diff --git a/src/rustc/middle/borrowck/preserve.rs b/src/rustc/middle/borrowck/preserve.rs
index 99bdc44eb5d7..0b7601f59d2c 100644
--- a/src/rustc/middle/borrowck/preserve.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/middle/borrowck/preserve.rs
@@ -74,8 +74,16 @@ impl private_methods for &preserve_ctxt {
             // when we borrow an rvalue, we can keep it rooted but only
             // up to the root_ub point
 
+            // When we're in a 'const &x = ...' context, self.root_ub is
+            // zero and the rvalue is static, not bound to a scope.
+            let scope_region = if self.root_ub == 0 {
+                ty::re_static
+            } else {
+                ty::re_scope(self.root_ub)
+            };
+
             // FIXME(#2977)--need to update trans!
-            self.compare_scope(cmt, ty::re_scope(self.root_ub))
+            self.compare_scope(cmt, scope_region)
           }
           cat_stack_upvar(cmt) {
             self.preserve(cmt)
diff --git a/src/rustc/middle/check_const.rs b/src/rustc/middle/check_const.rs
index 7f1fd250c919..dbf60edca8e9 100644
--- a/src/rustc/middle/check_const.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/middle/check_const.rs
@@ -101,8 +101,15 @@ fn check_expr(sess: session, def_map: resolve3::DefMap,
               }
             }
           }
+          expr_addr_of(m_imm, _) |
           expr_tup(*) |
           expr_rec(*) { }
+          expr_addr_of(*) {
+                sess.span_err(
+                    e.span,
+                    ~"borrowed pointers in constants may only refer to \
+                      immutable values");
+          }
           _ {
             sess.span_err(e.span,
                           ~"constant contains unimplemented expression type");
diff --git a/src/rustc/middle/trans/consts.rs b/src/rustc/middle/trans/consts.rs
index aeb8c8ce74af..8a8e284b5c04 100644
--- a/src/rustc/middle/trans/consts.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/middle/trans/consts.rs
@@ -130,6 +130,17 @@ fn const_expr(cx: @crate_ctxt, e: @ast::expr) -> ValueRef {
           }
         }
       }
+      ast::expr_addr_of(ast::m_imm, sub) {
+        let cv = const_expr(cx, sub);
+        let subty = ty::expr_ty(cx.tcx, sub),
+        llty = type_of::type_of(cx, subty);
+        let gv = do str::as_c_str("const") |name| {
+            llvm::LLVMAddGlobal(cx.llmod, llty, name)
+        };
+        llvm::LLVMSetInitializer(gv, cv);
+        llvm::LLVMSetGlobalConstant(gv, True);
+        gv
+      }
       ast::expr_tup(es) {
         C_struct(es.map(|e| const_expr(cx, e)))
       }
diff --git a/src/rustc/middle/typeck/rscope.rs b/src/rustc/middle/typeck/rscope.rs
index d76f62e17a96..812354f97a22 100644
--- a/src/rustc/middle/typeck/rscope.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/middle/typeck/rscope.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ trait region_scope {
 enum empty_rscope { empty_rscope }
 impl of region_scope for empty_rscope {
     fn anon_region() -> result<ty::region, ~str> {
-        result::err(~"region types are not allowed here")
+        result::ok(ty::re_static)
     }
     fn named_region(id: ast::ident) -> result<ty::region, ~str> {
         if *id == ~"static" { result::ok(ty::re_static) }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/const-rec-and-tup.rs b/src/test/run-pass/const-rec-and-tup.rs
index 9f4b1785b7ce..1881c771203f 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/const-rec-and-tup.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/const-rec-and-tup.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-const x : (int,int) = (0xfeedf00dd,0xca11ab1e);
-const y : { x: (int, int),
+const x : (i32,i32) = (0xfeedf00dd,0xca11ab1e);
+const y : { x: (i64, i64),
             y: { a: float,
                  b: float } } = { x: (0xf0f0f0f0_f0f0f0f0,
                                       0xabababab_abababab),
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/const-region-ptrs.rs b/src/test/run-pass/const-region-ptrs.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2ce212c158dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/const-region-ptrs.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+
+const x: &int = &10;
+
+const y: &{a: int, b: &int} = &{a: 15, b: x};
+
+fn main() {
+    io::println(fmt!("x = %?", x));
+    io::println(fmt!("y = {a: %?, b: %?}", y.a, *(y.b)));
+}