Anger, Stupidity, Insanity and Something to Consider

January, 2010 - Crime: Posession of a firearm while intoxicated and reckless use of a firearm
Novi, Michigan - At 4:45 PM a CCW permit holder whose name was withheld reportedly had been having a few with some friends when he decided to show his gun to his drinking buddy. No surprise that the gun was unintentionally discharged. The bullet travelled through the siding of the man's home to another nearby street, crashed through a family's sliding glass window and lodged in the wall near where the unsuspecting family had just sitting down for dinner. Luckily, no one was injured.

January, 2010 - Crime: Brandishing
Chico, California - Firefighter and CCW permit holder, Zachery Plottel, argued with a couple who were sitting in a car, apparently over the use of a laser pointer. The argument escalated to the point that Plottel took out his firearm and pointed it at the couple. The incident caused three nearby schools to go into lockdown. When apprehended Plottel pled the Fifth as to where he had place the firearm.

Plottel has been placed on administrative leave and if it's determined that the incident occurred within 1,000 feet of the nearest school, Neal Dow Elementary School, he may face additional charges which could negatively effect his 10 year career with the fire department.

January, 2010 - Crime: As yet unfiled
McDermitt, Ohio - A once again, unnamed CCW permit holder apparently needed to pay more attention when he was in school as he failed to read the large sign on his grandson's school which read 'No Concealed Guns on School Premises'. He went in with the gun unsecured in his pocket and decided to play basketball with his grandson in the school gym. The gun fell out of his pocket, discharged and shot him in the leg. Luckily the grandson was the only child in the gym at the time and he was uninjured.

Police are still determining appropriate charges.

January, 2010 - Crime: Murder
South Salt Lake City, Utah - Mary Nance Hanson, a CCW permit holder, went to the Salt Lake Community Action Program Head Start and firing at least five shots, killed Tetyana Nikitina, a head start teacher and mother of two as she left school for the day. Police stated that they had found evidence that Hanson had reloaded the firearm after firing several times.

When asked why she had killed the woman she stated that she didn't know and that that was all she was going to say.

Nikitina's two children, age 7 and 9 are in the custody of their father.



And a little bonus for you - for those who think that owning weapons are the be all and end all of security, I present you with this story:

January, 2010 - Crime: Theft, Complicity to Kidnapping, Complicity to Aggrevated Robbery
Fairfield Township, Ohio - Troy Purdin and his wife, both CCW permit owners, had a collection of firearms which they kept in a gun safe. They also had a cousin who had recently come into town named Timothy "TJ" Stone. They had not spent time with TJ since he was 10, but apparently one visit was enough to let TJ know that his relatives were gun owners.

The next time that TJ came over, he brought friends. Friends with their own firearms. TJ and his accomplises held a gun to Purdin's head and held him and his three year old son hostage while they stole the gun safe and 16 firearms.

Poor Decisions and Poorer Explanations

October, 2009 - Crime: Trespassing while armed
Fort Myers, Florida - CCW permit holder, Matthew James McMicken learned something very important about carrying a firearm - location, location, location. Matthew decided to go fishing in an off-limits canal adjacent to the Southwest Florida International Airport. First mistake, trespassing on airport property. Second mistake, trespassing while armed. Given that those areas are clearly marked, you have to wonder about the thought process of someone willing to bring a firearm with him onto airport property post 9/11. All I can say is they must have been really good fish in that canal to risk going to jail.

October, 2009 - Crime: Aggrevated Assault
Salt Lake City, Utah - A 41 year old unnamed CCW permit holder drove up to a gas pump at the same time as another driver did. After some heated words, the other man walked into the convenient store. The CCW permit holder followed him into the store and when the 19 year old victim attempted to leave the store the CCW permit holder pulled out a gun, held it to the 19 year old's head and said, "One word and you're dead, [expletive]. You're a smart [expletive] and your life is about to end." All this because a teenager got to a gas pump first.

But it doesn't end there. The CCW permit holder later returned to the store and questioned the clerks concerning whether or not they had called the police about the incident. They had.

When the police questioned the VVW permit holder about the incident he admitted he pulled the gun but claimed to not remember anything else as he was in a blackout.

If he was prone to blackouts, didn't the governing body that gave him the permit have the right to know he was either an alcoholic or prone to being mentally incapable? That said, I doubt he'll have to worry about it from now on.