A proposal by the parents of a recently deceased FHS student would, if it were ever to become law, force individuals convicted of a third DUI to forgo their privilege to buy alcohol. While I have no respect for those stupid enough to repeatedly get behind the wheel while drunk, the government's attempts to tell a person not to do ANY drug has never worked.
A person caught for his third DUI obviously has a serious drinking problem, and telling him he cannot buy alcohol just won't work. This dangerous breed of alcoholics need their vehicles taken away, a membership in Alcoholics Anonymous, comprehensive rehabilitation - and possibly a new liver.
But remember, a person will only quit their drug of choice if they want to quit.
Cocaine addicts and first-time marijuana users have to go to rehab. If you told a third-time convicted cokehead that he simply couldn't snort-and-drive, obviously, this would have little effect. Cocaine is illegal, marijuana is illegal, and to minors, alcohol is illegal. That doesn't stop a whole bunch of people from buying these drugs who, under current laws, cannot touch them.
I can imagine under this proposed law three-time DUIers finding 19-year-olds with fake IDs to buy them alcohol.
Then again, if you look old enough, most bartenders aren't going to (and shouldn't be expected to) card you. This means that, in order for this law to work in taverns, everybody in bars across Montana would have to be carded. This makes bartenders unnecessary, and I suspect, unwilling, law enforcement minions.
Then, there's the redundancy factor. Under existing state laws, a person convicted of 5 DUIs goes to prison, which doesn't matter because after their 3rd DUI, their car is seized. Another law would be overkill.
Unfortunately, the Tiffany Snell tragedy probably wouldn't have been avoided through any law.
Sad to say, but if this proposal were on the books in October of 1996, it would have been the first law broken.