TORRINGTON - Actor Elmore “Rip” Torn was arrested Friday night after police said they found the 78-year-old had broken into Litchfield Bancrop branch on Main Street in Salisbury while “highly intoxicated” and armed with a loaded handgun.
Police responded to a burglar alarm at 9:40 p.m., and found Torn with the handgun. Torn was arrested without incident and charged with carrying a firearm under the influence of alcohol, first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal trespass, third-degree criminal mischief and carrying a pistol without a permit.
Friday's arrest, near Torn's Lakeville home was Torn's second in 13 months. The “Men in Black” and “30 Rock” star was charged with driving while intoxicated in December 2008 after police found him creeping along the breakdown lane on Route 44 in his Subaru with a Christmas tree tied to the roof.
Torn has previously been arrested twice for alcohol-related driving offenses in New York. A Litchfield Superior Court judge granted Torn a special form of probation in May that spared the actor jail time, and required an alcohol education program.
Torn's first arrest in 2004 in New York state resulted in an acquittal after jurors decided that prosecutors had failed to prove he was drinking before a fender-bender with a taxi. A police videotape showed him cursing and berating officers before turning down a sobriety test.
Torn's second prior arrest in Salem, N.Y., in 2007 resulted in a reduced charge of driving while impaired.
At what point does a person with alcoholism lose the right to own guns? Does such a severe restriction of the god-given right to protect oneself have to wait until there is loss of life? Rip Torn was very lucky, again, that no one got hurt. But in your opinion, is he the kind of man you want to own guns?
The sad reality is some people cannot be trusted with guns due to substance abuse problems. In The Famous 10%, I put the figure at 3% of gun owners, while in the population at large it's much higher. Do you think that's a fair estimate?
Please leave a comment.
Again, this is yet another instance of gunowners actively avoiding responsibility.
ReplyDeleteWhen some drunk blows away his family or the like, the gunowners will claim that nobody could see this coming or that bathtubs are the root of all violence.
If you go to just about shooting range--especially on a Fri or Sat evening--many of the patrons will be snot-slinging drunk. In some of the more rural shooting ranges, it's not uncommon to see folks have a couple beers in the parking lot.
--JadeGold
JadeGold: "If you go to just about shooting range--especially on a Fri or Sat evening--many of the patrons will be snot-slinging drunk."
ReplyDeleteJadeGold goes to such interesting shooting ranges, gun shows, and NRA meetings.
The ones that I go to are so boring by comparison.
Yet another patently false claim by Jadegold that is not backed up by anything even remotely resembling fact.
ReplyDeleteHe fits in with you PERFECTLY MikeB.
FJ: I find many gunloons "overlook" that which is embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteLook, I know you folks wish to pretend all gunowners are slightly more virtuous than Jesus--but we both know that's not true. Part of being responsible--in any endeavor--is recognizing the truth.
--JadeGold
JadeGold: "Look, I know you folks wish to pretend all gunowners are slightly more virtuous than Jesus--but we both know that's not true.
ReplyDeleteYes, gunowners are indeed human.
JadeGold: "Part of being responsible--in any endeavor--is recognizing the truth."
And a great way to prevent that from ever happening is to offer (as you do) a bogus and distorted picture of gunowers, which will usually inspire antagonistic responses.
"recognizing the truth."
ReplyDeleteLike your false claim about filing down the firing pin makes a semi-auto into a full-auto???
"If you go to just about shooting range--especially on a Fri or Sat evening--many of the patrons will be snot-slinging drunk. In some of the more rural shooting ranges, it's not uncommon to see folks have a couple beers in the parking lot."
ReplyDeleteReally? Where is it that you live JadeGold? I have never, ever, seen anyone drunk on a public range in all of my life. Also, how often do you patronize gun ranges? You have no problem making generalizations about them, but with your strong aversion to guns I have a hard time believing that you have even been to one.
Part of being responsible--in any endeavor--is recognizing the truth.
ReplyDeleteWell then under your own criteria you will never be "responsible"
Well, we certainly have a dichotomy here. Otoh, Jade Gold says that he's knows of firing ranges where people get drunk.
ReplyDeleteFour other commenters say he's wrong, that it never happens. I'm sure that all of the stories about people getting drunk and accidentally shooting someone in the face are just anti-gun pipedreams too.
When you folks who say that the gun culture is without faults wake up and admit that there might be a flaw in your thinking--then, perhaps, there can be a genuine discussion.
I find the suggestion completely credible that at your typical rural shooting range you might witness some drunkenness. On the other hand, the pro-gun claim that almost all gun owners are responsible doesn't work for me at all. I've yet to read any pro-gun commenter admit that my Famous 10% is probably true.
ReplyDelete"Otoh, Jade Gold says that he's knows of firing ranges where people get drunk. Four other commenters say he's wrong,"
ReplyDeleteDemocommie, you are trivializing what JadeGold has said. He said that "if you go to just about about shooting range--especially on a Fri or Sat evening--many of the patrons will be snot-slinging drunk". So not only is he saying you can find this at almost any shooting range, he is saying that many of the patrons there will be drunk. I am saying that I have never seen that before. Could it happen? Sure. I have no doubts that dumb assholes have shown up at a gun range after drinking. But to characterize many to most gunowners at public ranges as drunk rednecks is dishonest at best. Again, I doubt that JadeGold has ever even been to a gun range before, and if you believe him I am having my doubts about you too.
"I've yet to read any pro-gun commenter admit that my Famous 10% is probably true."
ReplyDeleteI have yet to see any evidence that it is probably true.
OF COURSE people are always drunk at shooting ranges!
ReplyDeleteIf rangemasters permitted obviously drunk people to shoot at their range and someone was injured as a result, NO lawyer would be able to sue the range for civil liability. No lawyer at all!
Do I know my law, or what?