Jump to full article: Fayetteville (NC) Observer & Times, 2009-05-25
Intro: State Sen. Larry Shaw of Fayetteville voted for a ban on cigarette smoking in bars and restaurants even though he thinks it's wrong.
To make his point, Shaw gave smoking ban supporters a scare May 12 by trying to get the Senate to take back its final vote for the bill.
It's not fair to tell a bar or restaurant owner what to do, Shaw, a Democrat, said in an interview. "We're going to put these folks out of business. I think that's not right," he said.
Shaw also said he thought the law is unconstitutional. "It's discriminatory," he said.
So why did he vote for a law he thinks is unfair, wrong and unconstitutional? To support the Senate Democrats and Sen. Bill Purcell, who shepherded the law through the Senate, Shaw said.
Purcell said the restaurant industry supported the version of the bill that banned smoking in restaurants and bars.
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