.

  3. I’m not a statist, but even following the statist paradigm, the state shouldn’t be focused on whether or not the venue serves alcohol, but ought to concentrate on how intoxicated the concealed carry holder is instead and perhaps pass restrictions on BAC consistent with drunk driving regulations. But then again, this is just another attempt to deny everyone their individual, fundamental, natural, civil, and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms and has nothing to do with public safety. Le sigh.

      • This just in: being in a bar conducive to alcohol consumption.
        We can all see that; it’s in fact what bars are FOR.

        What does NOT follow is the view that having a gun in a bar equals an intent to commit mayhem. Not any more than having a banana stuck down your pants equals your intent to eat it!

    • That’s Iowa. As long as you’re under .08% you can sit at the bar all you want.

      • This is one minor place that I really wish the (generally good) gun laws in Florida were more liberal. Fl. Stat. 790.06(12)(a)12 reads, with regard to prohibited places: Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose; which is commonly understood (no case law) to mean “you can eat at Chili’s but you can’t sit at the bar or in the ‘lounge’ area.”

        I have a friend who is a server at Chili’s, and 90% of the time she’s in the lounge, because the money is better there. I draw the line at sitting at the bar, but I do frequently sit in the lounge area, because of my friend. I wish I could do it without feeling like I’m maybe sorta kinda possibly (but nobody’s really sure) breaking the law.

        • Now you see, that is where these laws make no sense. We cannot go to a bar with a gun, but we can go to a restaurant/bar (but not sit at the “bar”) and consume while carrying concealed. Someone explain to me as the folks in Tallahassee cannot (I have tried unsuccessfully to get logical answers on this from reps for the Miami-Dade area), how the effects of consuming alcohol is different in one place or the other based simply on the percentages of the income of the locations in question. Alcohol is alcohol, its effects the same, irrespective of where consumed.

        • This is also one of our laws that makes no sense. And no one has ever been able to explain it satisfactorily.
          It probably never will be.
          I do frequent places that serve alcohol and have crossed into the bar or lounge area on the way to the mens room on many occasions………….Ohhhh well.
          Go figure.

    • Can anyone Google any incident of a shootout in a bar between drunk patrons? Besides when Al Capone was running Chicago?

  4. I’m sorry, but anyone who makes a statement like that is simply an idiot. There are numerous states that have passed that very same law, and there were NO increases in violence that followed.

    The only thing I can conclude is that this idiot actually WISHES FOR something to happen so that he can be right. He has no problem sacrificing the blood of innocents if it will advance his socialist agenda.

  5. This is nothing more than window dressing for the likes of governor jello and mayor dead fish…

    Come Tuesday, when the Illinois House and Senate OVERRIDE the amendatory veto, then the real games begin…ie; the “licensing process”….

  6. Absurd, but then again these are the same people who insisted that shall issue permits would lead to more violence.

    Amusing how the anti-rights folk inevitably rely on their ignorant, alarmist predictions instead of data.

  7. I wouldn’t want a window seat in that Chicago bar when outside it is minus 40 degrees with the wind chill factor. Brrr.

  8. “He also said he worries an employee or a guest may have a confrontation with an intoxicated patron who is carrying a loaded gun.”

    Uhhh..dickhead that can happen now…you are merely disarming law abiding citizens who can defend themselves in such a situation.

    The bottom line is these antis are afraid of what they would do with a loaded gun, therefore they cannot even fathom the concept of a law abiding good guy..projection all the way …

  9. A few years ago when IL was close to passing cc i recall pat quinn worried about shootouts in grocery stores if someone bumped into you with their shopping cart….or maybe took the last box of co co puffs. If he worried as much about the economy and jobs as he did about stripping us of our constitutional rights maybe IL wouldn’t be in as big a financial hole as we are now.

  10. A few years ago Virginia revised its laws on guns and restaurants. I have been in a few bars and restaurants since the law changed and I am very disappointed that I haven’t seen one wild west shootout. It happens in the movies all time.

  11. I’m from Tennessee, and we passed a law allowing guns in bars a year or so ago. I hate having to clean my PF Flyers after wading through puddles of blood in the streets.

    Or not.

  12. Quinn talks about tourism being safe, why in hell does he think anybody but progressives and democrats would want to go to Illinois for a vacation? I can’t think of a worse city to visit. It’s on a par with New York or New Jersey for places to spend my tourist dollar, NOT. I’d rather visit the desert where at least I can recognize when a rattlesnake is in my vicinity and be able to take appropriate measures, and yes, that includes all of Illinois law enforcement that is as crooked as they come.

    • To be fair, Chicago is a great tourist destination. It has great beaches, lots shopping restaurants, sports and cultural activities. It is also a prime golf destination. There are 50 first rate courses within 90 minutes of downtown. I would go back home every year if it weren’t for the corrupt governing classes that run the place. I don’t want to give them my money. At this point I only go home for funerals and there is only one left to go to.

  13. We went through this in Virginia. It was pointed out that we don’t have to -guess- how “guns in bars” will work out since 15 surrounding states already had such laws on the books for many years and the total of about 110 man-years of data showed…nothing. No statistically significant increase or decrease in violent confrontations, no issues.

    So in spite of a great panic cry of “blood will run in the bars”, the laws were passed and the result has been….crickets chirping.

  14. Dear Govoner Dumb@&&,

    Not that you are listening or care but at one point in Tennessee it was illegal to carry in establishments that serve alcohol. This has since changed and is now legal provided the business is not posted and person carrying is not drinking. Im willing to guess that there are more guns and guns owners in Tennessee than Illinois and blood does not flow like a river here.

    Respectfully,
    Duh

  15. Perhaps the Guv could cite to the levels of violence experienced in states where this is legal.

    Rhetorical question, of course….

  16. I’m thinking the kind of guy who would get shitfaced and pull a gun on somebody isn’t too concerned about what the law says anyhow.

    That said, I work in a bar where the owner encourages us to be armed and allows me to carry even when I’m off the clock. When I go to hang out on my own time, I’ll either bogart a single drink or just stick to soda. Carrying in bars is a dicey proposition if you plan on drinking, but since anyone who’s gone to the trouble to get a license to carry is already taking on more responsibility than the rest of the group, you might as well be the DD too.

    If you don’t want to stay sober, then leave it in the car. Packing heat mandates a cool head.

  17. Governor Hasnotaclue is concerned about tourism? I have occasion to cross Il a few times a year. I make it a point to NOT travel thru the Chicago area and I fill up gas tank before entering the state. The only stop I make in Il is to make a deposit and never drop a dime in Il.

    HAVE to go to a convention in McCormick Place in a couple months and may have to pay for parking. But will take box lunch/misc so as to not enrich Mayor Dumbasboxofrocks or the Gov. Or perhaps there is a shuttle bus from suburbs or Rockford so I don’t have to leave my $ in Thugsville.

    • I took a road trip from Florida to a wedding in Iowa. We drove AROUND Illinois. Good on Les Baer for moving shop to Iowa and I hope Springfield, Inc. follows suit some day.

  18. Guns in bars is not a problem if the person with a gun is not drunk and not a criminal. But then, they aren’t going to allow guns in bars in Illinois anyway, only in restaurants. That’s why the legislature came up with the rule that less than 50 percent of sales at an establishment have to be from alcohol if guns are to be carried there, and even then the establishment can still ban them. The whole thing is a non-issue.

    • They have the same 50% rule here in Georgia. Every time I go into an establishment and ask to see their sales figures for the last 12 months, they look at me like I am crazy.

      • That part of the law was changed in 2010. Now the definition of “bar” is in the code, it’s much less clear than the 50% one. I go by the if it looks like a bar it probably is, and I’m careful of places that have “bar, tavern, or pub” in the title. Of course the new law allows us to get permission from the bar owner. The only bar in my county gave me permission, and of course I got it in writing.

  19. We heard the same thing from Democrats when bar carry was legalized in Ohio. Guess what? Crime in bars has gone down since then. Apparently even drunk douchebags are still smart enough to not want to cause trouble if it means they might get shot.

  20. We’ve always been allowed to have a gun in a bar in PA. We don’t have a problem with random shootouts at bars or restaurants.

    This claim and the one about shootouts over traffic incidents are often claimed by anti’s. The claimed problems have not materialized anywhere that has loosened restrictions on the carrying of firearms.

    BTW. The Wild West – another common prediction of anti’s wasn’t really all that Wild if one actually looks at historical reality vs. Hollywood reality.

  21. In Texas:
    A license holder commits an offense if the license holder intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries a handgun under the authority of Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, regardless of whether the handgun is concealed, on or about the license holder’s person: (1) on the premises of a business that has a permit or license issued under Chapter 25, 28, 32, 69 or 74 Alcoholic Beverage Code, if the business derives 51 percent or more of its income from the sale or service of alcoholic beverages for on premises consumption, as determined by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission under Section 104.06, Alcoholic Beverage Code;

    • Yep – I always get a kick at all the blue state hatred directed at Texas. A bunch of our Republicans (i.e. Perry) used to be Democrats when it was fashionable. How quickly they forget that this is the home of LBJ and the Great Society. Back in ’76 Texas went for Carter and Kali went to Ford. It wasn’t until the early ’90s that things flipped-flopped here. It still took a run-off to get Cruz in there against the establishment Republican.

      Even with bullet-proof majorities in the state assemblies we don’t get open-carry and still have to put up with 51% BS. I just had to turn around and head back to my car at lunch last week because of this crap. We still got a long way to go here before I’m going to worry about what the communists in Illinois are up to.

  22. Here’s a twist: I don’t drink if I’m going to drive, reload, carry, or discharge firearms. You may do everything by the numbers, but if something goes wrong, it’s all over but the crying. Your life will be turned upside down and inside out, regardless of whether your own negligence was the actual cause. Better to keep beer and bullets apart, and I don’t need a law to tell me that.

  23. I don’t drink while handling firearms. I find that the piquant aroma of Hoppe’s is overwhelmed by the rough smell of Pabst. Or Ten High. Or Pabst and Ten High.

  24. There are many states that allow ccw in bars/restaurants, and I’ll bet they all have lower crime rates than Chicago…

  25. It’s illegal to drive drunk in my state and it’s also illegal to carry a firearm while drunk. If you’re caught drunk driving or carrying a firearm while drunk you should be arrested and properly punished. People are arrested every week for drunk driving and they get a slap on the wrist. I’m originally from Europe and if they catch you driving drunk your license is revoked and you do some jail time. They even have random road blocks that allow the police to test you for alcohol and they don’t even need reasonable cause to do so. These countries also don’t allow you have carry a gun and they don’t respect anyone’s civil rights, but they do give you the right to do as you’re told by big brother. I see the U.S.A. going in the same direction now and it’s all down hill from here.

  26. Funny, I was at the Hard Rock Cafe / Bar in downtown Indianapolis today and nobody shot up the place.

    In fact, I was at a number of liquor serving establishments over the last couple of days in Indy and there were no shootings.

    Clearly, alcohol mixing with guns isn’t the issue.

    But Clueless Quinn knows that.

    He’s just pandering to his base who is getting all shot up this weekend in Chicago.

    John

  27. A drunk with a gun is dangerous, period.

    I’m for gun rights obviously or I wouldn’t frequent this site, but for anyone to say guns and booze mix well is a liar or just ignorant. Why does one go to a bar? The majority, to drink and get drunk. Responsible gun owners do not bring a gun to a bar if they plan to drink and get drunk. Responsible people don’t go to bars period IMHO. I also believe anyone with any type of drunken charge whether it be DWI, or drinking in public or any type of drug possession has a right to own a gun but has no right to carry one, especially into a bar. The only people who should be allowed to carry in a bar are the employees or a person who is not drinking alcohol. I do not believe in silly over-reaching laws but we gun owners need to set limits at some point. I know not one fellow gun enthusiast that would say booze and gun mixes, not one. Make a choice, leave your gun in the car and drink or carry your gun in and don’t drink. If one doesn’t have the discipline to do something as simple as this than they are not responsible enough to be carrying a firearm at all.

    • +1.

      Restrictions on guns in places that are mainly about serving alcohol, and where people mostly go to get drunk to some extent – like, you know, bars – are very old, and are one of the few gun regulations that were born out of experience, rather than just an overreaching desire to control things.

  28. When Iowa went to state wide shall issue a couple years ago the libs were predicting the wild west. We can even carry in bars and even consume alcohol. There have been no bar fights.

  29. AZ allows conceal carry in their bars, if you have a permit and don’t consume. If the bar doesn’t want you carrying, they can post a sign and/or ask you to leave your weapon behind. So far, I haven’t heard of any incidents of this causing problems. Illinois is banking much of their policy making on ‘what ifs’ when other states are already doing it, and without problems.

  30. 12 dead in Chicago this 4th of July weekend,said to be gang related.This politician needs to pack up and retire,but of course in Illinois they have a different outlook on life,than we do in Mississippi,seems like they can’t help but vote for idiots that crap on them every chance they get.The Mayor of Chicago appears to be incompetent,due to the fact all of these murders keep happening and it appears that no one is being arrested for the killings.Also Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the country,well for law abiding folks that is,but the criminals are not going to follow any gun laws,that has been proven time and time again.Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.

  31. I live in Wisconsin.
    1. Go into a bar carrying, Don’t drink.
    2. Leave gun in car safe, go in for a beer.
    3.Go into a bar carrying, change mind, take gun out to car safe, go back into bar.
    For me, simple list of options.
    I guess the nanny keeps option 4 out of the choices, but does she really?

  32. Same story, different state…always the same thing, I call it the “Wild West Syndrome”…

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