Burress was at the Latin Quarter nightclub Nov. 29 when he shot himself in the thigh after a gun tucked in the waist of his track pants slipped down his leg and fired. Authorities say Pierce, who was with Burress at the club, drove his then-teammate to the hospital and took the gun to Burress' home in Totowa, N.J.

The gun was not licensed. No one called police to report the gunshot wound, as required by law: Not the players, nor NFL officials, nor the hospital where Burress was treated.

I don't know how much more reckless one could be, or much luckier he could have been that he didn't kill someone "by accident."

"Simple possession?"  There's nothing simple about a loaded gun going off in a crowded nighclub, is there?

But if he could do this legally, or with only the possibility of a fine which he, as a very rich man, could easily pay just like a parking ticket, then you are perhaps allowing everyone in the club to carry a loaded gun.

As for carrying a concealed (with permit) weapon into a bar, the States that have concealed carry laws differ.  There has been a movement toward getting States to allow that.  TN was one, but I thought it had been vetoed.  Also Kansas.  Seems like there were 4 last I heard.

Sometimes some places you can carry an exposed (not concealed) gun where you can't carry a concealed gun.

(Yes, I do have a concealed carry license and I am always worried about making a mistake and taking it onto a plane.  I am afraid that one day you might read about me.)

Now usually any bar, or other public establishment can put up a sign to prevent a concealed carry.

But one thing that is a little ridiculous is that most of the laws where you can carry the gun into the bar say that you  shouldn't be drinking while carrying the gun, and then they seek to protect the bar from suits if the gun is misused.

And I do agree that there should not be a national concealed carry law where someone could get a license in Texas that would be good in NY.

Also I know that many of my fellow gun buddies say why not allow them to carry a gun everywhere, in schools, banks, bars, and on planes.  They say they have been background checked to see if they are felons, fingerprinted, trained and tested in their skill and their safety practices.
I say for them that at one time every felon in the country had a clean record.

I also say to them that if a child obtains their gun and misuses it even to shoot themselves, that the owner should be charged as an accomplice unless the kid used a torch to open the gun safe.  You should hear the claims and protests about their lack of responsibility from the very people who were previously claiming they were responsible enough for concealed carry permits in the first place.