Update August 22, 2009

August 2009 - Crime: Criminal Trespass

Louisville, Kentucky - Thomas Irwin, a concealed carry permit holder, had been banned from the University of Louisville library for harassing an employee last year. This month he returned to the library carrying two firearms and ammunition. Employees recognized him and called police. He was arrested without incident.

New Report Update From the Violence Policy Center

The VPC has a new report out on crimes committed by individuals with CCW's.

And according to their documentation, from May 2007 to April 2009 seven police officers (Including an FBI agent) have been killed by individuals with concealed carry permits, three have been wounded; 43 civilians have been murdered and six were injured. In six of the incidents, the individuals later killed themselves, which increases the body count.

Read the reports on the incidents, they will amaze and outrage you.

I know, normally, I write up the reports but since VPC did the work, they should get the counts going to their site.

No CCW crimes? Look what I found in three hours time

In several letters to the editor all across the nation I saw comments stating firmly that the writer had never seen a single report of crimes committed by a CCW permit holder.

Now either these individuals didn't know how to search, or they didn't want to find because it most definitely can be found. (I must at this time thank two friends Abby and Cathie for getting the ball rolling.)

Conceal Carry Crimes

July 2009 – Crime: Felony Road Rage

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-edmond-road-rage-story,0,5845809.story

Edmond, Oklahoma – An angry driver pulls a gun on an Oklahoma couple during a road rage incident. Concealed weapons permit holder, 43-year-old Darryl Inman, charged with felony. Inman is currently a pilot for JetBlue.

July 2009 – Crime: Impersonating a police officer

http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-jul1709-citizen_arrest.4e0b1fd0.html

Boise, Idaho – After witnessing a petty theft, Concealed weapons permit holder, Paul Brookhouse attempted to make a citizen’s arrest. Unfortunately, he chose to pull his gun and identify himself as a police office. Now, both the thief and Mr. Brookhouse are facing charges. Police appreciated the help but stated that in a situation like this, there was no reason to pull a firearm.

July 2009 – Crime: Domestic violence and assaulting a police officer

http://www.galioninquirer.com/local.asp?ID=1687&Story=2

Galion, Ohio – Police responding to a domestic violence call shoot and kill William Kitzmiller. Concealed weapons permit holder Kitzmiller told his wife if she called the police he “would not be taken easily.” When police tried to disarm him an officer was shot in the hand, a second officer returned fire and struck and killed Kitzmiller.

July 2009 – Crime: Speeding and concealing a weapon

http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/516353.html?nav=5188

Lisbon, Ohio – Concealed weapons permit holder, 50-year-old William Lewis, was stopped for speeding, forgot to tell police officers he had a loaded .40-caliber pistol in his car and reached for the gun when he opened his glove compartment to get his car registration. Lewis has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

July 2009 – Crime: Child Sodomy

http://www.msadvocate.com/morestory.aspx?storiesID=772

Jeffersonville, Kentucky – Concealed weapons permit holder, 39-year-old Michael Dunn, is being held on seven counts of first-degree child sodomy in a case involving a 14-year-old boy. In a separate case, Dunn is being charged with filing incomplete firearms training records while servicing as a concealed weapons instructor. In February 2008 a grand jury found Dunn acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a man during a dispute at his home.

July 2009 – Crime: Murder

http://northeast2.tbo.com/content/2009/jul/13/131316/man-shot-killed-tampa-apartment-complex/

Tampa, Florida – Marcos Antonio Truillio, a concealed weapons permit holder, shot Carlos Aris, a graphics artist working for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, because he thought the man was breaking into his house. Family members say he had been going door to door evangelizing.

July 2009 - Crime: DWI, Using weapons while intoxicated and possession of marijuana

http://blog.cleveland.com/parmasunpost/2009/07/driver_facing_long_list_of_wea.html Seven Hills, Ohio - Concealed weapons permit holder, 43-year-old Russell Larson, was pulled over for going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone. Larson, who had eight prior operating a vehicle while intoxicated arrests, had a loaded .45-caliber pistol in his car, as well as a large folding knife, brass knuckles, and a bag of marijuana. He was charged with operated a vehicle while intoxicated , felony improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, using weapons while intoxicated, and possession of marijuana.

July 2009 - Crime: Felony hit and run, DWI

http://www.facebook.com/n/?profile.php&id=775044091&v=feed&story_fbid=120369648216&mid=cdeb05G1e0710ceG2eb14c0G37 Corunna, Michigan – Shiawassee Co. prosecutor and CCW permit holder Randy Colbry was responsible for an afternoon hit and run accident and found guilty of DWI. He voluntarily surrendered his CCW permit.

July 2009 – Crime: Promoting illegal gambling

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=820976

Rotterdam, New York – Gary DiCocco, CCW permit holder, was found guilty of promoting illegal gambling in a sport –betting operation which netted $250,000 in two months.

April 2009 - Crime: Three counts of homicide, aggrevated assault, and a weapons violation

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,512560,00.html

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Richard Poplawski, a CCW permit holder, ambushed four police officers, killing three and wounding one.

March 2009 – Crime: Eleven counts of murder and arson

http://www.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/crime_courts/article/mclendon_planned_killing_spree_that_left_11_dead/69328/ Kinston, Alabama - CCW permit holder, Michael McClendon killed 11 people including the wife of a deputy sheriff.

February 2009 – Crime: Three counts of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, one count of second degree murder, second degree kidnapping

http://rocnow.com/article/local-news/2009906120346

Brockport, New York - CCW holder Frank Garcia killed three people and wounded one in upstate New York. Reports are that the killings occurred because the women had reported Garcia for sexual harassment.

October 2008 - Aggrevated Assault

http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=9208805&nav=CcXHe7rB

Tye Burke, CCW holder, put a gun to a man's head at a children's soccer game because he took issue with a coach's call. The victim was the coach's husband.

June 2008 – Crime: Aggravated Murder

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700231347/Ragsdale-to-be-tried-in-wifes-slaying.html

Provo, Utah – CCW holder David Ragsdale pulled up to his church parking lot and shot his wife 12 times.

November 2007 – Crime: Having firearm on school property

http://www.whiotv.com/news/14602646/detail.html

Huber Heights, Ohio – CCW holder was found passed out in her car carrying a firearm on a Wednesday morning at the St. Peter Catholic School



December 2005 – Crime: Aggravated assault and felonious assault

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DDNB&p_theme=ddnb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10F10428E2A994B8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

Beavercreek, Ohio – CCW holder Jason Todd Waple placed his 9 mm handgun up to a man’s neck after a New Year’s Eve traffic dispute.

October 2004 – Crime: Murder

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FV&p_theme=fv&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10627761C08B545F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

Sanford, NC – CCW holder Horace Greeley Dawson arrested for shooting his neighbor, Richard Raab after a long standing feud. Dawson was later acquitted of first degree murder.

June 2004 – Crime: Illegal possession of a firearm in a courthouse

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=10364B55EC57AD29&p_docnum=1

Dayton, Ohio – CCW holder Douglas Lyons attempted to enter the Montgomery County courthouse to see an inmate while carrying a firearm.

2002 – According to Salt Lake City Tribune, 584 CCW’s were revoked because of crimes committed between 1994 - 2001.

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SLTB&p_theme=sltb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=100E42BB37256322&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

Why I'm blogging

Greetings to the first post in this blog. Before I say anything else, let me make this perfectly clear - this is not a "all gun owners are bad" blog. Nothing in this world is all black or all white.

I believe that ownership of firearms comes with a remarkable responsibility to the society at large. Since this is a weapon which, depending on it's size and scope, can kill many people very quickly and at varying distances, the individuals who carry such firearms are held to a high standard.

The right to carry a gun does not supercede the right to live. Those in our society who have had placed on their shoulders the responsibility to protect ie., police and the military, have been trained on when, where and how such decisions are made when forced to take a life, and even then, the weight of that responsibility has been painful for those who have had to make that decision.

Many states have voted to allow individuals to obtain concealed carry permits. Some states regulations are quite strict. Some are, frankly would be laughable if they weren't dangerous in their laxity. While most individuals who obtain a CCW are respectable, responsible gun owners, the laxity of some laws have permitted less, respectable, less responsible and less law abiding individuals to be able to get conceal carry permits.

The gun running lobby swears up and down that ALL the CCW permit holders are law abiding citizens who would not use their firearms to commit crimes or utilize them for terrorist acts.

Well, in the span of just three hours I was able to document a host of news articles concerning crimes committed by CCW permit holders.

And while doing this research, I found several listings of the NRA pushing bills in multiple states to prevent normal tax payers from finding out that crimes had been committed by CCW permit holders. Now why would they want to hide that type of information from the public?

Once again, this is not a site to belittle honest, hard working individuals who responsibly and legally own, store and utilize firearms.

This is a site to document the fact that there are those who utilize poorly written laws and abuse the privilege.