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You are here: Home / Politics / Republican Stupidity / Who Says Guns and Booze Don’t Mix?

Who Says Guns and Booze Don’t Mix?

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Jackass:

A Tennessee lawmaker who sponsored a controversial bill to allow handguns to be carried in bars was arrested Tuesday for driving under the influence and possessing a handgun while under the influence.

Police said that Tennessee state Rep. Curry Todd (R) was pulled over at around 11:15 p.m. in Nashville, according to WSMV-TV. Officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special hidden between the driver’s seat and center console.

An affidavit charged that the lawmaker was “almost falling down at times” and “obviously very impaired and not in any condition to be carrying a loaded handgun.”

He is being held on $3,000 bond at the Nashville Metro Jail.

For the record, that is two loaded weapons- the car and the .38.

Reader Interactions

79Comments

  1. 1.

    TenguPhule

    Republicans will commit no crimes by the virtue of making all crimes they commit legal.

    or IOIYAR.

  3. 3.

    ET

    Well now we know why he wanted to pass that law….

    I guess his next action is repealing the drunk driving laws.

  4. 4.

    kindness

    No real Republican would be caught dead drunk driving with a pea shooter .38 Special! Why I bet this guy is some commie lib spy or somethin’.

    If it had been a .357 Mag or /.44, well then he might be an OK guy, but a .38 Special? Someone should ask him why he’s carrying around a girl’s gun.

  8. 8.

    peach flavored shampoo

    Prosecutors will wait a few months for the stink to clear, then mysteriously drop all charges. Republicans in the South dont commit crimes. Crimes are part of the liberal agenda meant to besmerch the good names of elected Republicans.

    Ergo, to save the country, the DUI must DIE.

  9. 9.

    Southern Beale

    @Yutsano:

    YEAH! I WANT MY HAT TIP!!!

    Thanks, hon. I’m used to my shitty blog being ignored. Except by the local alternative paper who named me best liberal. But other than that …. {grumbles}

    :-)

  10. 10.

    S. cerevisiae

    I wouldn’t go into a bar where I felt like I needed a gun. I’m too old for that nonsense. That being said, this guy is an idiot and I hope they throw the book at him. Alcohol is a bad mix with cars or guns and there needs to be laws to keep them separate.

  11. 11.

    trollhattan

    I live in a political town and the Republican DUI count is always impressive. (Fun fact: the latest one was chased down by a CHP bicycle officer.) To my knowledge they aren’t packin’ heat, but as JC notes, with a car the gun is pretty irrelevant. One, sadly, killed most of a family and yet he survived (and is now doing time, thankfully).

  12. 12.

    slag

    Could you and Kay combine Tennessee posts? Maybe if Dorothy Cooper brought a gun and a bottle of JD to the polls, she’d be able to vote.

  14. 14.

    j

    Make that 3 loaded weapons; the car, the gun and the GOOPER.

    Republicans are dangerous weapons when they are sober, but loaded??

  15. 15.

    Warren Terra

    For the record, that is two loaded weapons- the car and the .38.

    The NRA would like to protest that it’s one loaded weapon, the driver, on the theory that guns don’t kill people, people do – although they never seem to worry about how they do so.

    Also, off topic, but fantastic:

    Freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) says he didn’t pay tens of thousands of dollars in child support payments to his ex-wife because he was under the impression they had an informal agreement that he’d keep the money.

    He racked up $100,000 in overdue child support, and his claim was:

    he had a “verbal agreement” with his wife on child support because “Joe and his former wife were both tired of court appearances and the resulting emotional and financial impact on the family. Neither party had the financial or emotional wherewithal to continue the battle.

    Ah yes, the “I’m sick of defending my transgressions, so I win” argument. Always a winner.

  16. 16.

    TenguPhule

    Loaded gun, empty brain. What’s the problem?

    The gun should be empty and the bullets should be in his brain.

  17. 17.

    Gin & Tonic

    That story, unfortunately, is missing the critical element: a rentboy in the car with him. That would make it complete.

  20. 20.

    Southern Beale

    @peach flavored shampoo:

    Well, you forget the power of the redemption narrative. Todd will go into rehab — Christian rehab, naturally — and after a couple of months will emerge with a powerful story about how he was SAVED BY JEEBUS all over again. And he’ll do the rounds of churches and “family” seminars, where he can show off his newly re-polished halo, and everyone can feel SO glad they have a nice, honest Christian man like Curry Tood looking out for them in the state house.

    Curry Todd puts the “hip” in hypocrite. I refer you to Aunt B, another Nashville blogger, who noted quite correctly:

    The other thing that pisses me off about this is that he’s clearly bringing a loaded gun to at least the garage the legislators all use, and he’s gone out of his way to secure the ability to carry in bars and so on, but you and I can’t carry into his work place.
    __
    This bullshit of “I live by one set of rules, but you live by another” really irritates me.

    Even when they wanted to allow guns in state parks, the ONE and ONLY place in Tennessee where you cannot bring a gun is … the State House.

    Todd was so drunk, according to the police report, alcohol was evident from way outside the vehicle. And he was driving near Vanderbilt Hospital and Vanderbilt University, which even at 11 pm on a weeknight gets plenty of foot traffic, especially when school is in session (which it is now).

    He and we are all very lucky. This story could have had a much worse ending than this.

  21. 21.

    Southern Beale

    @Yutsano:

    Well, that’s OK. The story has been pretty widely reported at this point. Even ThinkProgress ran the mugshot. So John had lots of good links to choose from.

    And with all of that I have to get back to work. It’s been nice, kids.

  22. 22.

    gnomedad

    FTA:

    In 2010, Todd came under fire after he complained that Tennessee’s program to cover uninsured pregnant women would allow undocumented workers to “go out there like rats and multiply.”

    Whadaya know, pro-life, too!

  24. 24.

    Southern Beale

    @Warren Terra:

    Freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) says he didn’t pay tens of thousands of dollars in child support payments to his ex-wife because he was under the impression they had an informal agreement that he’d keep the money.

    HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

    I think Curry Todd might want to try that excuse:

    “Oh, I was under the impression we had an informal agreement that I could keep my loaded gun, even when I’m falling down drunk. Woopsies. My bad.”

  27. 27.

    dmsilev

    @Warren Terra: Wow. I’d like to try that with, say, the bank that holds my mortgage.

    “Yeah, why don’t we just agree to let bygones by bygone and I’ll stop sending those checks. No, you can’t foreclose on me. That would be rude.”

  29. 29.

    Yutsano

    @Southern Beale:

    And with all of that I have to get back to work

    Yeah, I hear your boss is kinda tough. :)

    I gotta get moving myself. I’m still not over the creepy guy incident from last night.

  30. 30.

    gbear

    We’ve got a guy like him in MN:

    A Republican legislator who was found in a Planned Parenthood parking lot with a loaded gun in late November has offered a constitutional amendment for gun rights. Rep. Tom Hackbarth lost his leadership roles in the House after a police stopped him in a Planned Parenthood parking lot in St. Paul with a loaded gun in his car. Hackbarth said he was in the parking lot checking up on a woman he met on the internet.
    Hackbarth introduced H. F. 131, which proposes an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution “providing that the right of citizens to keep, bear, and use arms for certain purposes is fundamental and shall not be infringed.”Hackbarth was cuffed and his weapon confiscated during the November incident. The gun was given back to him later and no charges were filed. He said he was simply looking for his girlfriend.
    “I was looking for my girlfriend,” a police report quotes Hackbath as saying. “It was a stupid jealousy thing. I thought she was seeing another guy and I was going to check on her. She was suppose(d) to be at one of the shops over here, so I parked my truck and went to look for her car.”
    Hackbarth, who was married but legally separated at the time he was looking for his girlfriend, was stripped of his position as chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

    This story is from January, he has since been re-appointed to the chairmanship of his committees.

  32. 32.

    Punchy

    Our AZ state Senator, wasn’t only drunk, he battered his girlfriend and he got an award….

    Hey now, Arizona has a loong way to go, battering-wise. Our state’s capital ERASED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFF THE BOOKS COMPLETLY.

    You probably think I’m joking. You’d be wrong

  33. 33.

    Countme In

    This murderous, cracker, anti-American vermin was probably cruising the hospital area to run over or shoot suspected Medicaid patients, while on his way to Dorothy Cooper’s house to make sure she’ll never vote again, license or not.

    The number one reason the fascist Right arms themselves is to murder the Left, Democrats, and every other Other they despise.

    Every time a Republican attempts to buy a weapon in this country, he or she should be arrested for conspiracy to murder.

  34. 34.

    Roger Moore

    I’m starting to think that we’re going to have to give up on IOKIYAAR and switch to IMIYAAR (it’s mandatory if you are a Republican). Are there any Republican leaders who aren’t guilty of exactly the kinds of things they’re criticizing others for?

  35. 35.

    Reality Check

    Hmmm, “Occupy Wall St.” seems to have been instigated by a Magazine called “Adbusters” that is full of anti-semitic conent such as a 2004 article called “Why Won’t Anyone Say they are Jewish”? Which suggested Jews have a secret and nefarious grip on American policy. Anti-Jewish taunts have also been heard and recorded at the protests.

    What say you, “progressives”?

  36. 36.

    harlana

    What’s the problem? The guy just believes a person should be able to be drunk and armed, in public, all at the same time. You gotta give him credit for being authentic. It’s really very Cheney-esque.

  37. 37.

    piratedan

    @Punchy: y’know it’s scary, we could start a thread devoted to nothing but the criminal lunacy perpetrated by Republicans in office or running for office. Then again, I’m not sure I can afford to do so, I’m not a job creator and I’d probably need a staff to keep up on it all and buy the additional bandwidth needed.

  38. 38.

    Shinobi

    My father has a concealed carry permit. When I was home a while back I borrowed his car a bunch because I flew in. So one night I’m on my way to go out with some friends and as I was leaving he very casually asked if I was going to be drinking, and I said maybe. He then told me to be careful because THERE WAS A COLT .45 IN THE GLOVE BOX.

    And apparently the only time he thought this might be RELEVANT INFORMATION was when he thought I might get caught drunk driving.

    I am not afraid of guns, but I do like to know if there is one hanging around loaded in the automobile I am driving.

  42. 42.

    wrb

    Drunks are very vulnerable and are a favorite target of muggers and other hoodlums. Drunks need to be armed more than just about anyone.

    If it was illegal to be unarmed when drunk we could Take Back the Night.

  44. 44.

    NonyNony

    @Shinobi:

    I am not afraid of guns, but I do like to know if there is one hanging around loaded in the automobile I am driving.

    Wait – it was in the glove compartment AND it was loaded?

    Holy crap – it’s been a long time since I had my gun safety courses, but I’m fairly certain that the rule was you were always supposed to take the bullets out of the gun when you stuck it into a moving vehicle. Even with a safety switch it’s ALWAYS “better safe than sorry” when you’re dealing with firearms.

  45. 45.

    singfoom

    @Reality Check: Well, as someone who has marched at a satellite protest, I’d say I heard exactly 0 anti-semitic comments and multiple speakers have repeated that the movement is non-ideological and non-judgemental in terms of race/economic class/gender/sexual preferences/religion of the people who want to participate.

    So unless you’ve got some evidence of OWS being anti-semitic, you can STFU.

  48. 48.

    gaz

    @Reality Check: Adbusters is anti-semetic the same way Noam Chomsky is anti-semetic, you deluded tool.

    There’s a stark difference between criticizing the hegemony of the Israeli Government, and of it’s American enablers (who are close to the levers of power here in the US) and hating on Jewish people.

    I’m not surprised that a clown like you wouldn’t know the difference – or would choose to dismiss it if you did.

  51. 51.

    Reality Check

    @gaz:

    Uh, the title of the article was “Why Won’t Anyone Say They Are Jewish?” Anti-Semitic rags do this kind of stuff all the time, “exposing” Jews in government or the economy. It’s SOP, and has nothing to do with Israel.

    Would it make you feel better if I called it “Judeophobic” instead of “anti-semitic”?

  52. 52.

    Reality Check

    @singfoom:

    Does the fact an anti-semitic magazine, who ran an article called “Why Won’t Anyone Say They are Jewish”?, which “exposed” Jews “controlling” the political system, called the protest make it anti-semitic?

    There are an awful lot of anti-semitic dog whistles “banksters”, “Kochtopus”, etc, going on and on about Ben Bernake and Rahm Emmanuel.

  54. 54.

    gaz

    @Reality Check: Clearly you haven’t read the article. I did. There’s context to that headline inside. Arguably the headline should have been changed, because it provided fodder for low information morons with reading comprehension problems to take it and run with it (in most cases, like yours) without even bothering to skim the content of it.

    Even then, *if* you still manage to delude yourself into thinking that it is clearly anti-semetic based on the headline alone (as you must you know, because all of these DFH commie and soshulsists are evil, dontcha know!) – that’s *one* case, about 7 years old and it was pulled. So it’s a stretch to paint the entire org as a bunch of antisemites – unless of course, you are simply being a mendacious asshole, in which case you clearly don’t give a shit.

    So can I play too?. Based on your logic, every Republican is a fascist because a few were rooting for Hitler over Stalin during WWII , and every republican is a sociopath because of Paul Ryan and Dick Cheney.

    Your argument is stupid. Your game is stupid. And you desperately need that Reality Check… That is all.

  55. 55.

    cmorenc

    @peach flavored shampoo:

    Prosecutors will wait a few months for the stink to clear, then mysteriously drop all charges.

    If any weapons charges were filed against Rep. Todd, there’s indeed a strong possibility these will wind up being dismissed in some fashion or other.

    HOWEVER, AS TO THE DUI, over the last 20 or so years across most of the south (especially in big metropolitan areas like Nashville) it’s progressively become MUCH more difficult for prosecutors to dismiss or plea bargain such charges to some relatively minor violation, and FAR more likely the prosecutors or police involved will receive career-risking repercussions and political blowback if they do so. Even the majority of politically red red-necks across the south have sharply turned against tolerance for driving under the influence and dangerously reckless driving. In a somewhat related anecdote that is quite revealing of the sea change in general attitudes about things that used to be tolerated as good-old-boy misbehavior, a well-known NASCAR driver was recently convicted of speeding 120mph on rural roads near Concord, NC, the heart of NASCAR country, with surprisingly strong community support for the local police and prosecutors nailing him hard instead of letting him off soft.

    IMHO it’s highly likely Rep. Todd will be convicted of DUII and receive the standard sentence for someone convicted with his blood alcohol count (or intoxicated demeanor if he refused a BAC). Whether his constituents will hold Todd’s forthcoming DUII conviction against him at the next election remains to be seen, but it’s also likely another red-meat local politico will step forward and if they defeat Todd, will carry on similar voting habits at the Legislature.

  56. 56.

    Reality Check

    @gaz:

    Yeah, the article was “I’m not anti-semetic BUT, you know, there are an AWFUL lot of Jews running around our government supporting Israel which is the WORST STATE EVER and the unique source of all modern evil on earth. But I’m NOT an anti-semite”.

    Uh-huh. Sure.

    And it’s not *only* the article–the anti-Jewish taunts heard at the protests, the stuff about “the Kochtopus”, and “Banksters”, how Goldmann Sachs is the “vampire squid” at the center of the conspiracy, this is straight out of 1920s Europe.

  57. 57.

    singfoom

    @Reality Check: Adbusters is not an anti-semitic magazine. Based on the content of that article, rather than the title, it was about what influence Israel had on our foreign policy, which is a valid question. There were several members of the Bush administration who were Jewish neo-cons that had extreme views vis-a-vis Israel and the US. You see, to actually level a charge of anti-semitism, you have to be hostile to the Jewish people as a whole, rather than just asking or talking about Israel. I’m sure you ate up those claims.

    Banksters is not a dog whistle. That term has no jewish connotations as far as I’m concerned.
    Kochtopus is not a dog whistle. That term also has no jewish connotations.

    I’m done feeding you troll.

  58. 58.

    Satanicpanic

    Adbusters is all over these rallies. I saw their signs everywhere when I went to my local occupation. They had a display booth and were passing out stickers saying occupy —- sponsored by AdBusters, just so everyone would know that they were putting on these rallies.

    *Edited for spelling

  59. 59.

    Reality Check

    @singfoom:

    Shorter singfoom: “I’m not anti-semitic, BUT…”

    Again, do you prefer the term Judeophobe? After all I’m an “Islamophobe” when I object to organizations like Hamas and Hizbollah.

    As to the dogwhistles, you’re seriously going to tell me that the octopus/squid motif wasn’t widely used in anti-semitic propaganda? That rants about “Jewish influence” in government weren’t also used? That Jews weren’t widely identified with the banking industry?

    And once again the article was attacking them for being JEWISH, noticed how nothing was said about (say) Donald Rumsfeld even though he had the same views. No, TEH JEWZ were in control and Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld were helpless puppets.

  60. 60.

    singfoom

    @Reality Check: Failblog, RC. I am not an anti-semite. There’s no but.

    The Kochs are Roman Catholic, you idiot. How do you get from the Kochs / Kochtopus to anti-semitic remarks?

    No more food for you.

  61. 61.

    gaz

    @Reality Check:

    You could just as easily say the squid motif was inspired by representations of the Standard Oil monopoly back in it’s day.

    But that would require a level of awareness of American History that you demonstrably lack.

  63. 63.

    singfoom

    @Reality Check: Wow, I guess you’re out of ammo if we’re talking about motifs.

    Fuck, you know who used squares and circles in their propaganda? The soviets, that’s who! You know what, that car you drive? The wheels are four circles!! WH DO YOU HATE AMERICA AND FREEDOM?

    Seriously, that’s how coherent you sound. Believe what you will but you’re just reaching in every single case above.

  68. 68.

    Paul in KY

    Just like ‘jwest’, why would anyone want to answer anything a well known tool like ‘Reality Check’ would post? I don’t have cleek’s pie filter loaded, but I just mentally skim over any post by them or responding to them.

  69. 69.

    gaz

    @Satanicpanic: You missed the point of my comment – thanks – because you actually made my point.

    which was to counter RC’s insinuation that octopus depictions are not intrinsically antisemitic.

    Everybody else got it – you can thank me later for helping you keep up.

  71. 71.

    Satanicpanic

    @gaz: it appears your snark meter is on the fritz

    Re: Paul in KY- I like hearing what right wing trolls are yapping about just on the off chance that I end up in a conversation in mixed company and someone is trying to use these crazy arguments.

  73. 73.

    Ash Can

    LOL @ Reality Check in this thread! Seriously, I can’t believe how immune to feeling embarrassment some people are. It’s almost pathetic.

  75. 75.

    gaz

    @Satanicpanic: apologies.

    my snark meter usually requires priming with like 2 or 3 sentences and an emoticon.

    but it can be cold-started with /snark

    I haven’t had the time to get it serviced yet…

  77. 77.

    Satanicpanic

    @gaz: I know, but I just feel like /snark is too much like explaining a joke. As a result, I get accused of trolling on occasion, it’s all part of the fun!

  79. 79.

    Jamey: Bike Commuter of the Gods

    No, what would be awesome is if he had blown a .38 on his Breathalyzer test…

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