One comedian's campaign against guns in bars

PHOTO BY MARGARET CARROLL-BERGMAN Adam Dread is trying to stop the National Rifle Association from passing a law that would allow guns in bars. Nashville politician and professional comedian Adam Dread is trying to reverse a recently passed Tennessee law that allows guns in bars and is campaigning to make sure the law does not get passed in Massachusetts as well as in other states.

A former bartender at The Mad Hatter, Dread first came to the island 27 years ago while an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University. Although he does not own property on the island, he is a frequent visitor and has self published two humor books about Nantucket, including, "You've Obviously Spent Time on Nantucket If…"

A former city councilman at-large in Nashville and a standup comedian as well as a lawyer, Dread mines plenty of humor in the law that allows guns in bars, but is worried that other states will make the same mistake as Tennessee and is trying to erase the law from the books.

"I'm one of the top five DUI (driving under the influence) attorneys in the state," said Dread, also a former chairman of the Public Safety, Whiskey, Beer and Wine committee for the city of Nashville. "This is the first state in the country to pass a law that you can bring a gun into any place that serves alcohol. It is rural legislation that affects the cities. The state has taken away the county's rights. This is bad. It's common sense that alcohol and firearms don't mix."

Nashville is a tourism-based economy and would suffer if the law were to stay on the books, said Dread.

"Nantucket is also a tourism-based economy. The state could control guns and you would not see it coming, just as what happened in Tennessee.

"The gun owners association lobby is not a registered lobby and led the (Tennessee) legislature to believe that the law to allow guns in bars was passed in 37 states," said Dread. "Less than three percent of Tennesseans are licensed to carry concealed weapons. It was special interest legislation pushed through by the National Rifle Association."

Dread asserts that the NRA could push similar legislation through other states if the elected officials are not paying close attention.

"I'm afraid that counties and municipalities could lose control over guns," said Dread, who is working with David Randolph Smith, a Vanderbilt Law School professor to sue the state of Tennessee under the nuisance statute.

"We aren't suing for money," he said. "We are suing because allowing guns in bars violates OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) legislation. Employees serving alcohol are at risk if they are serving to people who are armed."

Dread admits to owning a gun and having used one, for self defense, while under attack in Costa Rica some years ago.

He is a controversial character in Nashville, labeled a self-promoter by some and loved by others.

"I've had bodyguards," he said.

Dread also passed a law in Nashville that requires all cab drivers to speak English.

"It's a $50 fine and most of the cab drivers are Somali and can speak English. It's the first of its kind in the country.

"Nashville is a convention center and visitors come there from all over the world. Instead of being known as Music City, it'll be known as Dodge City," he said. I