Gun-free dining in Tennesee

[spin]

16. First I have personal experience of the tragedy that mixing alcohol with handing a firearm can ...

cause. It's a foolish idea to mix even a moderate amount of alcohol with firearms, cars or chain saws.

I can't speak of the laws in Tennessee but I can discuss the laws in Florida. In my state you can legally carry a firearm into a restaurant that serves alcohol but you can't legally enter the bar portion of the restaurant if it has one.

Possession Restrictions
The following is a list of places where you are restricted from carrying a weapon or firearm even if you have a license. Please note that this is a simplified list. The places marked by an asterisk (*) may have exceptions or additional restrictions. See Section 790.06 (12), Florida Statutes for a complete listing.

any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05
any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station
any detention facility, prison, or jail; any courthouse
any courtroom*
any polling place
any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district
any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof
any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms
any school administration building
any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption*
any elementary or secondary school facility
any area technical center
any college or university facility*
inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport*
any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law
http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/possession.html

I found some comments on this list from a criminal defense attorney. ...

Florida Concealed Firearm Carry Law

What You Need to Know About Carrying a Gun in Florida

***snip***

There are few comments to be made about a few of the places on this list. First, you may take a firearm to an airport for the purposes of declaring the firearm for storage and travel so long as it is properly encased; you may not take a firearm into the secure or sterile part of an airport. Second, make special note of a "polling place". A building in which you may otherwise be allowed to carry your gun may become a prohibited area while it is being used for polling (i.e., your local church, community center, etc.). Finally, the trickiest one is an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages as its main business purpose. This, in non-legalese, is a bar, tavern, or pub. These establishments make a profit by selling alcoholic beverages—you cannot carry your firearm into these places. However, it gets trickier when you are talking about a restaurant that has a bar in it. The prohibition also extends to the "portion" of a business whose sole purpose is to serve alcoholic beverages. The safest thing to do is stay in the restaurant portion of the establishment and do not sit at or in the bar area. These prohibitions do not do not prevent someone from lawfully having a firearm in their vehicle. See 790.06 for more details....emphasis added
http://www.solerslacklaw.com/Criminal-Defense/Florida-Gun-Law.aspx

In Florida since 1987 we have allowed people to legally carry in the eating portion of a restaurant that serves alcohol and have seen no significant problems.