A law that went into effect July 1 allows some New Mexicans to carry concealed weapons into restaurants that serve beer and wine.
The state has always allowed people with concealed weapons licenses to bring weapons into restaurants that don’t serve alcohol, said George Munoz, the senator who introduced the bill, but there are still no weapons allowed in restaurants with full liquor licenses.
Munoz said the law shouldn’t affect any restaurants because one term of the concealed weapons license states that it’s illegal to drink when carrying a gun.
“When you have a conceal and carry license, you’re not allowed to consume alcohol. Period,” he said. “I think that the basic problem is that a weapon is most vulnerable when left in a vehicle in a parking lot.”
Carol Wight, chief executive of the New Mexico Restaurant Association, said she is worried that bringing guns into restaurants that serve alcohol could be a deadly mix. She said many people don’t know the difference between restaurants that only serve beer and wine and those that have a full liquor license.
“There is a big mix-up right now,” she said.
It doesn’t help that a comprehensive list of restaurants that have beer and wine licenses doesn’t exist, said Teala Kail, New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department spokeswoman.
However, restaurant owners can stop people from bringing in weapons if they put up a sign at the entrance, Wight said.
Wight said restaurant owners already have many responsibilities when serving alcohol, and people who bring guns into the restaurant will be another headache.
“I don’t think there is going to be a big problem, but I hate to keep putting these situations out there for my members,” she said. “Already they’re responsible for everybody’s drinking and what everybody has before they get to their restaurants. Now they’ve got to be responsible if (customers) have guns.”
Wight said about half of restaurant owners with beer and wine licenses will probably put up signs prohibiting guns.
The problem with that, Munoz said, is that many guns are stolen when they’re left in cars because people can’t bring them into restaurants. He said it’s more dangerous when they’re stolen by those not licensed to carry them.
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“I think the statistics are telling us that when you leave your gun in your vehicle, that’s where it’s stolen the most,” he said.
Dave Sandoval, owner of El Patio De Albuquerque restaurant on Harvard Drive, said he will allow people to bring concealed weapons into his restaurant, but they should be responsible and not drink.
“I don’t want to offend any customers,” he said. “If you’ve got a license to carry and it’s concealed, fine. But I think they should make it mandatory to let the people at the restaurant know when they walk in with a gun, so they don’t get served alcohol.”
Angela Walters, Il Vicino manager on Central Avenue and Tulane Drive, said she posted a sign asking people not to bring in concealed weapons long before the law went into effect.
“We do have the ‘no firearms allowed on premises’ sign, and I assume it’s going to stay up,” she said.
