...You should never really use any kind of tool while under the influence of an intoxicant. ...
Agreed. So here is my spiel, since the opinions have now been thrown out there in addition to just answering the OP's question:
Let's say you've have one beer (because you pace yourself and drink responsibly) while home. Next thing you know, your spouse starts having a medical emergency and needs to get to the hospital ASAP. You know you are
under the legal limit, and you know you are not impaired beyond your ability to drive a car. You have no time to call anyone else. Would you drive to save a life?
Same with CARRYING a firearm. You would never
purposely drink before
using a firearm, just like you should never purposely drink before operating a motor vehicle. Yet you still know where your car keys are and you have the ability to drive someone to the hospital if you stay below the legal BAC limit (which is also purposely below what makes someone (a lightweight at that) a dangerous driver.)
Possession (of a car or a firearm) is different than purposeful operation of such a device. There is nothing inherently dangerous with possession while RESPONSIBLY drinking and staying below the legal limit. If you don't/can't do that, than you should be giving someone else your car keys in addition to putting your gun away before you drink, and one could argue that you should probably rethink your ability to drink at all.
It's not about the gun. It's about self-control.