Making the first strong statement by any Tennessee Republican against Rep. Curry Todd, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey said today Todd should be "punished to the fullest extent of the law" for driving drunk with a loaded gun, and he suggested House Speaker Beth Harwell should remove Todd as a committee chairman. But Ramsey said Todd's arrest shouldn't cause the legislature to curtail gun rights.
"Keep in mind, we were the 36th state to adopt [the guns-in-bars law]. Again there wasn't one documented case still to this day of someone going into a bar, a gun permit holder, and using their firearm. There's still not," he said.
Ramsey's criticism of Todd contrasted with yesterday's comments from House GOP leader Gerald McCormick, who merely referred vaguely to Todd's mistakes. Harwell, who will decide whether Todd remains as chairman of the State and Local Government Committee, has made no public comment at all.
Here are excerpts from Ramsey's comments to reporters.
