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by STEPHANIE STRAUBEL
Intern News Reporter
Potentially eradicating the last of the outdated “blue laws,” North Carolina is facing proposed legislation allowing Alcoholic Beverage Control stores to open on Sundays.
Initially established in 1617 to require church attendance, the laws have prohibited a range of “ungodly” activities from wearing precious metals to consuming alcohol primarily in the South, David J. Hanson from the State University of New York at Potsdam said.
 The Alcoholic Beverage Control store in Boone closes every Sunday. New legislation could permit ABC stores to sell liquor on Sunday. Photo by Aubryn Gates
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The repercussions
of the faltering economy are being felt in North Carolina, and
according to liquor industry analysts, the state would receive at least
$5.5 million in tax revenue if the change were implemented.
The bill
in question would not force regions to sell distilled spirits on
Sundays; it would leave the option open to every area.
Opponents
of the bill suggest the availability of liquor on Sundays would lead to
an increase in consumption, while its proponents believe it would
bolster the struggling state economy.
Sunday
represents the most popular grocery shopping day for Americans,
according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Boone
ABC store’s General Manager Ronnie L. Hayes said if the Boone and
Blowing Rock board enforces the bill, local responses could be varied.
“Churches wouldn’t like it,” Hayes said. “But it’s just another shopping day.”
North
Carolina’s ABC stores are run by local boards and employees, and all
tax revenue is returned to the state, according to The Raleigh News
& Observer.
The additional revenue this bill could procure would allow funding for local projects and services.
Lawmakers
have mixed opinions on the matter, with the Chairman of the House
firmly opposing the change, while others remind their constituents the
proposed bill “gives localities an option, not an order,” bill sponsor
Sen. Tony Rand said.
If the bill is passed and enforced in Boone, it could see protest from Appalachian State University students.
“We
shouldn’t drink on Sundays because that’s the way it’s been for so
long,” junior history major Ashley M. Triplett said. “It should be
about God.”
The bill could also provoke little response, simply giving students access to goods they would get elsewhere.
“I feel
like people are going to drink whenever they want,” sophomore graphic
design major Anna L. Barker said. “I don’t think [the bill] would have
that big of an effect.”
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