Chattanooga Pulse

Welcome To The Rootinest, Tootinest Saloons East Of The Pecos
 

The image of popular cartoon character Yosemite Sam, six guns blazing over his head, has come to the mind of a many a Tennessee resident after the state legislature’s successful override of Governor Phil Bredesen’s veto of a bill that will allow, among other things, people with concealed weapons permits to carry their guns into establishments where alcohol is served.

“Governor Bredesen said last week when he vetoed this bill that he expected an override. He’s disappointed with this action but that doesn’t change his belief that we can exercise our second amendment rights and common sense at the same time,” a spokesman for the Governor said after the override was completed with the House voting 69-27 and the Senate voting 21-9.

Bredesen spoke to reporters a day after the override was completed, pointing out that he himself was a gun owner and hunter, yet still believes the law is misguided.  “I still think I’m right. I still think that guns in bars is a very bad idea. It’s an invitation to a disaster.”

The main sponsor of the bill, Sen. Doug Jackson, a Democrat, said state Safety Department records show handgun permit holders in Tennessee are responsible.  He noted that of the roughly 218,000 handgun permit holders in Tennessee, only 278 had their permits revoked last year.

The legislation, which has made national headlines along with a good amount of public ridicule from television and radio talk-show hosts, takes effect July 14. However, there are a few provisions in the new law that many have either overlooked or weren’t even aware of, including the retention of an existing ban on consuming alcohol while carrying a handgun.

The legislation also allows restaurant owners to opt to ban weapons from their establishments, but makes it clear that the decision is for the owners themselves and not local governments, which are prohibited from passing local ordinances that would seek to circumvent the new law.

What’s next for local bar and restaurant owners is to decide whether or not they are going to open the doors of their establishments to gun-toting patrons.  And the root of the decision comes down to money.

A number of owners have expressed concerns about having their insurance rates skyrocket if they allow those carrying weapons into their businesses, as well as concerns about liability and the possibility of being sued if someone gets shot in an altercation.

Typhoid Fever, Intelligent Highways, Security Scams
 

• Hamilton County Health officials said that there have been two confirmed cases of typhoid fever in the area, with another probable case being monitored. Which is a bit of a surprise, since the disease is most often seen in developing countries that have unsanitary conditions where food and water sources have become contaminated with raw sewage. Margaret Zylstra with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department says that none of the children who are recovering from the typhoid fever have recently traveled out of the state. Health officials are still investigating the source of the infections, symptoms of which are high fever, headache, abdominal pain and rash.

• If you’ve been wondering about those large reels of multi-colored conduit that have been sprouting up along the side of I-75, it’s not some secret government project to track your whereabouts.  It’s just phase two of the Intelligent Transportation System, which is being developed to carry information to a series of intelligent message boards mounted over the highway.  These boards will keep drivers informed of traffic ahead and even suggest re-routes if needed. The $21 million program is scheduled for completion by the end of 2011 and will hopefully make navigation the heavily travelled highway a bit easier.

• Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis is warning senior citizens to be wary of a door-to-door “security salesman” who claims to be working with the county. Several citizens have called in to report a man telling them that the county had purchased a number of systems to be given away, and all the homeowner would need to do is pay installation costs. He is also using scare tactics about high crime in order to convince the elderly to give him their money. Davis says the county is not involved in selling security systems, and that if anyone is contacted about this scam, to call police immediately.