Legend criticizes proposed ban on tattoo shops in Westminster

Amid the electric whir of tattoo machines and the thump of rock tunes at Carroll County?s first tattoo convention Sunday, two industry legends criticized a proposed ban on tattoo shops from downtown Westminster.

“There were tattoos before city councils,” said Lyle Tuttle, a world-renowned artist from San Francisco who is credited with catapulting tattoos into the mainstream after inking Peter Fonda, Janis Joplin and Cher. “It just shows the council?s tunnel vision. It?s prejudice.”