Guns are easy to shoot, and even easier (if you can find the safety) when you’ve had a few too many. That’s why Shannon Jones is wrong.

Jones, a Republican state Senator from District 7 in southwestern Ohio, is sponsor of Senate Bill 239, which would allow Ohioans to carry firearms into bars.

Shannon Jones

She told Joe Hallett, a columnist for the Columbus Dispatch, that “Ohio gun owners, law-abiding gun owners, have shown themselves to be as prudent as gun owners in 42 other states. … I think law-abiding gun owners who choose to go through the rigorous training and licensing process should be able to do like people in 42 other states do.”

Look, the Constitution guarantees the right of Americans to bear arms. It says so on parchment — every citizen needs the ability to band into an effective militia. It doesn’t exactly draw the line between a tank and a slingshot, and that’s why I’ve landed somewhere in the middle with a sharpened machete next to my dresser.

But let’s use some common sense.

Jones says there’s no reason a law-abiding citizen shouldn’t be able to carry a licensed gun into a nice restaurant while having a glass of wine with dinner. But thwarting an assault while eating prime rib with a glass of Cabernet is an absurd example. Nice restaurants aren’t where the problems lie.

The problems lie in places where the primary object is to drink.

Even gun-rights activists acknowledge that booze and guns don’t mix. From the International Hunter Education Association:

“Hunting while intoxicated is extremely dangerous to yourself and others. Alcohol affects your body’s mental and physical abilities and impairs your sense of judgement (sic). It also increases your risk of exposure while in the outdoors.”

And from the National Rifle Association:

“Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription or other drugs before or while shooting. Alcohol, as well as any other substance likely to impair normal mental or physical bodily functions, must not be used before or while handling or shooting guns.”

Jones’ bill prohibits gun carriers who enter establishments serving alcohol from imbibing. I say that few people go into a bar not intending to drink. And that’s the biggest problem with this bill.

Somebody will want to cite me statistics about how crime goes down when licensed gun carriers step into the fray. Someone will want to cite me statistics about how those 42 other states have had nothing but good fortune since gun-toting citizens entered places like The Third Base Tavern (last stop before home).

Here’s the statistic I’m most interested in: the number of shootings that occur by someone who’s been drinking.

It’s a treasure hunt. Report back here.

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