Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Law and Order 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
Todd, R-Collierville, was stopped in his GMC Envoy at around 11:15 last night near Hillsboro Village. He was going 60 mph in a 40 mph zone and swerving in and out of his lane, police say. 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 a holster in his car.
A police affidavit says Todd was unsteady on his feet, "almost falling down at times," his speech was slurred and he had watery and bloodshot eyes. Todd was "obviously very impaired and not in any condition to be carrying a loaded handgun," police say.
Possession of a weapon while under the influence is a Class A misdemeanor and carries a sentence of up to one year and a $2,500 fine. Todd had a handgun carry permit. That could be suspended for up to three years.
At the website forum of the Tennessee Firearms Association, one of the main groups that lobbied for guns-in-bars, members have been understandably quiet so far today. But someone did post, "THANKS CURRY FOR THE BAD PUBLICITY."
We can only assume Todd, 63, had been drinking in a restaurant or bar. Did he bring his handgun with him? Drinking with your gun—that's something the lawmaker told us repeatedly during the guns-in-bars debate that no responsible handgun owner ever would do. In fact, it's prohibited under the guns-in-bars law. According to Todd, that law was only to let law-abiding (sober) citizens carry their licensed weapons into family restaurants to protect all the patrons against any would-be robbers or other armed assailants.
“Folks were being robbed, assaulted — it was becoming an issue of personal safety,” Todd said at the time, adding that the National Rifle Association had helped his legislative efforts. We're sure everyone felt safer with the bleary eyed Todd there with them last night.
In urging the House to pass his law, Todd said: "I just ask you to vote your conscience to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families."
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 later gave one of those if-anyone-was-offended-apologies.
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.
"I think that’s a statement that Rep. Todd has publicly apologized for, and I think that’s an issue that is now in the past,” Harwell told reporters then.
Here's the YouTube of Todd making his charming rats remark:
And while we're walking down memory lane with Curry Todd, who could forget how he accused the news media of sensationalism for reporting that his guns-in-bars law would allow guns in bars. As the legislature was overriding Gov. Phil Bredesen's veto of the bill, Todd mocked his hometown newspaper as "the Comical Appeal."
Update: Wonkette chimes in. "Some of you might argue that this is karma, but we would argue that this was the only possible logical outcome."
Comments (20)
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The 64 dollar question- were the words "Do you know who I am?" uttered at any point?
Hopefully this incident will result in the lifetime revocation of his carry permit...
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Oh, sweet! So Curry Todd first passes "enabling" legislation to allow fine-upstanding Tennessee gun permit holders to carry their deadly weapons into bars and then is "in denial" that people (such as himself) actually get drunk in bars. Then he goes out and all by himself proves just how idiotic the law is.
>We can only assume Todd had been drinking in a restaurant or bar.
What evidence to you base this assumption on?
If this isn't poetic justice, I don't know what is.
I hope the judge throws the book at him - and then another one.*
*by "book," I mean an unabridged dictionary.
Seeing as he won't be driving himself any time soon, will Rep. Todd be able to claim the expenses of a personal driver through his per-diem allotment?
As a carry permit holder, I hope that Todd gets exactly what's coming to him. He made a mistake, and he'll suffer the consequences for it. I suspect he won't try to fight it- now, THAT argument would be ironic!
That being said, the language suggests he had the weapon in his car, not on his body. It's common practice, and it's quite possible he forgot to take it out. Doesn't make it any more legally right, but there's a moral distinction to make as well as gives insight as to the mental state behind it. Did he do this intentionally? Recklessly? Negligently?
Regardless, this whole situation provides no evidence that the bill itself is bad, only that its sponsor was unable to comply with the standards he supported for reasons so far unknown.
Lawdog, it's a bad bill / law. I would be OK with it if there was any way for barkeeps and waitstaff to tell if customers were carrying prior to serving them alcohol. Since patdowns won't play at most establishments, I can't support weapons in close proximity to alcohol.
I suppose it's too late for the mugshot to be tomorrows cover?
I'd settle for a nice video highlight reel of this idiot's Senate testimony reassuring everybody of what a fine idea it is to let people have guns in bars... Of course they'd never actually drink when they have a weapon, any fool knows that...
Has anyone looked into the high probability that this was a set-up! According to someone I know and trust, someone matching Chip Forrester's description was seen in the general vicinity of Todd two hours before this incident! I bet he spiked his drink and then planted a firearm on his person! The TN Democratic party is that devious!
To start, I am not for loaded guns. But he didn't have the gun in the bar, it was in the console of his car, which is where many people cary their loaded guns. The officer had to search his car to find it, so I feel it should go noted that this gun might have been found under an illegal search. It's the Drunk Driving that I am fuming about! Can't a man who can afford an ENVOY afford a CAB??
> What evidence to you base this assumption on?
21st & Blair is basically Hillsboro Village.
What is anyone doing in Hillsboro Village around 11 p.m. on a Tuesday night?
"The TN Democratic party is that devious!"
I wish.
BTW, congrats to you, AWP!. You're moving up the list of Top Commenters.
Are those really "happier times" in that other photo? Or just less sedated times?
Curry Todd needs help. I wonder if he was in the habit of getting this drunk back when he foisted his ALEC-crafted legislation on the citizens of Tennessee? If so that's incredibly irresponsible. He knew at least one person who got so drunk he couldn't shoot straight yet he insisted on putting us all at risk.
Attend the tale of Curry Todd,
his speech was slurred and his eyes bloodshot.
He loaded his gun and he got in his car,
but then for some reason he went to the bar,
did Curry, did Curry Todd...
Maybe some AA meetings would teach Curry "Rats" Todd a little something about tolerance and open-mindedness.
In the meantime, he will have to accept personal responsibility and consequences for his actions. Perhaps his colleagues will choose to address his actions, instead of enabling them.
The article states that police found a loaded firearm in Todd’s car and not on his person. It sounds like he left his firearm in his car when he went in to drink as prescribed under the law. True, it sounds like this was DUI is certainly a major offense, but no one was threatened with Dodd’s firearm. It sounds like he left his firearm in his car, but then had too much to drink.
It also should be noted that even though citizens in Vermont are free to carry firearms both openly or concealed without a permit, and despite the fact that they are free to carry their firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol and even while consuming alcohol, the homicide rate in Vermont was 1.1 per 100,000 in 2009. Of the seven homicides that were committed in Vermont in 2009 none of them were committed using firearms.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/tabl…
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/tabl…
The holder of a Tn. Carry Permit should lose their permit for life if they are arrested for DUI and have a loaded gun on their person or in their auto. Politicians must be held accountable for their actions just like any other citizen. I am holder of carry permit and would never have a gun in my pocession or drive a car if I were drinking. Rep. Todd is a disgrace to all law abiding citizens in Tennessee. Todd should resign NOW.
Auntie Warhol, that rocked, and I say that even though it got the song stuck in my head.
