Guns-in-Bars Sponsor, TN Rep. Curry Todd (ALEC state chair), Caught Drunk with Loaded Gun

[highplainsdem]

http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2011/10/12/guns-in-bars-sponsor-rep-curry-todd-caught-drunk-with-loaded-gun

Guns-in-Bars Sponsor, Rep. Curry Todd, Caught Drunk with Loaded Gun, Police Say
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 9:10 AM


Rep. Curry Todd, the champion of Tennessee's guns-in-bars law, was jailed last night and charged with drunken driving and possession of a handgun while under the influence.

Todd, R-Collierville, was stopped in his GMC Envoy at around 11:15 last night near Hillsboro Village. He failed a roadside sobriety test and refused to take a breathalyzer. Police say they detected a strong odor of alcohol on the legislator and found a loaded Smith & Wesson 38 Special in his car.

-snip-

Todd is chairman of the House State and Local Government Committee. There's no word yet on whether House Speaker Beth Harwell will remove him as chairman. You might recall it was Todd who last year compared pregnant undocumented workers to breeding rats during a public hearing on prenatal health care.

Todd, who is state chairman of the Koch Brothers-funded American Legislative Exchange Council and on the group's national board of directors, was one of Harwell's biggest supporters when she won the speakership last year. After her election, she dismissed his rat remark and re-named him chairman of the committee.

-snip-

And from the AP (via ABC):

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tenn-gun-bill-sponsor-faces-dui-firearm-charges-14720733

Tenn. Gun Bill Sponsor Faces DUI, Firearm Charges
By ERIK SCHELZIG Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. October 12, 2011 (AP)


The sponsor of the law that made it legal to carry a gun into bars in Tennessee is facing charges of possession of a handgun while under the influence and drunken driving.

Rep. Curry Todd, a Collierville Republican, was pulled over in Nashville late Tuesday, according to court documents. Police said he failed a roadside sobriety test and refused to take a Breathalyzer test. A loaded .38-caliber gun was found in a holster stuffed between the driver's seat and center console.

A police affidavit said Todd was unsteady on his feet, "almost falling down at times." It concluded that Todd was "obviously very impaired and not in any condition to be carrying a loaded handgun."

-snip-

As a former Memphis police officer, Todd doesn't have to have a state permit to carry a gun in public. But state law makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to consume alcohol while carrying a firearm in public.

-snip-

Another fine example of what's wrong with the laws ALEC is pushing (not to mention another fine example of GOP hypocrisy).

There's more info on ALEC's role in pushing these gun bills in the long compilation topic on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

[onethatcares]

1. if it were you or me, they'd be stacking charges

you can bet on that.

they ought to do the same to this jerk.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rl6214]

8. Bigoted much

he represents gun nuts just FINE
Posted by Skittles

[demmiblue]

3. Comment fast, people!

Mine got moved to the gungeon!

K&R :kick:

[demmiblue]

4. Too late! n/t

[baldguy]

5. Morons + Guns + Alcohol = a recipe for disaster.

[gejohnston]

6. another duplicate

I fail to see why ALEC or the Kochs care about guns. Given our labor history, it is quite counter intuitive.

[baldguy]

9. Pro-gun and anti-labor laws are both sops to the RW.

As is anti-gay & anti-immigrant laws, anti-abortion laws, and laws allowing Wall St to steal your money & predatory corporations to poison your water, air & food.

It's all part of the same unreasonable, insane & disgusting fascist stew.

[gejohnston]

14. It is not fascisim

as it is neo feudalism. The monied elites on the right are paying lip service to pro gun just as they do evangelicals. Tucker Carlson said it best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HXacteqb4I
Same applies to working and middle class gun owners (especially in rural and semi-rural areas) as well.

A smart feudal lord does not allow serfs with weapons. That could be part of why feudalism lasted as long as it did in Japan.
The laws that are being repealed were supported by the plutocrats 100+ years ago. If the OWS gets beyond progressives in urban areas, (like the Grange going back to its roots and get stronger) I have little doubt that gun control advocates like Bloomburg, Giuliani (who wanted a nationwide Sullivan law until he wanted to go national), Trump etc. will be writing checks to Brady.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_National_Grange_of_the_Order_of_Patrons_of_Husbandry

[baldguy]

16. Tucker Carlson? You trot out a fascist to "prove" it's not fascism?

You're funny.

[rl6214]

21. I am familiar with the name but not the ideas of Carlson

Please explain to me why you consider him to be facist.

[gejohnston]

31. he skipped the youtube link

and totally spaced the context and parallel

[Hoyt]

24. There's a lot of right wing rhetoric on this forum for some reason.

[gejohnston]

32. read my above post

and watch the youtube link. I think you will get it.

[Hoyt]

33. I don't see where the "common man vs. the elite" has anything to do with guns in public.

If you are arming up for a revolution, you can leave your guns at home until it starts.

Sorry, I can't stand Tucker Carlson. The only time I saw him make any sense was when he bashed bush for the untimely response to Katrina.

[gejohnston]

34. Can't stand him either

but in the link he says what I have been thinking (and try to explain to RR people I know why the Rs have not done squat for them, and never will.) Trust me, he will make sense in that one too.

[gejohnston]

30. you missed the point

Click on the youtube link, Carlson basically says the GOP establishment hates evangelicals but play them as chumps.

[rl6214]

7. Dupe x 3

Here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x468389

and here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x468459

unrec

And do you have any proof he was A.Drinking in a bar B. In a bar with a gun

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. So you can carry a gun into a bar in TN, but can't drink?

That makes *perfect* sense.

Sorry gun folks, but this SCREAMS little big man syndrome to me...

[Atypical Liberal]

11. Understand, this is not what the law was intended to allow.

So you can carry a gun into a bar in TN, but can't drink? That makes *perfect* sense.

Understand, the law was not crafted to allow people to carry guns in bars. About the only reason a CCW permit holder would legitimately go to a bar would be as a designated driver.

What this law IS intended to do is to allow CCW permit holders to go to restaurants that serve alcohol, which happens all the time.

[slackmaster]

12. The law was also not intended o allow anyone to carry a gun or drive while intoxicated

Permit or no permit.

[Ruby the Liberal]

19. Oh, I am sure that is all he "intended" when he sponsored the bill

and no one ever "intended" to make it for bars. (/sarcasm)

Given that "bars" are specifically mentioned and not restaurants who 'happen to serve booze', I will appreciate the intent, but focus on the reality.

Thanks for the heads up, though - I can see how this passed.

Happy for the Koch-funded teabagger and double glad he didn't hurt/kill anyone in the process of his little joy ride. May he enjoy his new ironic fame.

[rl6214]

13. Do you ever eat dinner at say, Red Lobster, Olive Garden

Chilis, Applebee, Ruby Tuesdays, Longhorn Steakhouse? They all server alcohol and in some states because you are eating there and they serve alcohol you cannot take a firearm in. That's what this law was intended to address. No need for the veiled penis reference, we know where your mind is.

[cleanhippie]

15. Are you familiar with the symptoms then?

Are you recovering from that ailment?

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Profiles are only a click away.

But I am sure it sounded funny in your head.

:hi:

[cleanhippie]

18. It was no funnier when you posted it.

But it did show how boorish you can be.

:hi:

[Ruby the Liberal]

20. But I wasn't going for funny...

;-)

I will give you this though, I did chuckle a little at the thought of anti-guns-in-bars being a "boorish" position.

[cleanhippie]

22. Ahh, I see, we are not talking about the same thing here.

I'm talking about your childish barb of "Sorry gun folks, but this SCREAMS little big man syndrome to me..."

If funny is not what you were going for, then just what is it you are going for with that idiotic statement?

[Ruby the Liberal]

23. Same thing that runs through my head when I see the H2

parked at the Piggly Wiggly lot in July.

[cleanhippie]

25. Hmm, interesting.

Well, I guess we can agree that its just not funny then, either way.

[Ruby the Liberal]

26. I can agree to disagree on all counts.

If you and I were at a bar and non-LEO dude walked in with a gun, I respect your right to look at him and think its cool while I look at him and laugh.

Its all in the perspective!

:toast:

[cleanhippie]

28. And just what makes you think that I would think that "its cool" to do that?

How do you come up with some of these things?

[ileus]

27. rude run militants drinkin' and breakin' laws...

[iverglas]

29. "run militants"

That one actually took me a while ...

Are they the ones who get tried by judge and judy?

;)