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

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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).