Prayers for the Death of Children

March, 2010 - Crime: Road rage, murder

Houston, Texas - Richard Calderon, a CCW permit holder, was involved in a car accident where he hit a vehicle and kept going. When the driver of the car followed him in an attempt to get the license number in order to report him to police, Calderon shot at her. Instead of hitting the driver, he hit the driver's 13 year old daughter who died of her wounds.

Our prayers go out the family.

March, 2010 - Crime: Murder, Felonious Assault of a newborn

Cincinnati, Ohio - Shamon Davis, a CCW permit holder, should still be in the process of celebrating the birth of his daughter, Kloe, who was born three weeks ago.

Instead, he's in jail under a 3 million dollar bond.

It seems on a visit to his girlfriend, Kelli Walton's home to visit the baby, they argued over child support (Little Kloe being their fourth child, the others being ages 9, 6, and 3.) and Davis pulled out a gun and, while she held the newborn in her arms, shot her. The bullet grazed little Kloe's head, fracturing her skull and entered her mother, killing her.

Once again, our prayers go out to the motherless children and to Kelli's mother who has lost her precious daughter.

A Flash of Anger, A Wave of Regret

February, 2010 - Crime: Domestic violence, Murder

Westford, Massachusetts - There was no reporting of why Brian Marchand felt the need to obtain a CCW permit for his firearms. What we do know is after a period of having marital and financial problems, he chose to use his firearms to kill his only child, a 17 year old daughter named Olivia, attempt to kill his wife, Jody, and then turn the gun on himself.

Our condolences to the family.

February, 2010 - Crime: Malicious Assault, brandishing a firearm, using a firearm in a felony, resisting arrest

Fairfax, Virginia - Jose Avila, a CCW permit holder, was annoyed because he didn't like where Floriano Whitwell and Matthew Dumas had parked their vehicles. He honked his horn at them and drove off, only to return a few minutes later. Only this time he pointed a gun at the two men. Avila fled the scene but was quickly apprehended by police who found a 9mm Astra A-90 loaded with 14 hollow point bullets.

Avila was caught so quickly because the men he aimed the gun at were federal marshalls with their badges hanging around their neck.

And who was Avila that he would be aiming a firearm loaded with hollow point bullets at police? A former priest and anger management counselor used by the Domestic Relations Court in Fairfax Co., VA.

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.

Once again, the mass murderer had a CCW

January, 2010 - Crime: Murder

Appamattox, Virginia - Christopher Bryan Speight turned himself in to police after eight people were murdered and a police helicopter was shot down by gunfire. Shot were Speight's sister, brother-in-law, Speight's 15 year old nephew, 4 year old niece and four family friends, including a 16 year old boy.

When he turned himself in, Mr. Speight was wearing camouflage pants and a bulletproof vest.

Christopher Speight was a CCW permit holder.

January, 2010 - Crime: Third-degree murder

Erie, Pennsylvania - All Jayson Sack did, according to witnesses, was yell to a driver to slow down in a picnic area. That was all it took for Joel Atkin to get out of his car, take out his .357 Magnum and kill the father of three in front of his family. Mr. Atkin felt being reprimanded for speeding was enough of a reason to take a man's life.

Another sad outcome

October, 2009 - Crime: Murder, Suicide
Lebanon, Pennsylvania - Meleanie Hain was a CCW permit holder who made the mistake of showing up at her 5 year old's soccer practice with a handgun holstered to her hip. Her permit was temporarily revoked. Meleanie complained that because her permit was revoked that her babysitting business had suffered and she had been ostracized in her community. The judge in the case, while giving her bad her permit, made it clear he questioned her judgement.

This morning Meleanie and her husband were found dead in what looks to be a murder/suicide. Meleanie and her husband had been having marital difficulties. The couple's three children were at home at the time of the murder but were physically uninjured.

October, 2009 - Crime: Attempted murder, Failure to secure a high powered weapon, Discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling
Randolph, Massachusetts - Christopher Leonard, a CCW permit holder, got into an argument with his next door neighbor, John Rota, about the leaves falling in their yards. Leonard felt so strongly about the argument that he shot his neighbor in the stomach.

Leonard was released on $20,000 cash bail with the conditions that he not reside at his home, not have any contact with the victim, not take any alcohol or drugs and take regular drug tests.

October, 2009 - Crime: Making terroristic threats
Minneapolis, Minnesota - Raymond Kenneth Kmetz was at the Hennepin County courthouse because he was a defendant in a criminal case. Prior to arriving at the courthouse he informed someone that he planned to bring a gun with him and shoot individuals involved in the case. Police investigating the threat discovered that Kmetz had applied for a CCW permit.

Update August 15, 2009

August, 2009 - Crime: Murder
http://www.wreg.com/wreg-davisparttwo-story,0,2446637.story

Bartlett, Tennessee - Austin Agee, a 22 year old CCW permit holder, committed suicide in front of his mother and sister. He was apparently distraught because the police were planning on questioning in more detail over the disappearance of aspiring actress, Lisa Davis. Agee left several suicide notes informing the police where he dumped Davis' body. She had been shot in the back of the head. Agee wrote that 'things just got out of hand'.

Update August 11, 2009

August 2009 - Crimes: Domestic Violence - Murder

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20090809/NEWS01/908090310



Heath, Ohio - Robert Channel and his wife, Vicki had been in a domestic violence cycle for some time. This cycle had involved the criminal justice system. And yet he was able to get a concealed carry permit. He was also able to then murder his wife and then commit suicide.



August 2009 - Crimes: Criminal recklessness, intimidation with a weapon, pointing a loaded weapon, resisting law enforcement

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/09/man-accused-pointing-gun-threatening-party-goers/



Mount Vernon, Indiana - Benjamin Bredemeier, a CCW permit holder, showed up at a party uninvited because he had heard that his ex-girl friend and her new boyfriend would be attending. He attempted to provoke a fight with the new boyfriend and when asked to leave the home he pointed the gun in the person's face. He later told investigators that he wanted to confront his girlfriend, get his property back and that he was upset about the end of their relationship.



August 2009 - Crimes: Production of marijuana and possession of an explosive devices

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-guns-drugs-nudity-081009,0,7118287.story



Kissimee, Florida - William Scott Clark, a CCW permit holder was arrested for cultivating approximately 40 pot plants. When his trailer was searched, his girlfriend admitted to the cultivation but stated that Clark had moved the plants. The plants were discovered at a friends house with Clark's Mac-11 submachine gun, a .50 caliber sniper rifle, Browning semi-automatics mounted on tripods, live mortar rounds, launching tubes and several home made bombs.



August 2009 - Crimes: Possession of a firearm on school grounds, trespassing on school property with a weapon and resisting officers without violence.

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/103159



Miami, Florida - Jeffrey Weinsier, a reporter at a local television station, had obtained a CCW permit after receiving death threats due to a prior new story. When he was scheduled to do a report at a local high school, he was asked by the safety office not to bring his firearm onto school property due to state laws. He had two choices, he could lock his firearm in the news van or he could do the story next to schol property. Jeff decided to take the road less travelled and take the third option and had to pay an $11,000 bond for the privileges.

Some statistics to this point

I thought for the sake of information that I'd look at what we've found in about a month of digging.

From Oct. 2004 to early August 2009, these states have had crimes committed by individuals who had been documented by the press as having previously obtained concealed carry permits:

Ohio (9)
Pennsylvania (5)
Florida (4)
North Carolina (3)
New York (3)
Michigan (3)
Washington (2)
Utah (2)
South Carolina (1)
Kansas (1)
Montana (1)
Oklahoma (1)
Idaho (1)
Kentucky (1)
Alabama (1)
California (1)
Colorado (1)
West Virginia (1)

And the list of actual crimes:

Murder, Attempted Murder, Manslaughter, Assault, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Domestic Violence, Child Sodomy, Domestic Terrorism, Assaulting a Police Officer, Stalking, Aggrevated Menacing, Promoting Illegal Gambling, Organ Trafficking, Impersonating a Police Officer, Felony Road Rage, Reckless Endangerment, Resisting Arrest, DUI/DWI, Using a Firearm While Intoxicated, Hit and Run, Drug Possession, Drug Paraphenalia, Possession of a Firearm in a Courthouse, Possession of a Firearm on School Property, Possession of a Firearm in an Airport, Falsifying Legal Documents, Giving a Firearm to a Prohibited Person, Animal Cruelty, Criminal Mischief, oh yeah, and Speeding.

Now once again, as I said in my very first post, this isn't about lambasting those individuals who utilize firearms legally and responsibly. This is about refuting the myth that the NRA espouses that all the folks who get CCW's are law abiding citizens and that there's no need for regulation. If we are going to have a reasonable, rational discussion, we have to have the facts on the table and the myths dispelled.