If you’re like most people, you do at least a little bit of drinking on the weekend. There’s nothing quite like being able to kick back on a Sunday afternoon, have a couple of drinks, and not worry about work for a few more hours.
But if you live in one of the 14 states that still has “blue laws” on the books, you might not be able to do this. That’s because these states have liquor store bans that prevent you from buying hard liquor, wine, and even beer (in some states) on Sundays.
Of course, it’s no coincidence that these states ban liquor sales on Sundays. Sunday is the day that most religious Americans go to church. Blue laws were put into place by the Puritans to make sure people were in church, praying and reading their Bibles. Some early blue laws prohibited work, travel, and ever certain recreational activities on Sundays.
But most of these laws have disappeared in the 19th century as the government didn’t want to infringe on citizen’ rights to religious freedoms. But if 14 states still have blue laws on the books restricting Sunday liquor sales, aren’t these states technically violating the separation of church and state?
Which States Block Sunday Sales of Liquor?
While the specific laws vary in each of these states, these are the 14 places still holding onto blue laws for liquor sales.
- Montana
- Utah
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Minnesota
- Indiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
- Connecticut
It’s worth noting that in many of these states, serious efforts are being made to lift these bans once and for all. For instance, mayors of Connecticut’s 3 largest cities are actively pressuring the state to get rid of the “antiquated” laws. Similar efforts are being made in Minnesota and a few other states.
In fact, just 8 years ago, there were nearly 30 states that still prohibited liquor sales on Sundays. Since 2002, 14 states have repealed their blue laws, so it certainly seems possible that many of the remaining states will follow suit in the coming years.
The Benefits of Allowing Liquor Sales on Sundays
Allowing the sale of liquor on Sundays isn’t just about not restricting drinkers from purchasing booze due to outdated religious laws. It’s also about helping the economy. Consider this:
- One study found that in 12 of the states that have recently allowed liquor to be sold on Sundays, more than $200 million was generated in new state revenue every year.
- The average liquor store also saw an increase in weekly earning from 5 to 8%
- New jobs can be created by expanding liquor store hours
- Consumers benefit from the convenience
Of course, Christians and those with religious interests would point to the fact that in states where blue laws have been repealed, there has been a 15 percent decline in attendance among weekly churchgoers, along with a nearly 25 percent drop in donations. With these statistics, it’s no wonder evangelical groups are so opposed to allowing Sunday liquor store sales. They don’t want to lose money (because we all know preachers don’t make enough).
When blue laws were being overturned in Colorado, some evangelicals even tried arguing it would increase the number of drunk driving accidents and other alcohol-related problems. But in studies of other states that repealed these laws, there was no evidence to support these claims.
Do you live in a state where liquor stores are forced close on Sundays? Do you think these laws violate your rights?
18 comments
Fs
I live in east tn. We only got liquor in restaurants around 5 years ago. Because if the 1 million churches we have in a town with a population of 70,000. I hate that I can not buy on sunday. I will stock up on Saturday if I am having a party on Sunday, but I don't think I should have to do that. I can not stand blue laws. Go to church don't go to church, I don't care. Don't try to control my way of life. 14 states actually think they have got it right. Liquor stores closed on sunday. Government is afraid tof hurt the pastors feelings and the owners of the liquor stores well screw their feelings and the money their losing. Local government in tn. Is a joke and a hypocritical abomination. Maybe one day Washington will send in someone to fix it. I know it won't happen, but it's nice to dream
Roy
My goodness!! Did your alcoholic daddy used to beat you or something?! I understand recognizing alcoholism as a problem, but why the visceral hatred? You should be grateful to be so damn perfect that you aren't troubled with the problem, not get down on those who struggle with it. Sounds like a cover for religious fanaticism to me.
Me
Marco.... if your buying alcohol ahead of time, your the one with the drinking problem. The point once again is that government cannot tell us when I can drink. ( period). And the fact that an ancient laws are still on the books in these states only reflects on how badly our state government in run. We are the majority, open, inclusive, accepting and demanding of freedom and liberty for all.
Joe
Forgot Arkansas
Oliver
I see I am late to this conversation but Marco you truly are an idiot. Buying in advance is not the issue. It is the government arbitrarily telling you that you cannot buy a completely legal product on certain days of the week. It is not just alcohol, it is car dealerships, banks and other businesses that are affected by these old laws. Being an alcoholic has nothing to do with the law... being an idiot has nothing to do with the law. I am sorry that your education and cognitive thinking are at such low levels, but please try not to bother other people with your useless drivel.
someone
I live in TN, and even before I was of legal age I could not understand the 'why?'
Please state the FOUNDATION for the Sunday law? why not Tuesday, or Thursday? What is is about Sunday? Oh, church right... Wait a minute dont I have a right of freedom from relegious repression? WTF?? No, guess not. But hey, you can buy beer after 12:00 on SUN when church lets out.
It may have been started for one reason or another, but me thinks its all about political maneuvering now.
Jed
I think the law in Indiana will be overturned soon. It is a really weird law here. You can't buy alcohol in a grocery store, but you can in a convenience store. We don't keep you from getting your beer--we just make it more of a run around.
Wolfgang Nordmeyer, B.S.Law, J.D.
I'm not concerned about liquor as I am about legal rights. If the majority of the people in Utah were Catholics or were Buddhists, etc. there would not be these draconian liquor laws set up by fascist Mormons who don't quite understand the concept of separation of church and state. The good Mormons do, but the fascist ones seem to oputnumber the reasonable ones - at least in Utah.
John
I understand why some of you think that Marco doesn't really have a point, but he does. If this law ruins your Sunday more than once, you're an idiot. Adapt to your environment! If you've lived somewhere your whole life, you should understand the laws in your state and realize that if you want to drink on Sunday and they don't sell alcohol on Sunday, you'll need the alcohol before Sunday. If you just moved somewhere that doesn't sell alcohol on Sunday, then you really only need one Sunday of trying to buy alcohol to realize that you need to think ahead and get alcohol before Sundays.
This law should affect everyone one time per state, tops. If you've been fooled out of getting alcohol more than once, I would hate to see you without impulse control.
And more importantly, this is a trivial matter. If you spend this much time worrying about alcohol, you need to see your psychologist or attend AA.
kd
@marco
If it is circumventable by purchasing ahead, then why have the dumb control-freak state law anymore? Doesn't matter anyway, because I don't want anyone telling me when I can purchase anything, period, end of discussion. And because I don't drink, that goes for any other stupid morality laws that do affect me.
Derek
Marco,
I think you sort of miss the point, the reason for purchasing alcohol is irrelevant. Its the fact that some ignorant old law unjustly infringes on our right to purchase alcohol because of the religious views of one group of people. "hey honey you want to have a glass of wine with dinner tonight" "oh no I'm sorry I was to stupid to anticipate that we might enjoy a bottle of wine today I'm sorry"
Marco
Adapt to your environment!
---
Impossible. There is a rash of surprise Sunday dinner parties and sudden urges to drink on Sundays in otherwise dry households sweeping the nation.
These things cannot be predicted or prepared for, so we must accommodate 7 day a week alcohol purchasing, much like 24/7 pharmacies and 9/11 services. We, as a society, cannot have people stuck in an emergency without instant access to a liquor store.
Brian
You forgot Michigan. State law forbids the sale of hard liquor on Sundays while beer and wine cannot be purchased before noon.
Eric
Marco,
That's a pretty silly point of view. Not everyone plans ahead to drink. Sometimes, you're sitting around on a Sunday afternoon and you suddenly want a drink. Or you get invited last minute to a dinner and you want to pick up a bottle of wine. Or you work 6 days a week and Sunday is your only day off to run errands. I could keep going, but surely you see how ridiculous your point is.
Marco
What's ridiculous is taking edge cases that affect a minuscule portion of the population and acting like they're a major hindrance for most people.
You don't need to plan ahead to drink, as in work out a schedule. You simply need to buy more alcohol than you plan to immediately drink whenever you do buy alcohol.
This is probably really difficult for destitutes and alcoholics who live one bottle at a time, but for the rest of normal working people, having an extra six pack or bottle of wine lying around is not a big deal.
Eric
Those aren't edge cases at all. Most drinking is done on the weekends. Having liquor stores closed for 50% of the weekend inconveniences a significant number of people. And for what? Some stupid, outdated laws?
And believe me, I almost always have some extra alcohol on hand, but pretending this is only a problem for alcoholics who "live one bottle at a time" (actually stocking up on liquor sounds a lot more like an alcoholic to me) is just wrong.
GGGGGGG
Well what I don't get is what is their argument besides "You can buy ahead of time?" Do we buy fast food ahead of time on the off chance we might want McDonald's on Sunday? What else is their argument? "You're Supposed to BE AT CHURCH!" Are you kidding me? We give them the legitimate argument of first amendment and they go "But baby Jesus is crying in his grave". I don't mean to offend anybody and I myself am a catholic, but I still respect the rights of all religions, even the Atheists. I just don't see why this hasn't changed yet, what is their logic? If they owned a liquor store I bet they'd think it was a bigger deal, and if it's no big deal, why not have it changed in the first place and give liquor stores and the economy more business?
Marco
The beauty of "blue laws" is that they only affect the truly stupid, who probably need to have their drinking controlled by the government -- if you're too stupid to figure out that you can buy alcohol in advance of Sunday to drink on Sunday, you shouldn't be allowed to drink.