Debunking the Violence Policy Center's "Mass Shootings Committed by Concealed Carry Killers" 11/12/2015

The March 2015 Violence Policy Center report "Mass Shootings Committed by Concealed Carry Killers" claims that concealed handgun license holders in

the United States have committed at least twenty-nine mass shootings since May 2007. However, the report identifies only one shooting for which licensed concealed carry was likely a factor, and the shooter in that instance had a criminal record that made him ineligible to possess a firearm (a database error resulted in him being issued a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms, despite his ineligibility).

The VPC report claims, "A mass shooting is defined as the killing of three or more people consistent with the federal definition contained in the 'Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012.'" In reality, the "Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012" does not define "mass shooting"; however, it does define "mass killing" as "3 or more killings in a single incident." The VPC report identifies twenty-nine such killings purportedly carried out by concealed handgun license holders. Fourteen of those mass killings involved only the minimum of three victims, and the report does not differentiate between killings committed with handguns and killings committed with other firearms, between killings committed in a public place where the perpetrator would have needed a concealed handgun license to lawfully possess a handgun and killings committed in the perpetrator's home, between killings committed where licensed concealed carry was legal and killings committed where it wasn't, or between killings that were crimes of passion made possible only because the killer was already lawfully carrying a handgun and killings that were premeditated and for which a concealed handgun license offered no legal or strategic advantage and was not an enabling factor. Furthermore, the report uses very loose criteria (typically media reports) in ascertaining whether or not each perpetrator possessed a valid concealed handgun license, and there is evidence that several of the perpetrators did not.

Although the VPC report is obviously intended to show that licensed concealed carry represents a clear and present danger to public safety, an examination of these twenty-nine incidents reveals twenty-six for which there is virtually no probability that licensed concealed carry was a factor, two for which there is a low probability that licensed concealed carry was a factor, and one for which there is a moderate to high probability that licensed concealed carry was a factor. The one incident for which there is a moderate to high probability that licensed concealed carry was a factor resulted in only three murders (the minimum to qualify as a "mass killing"), involved a perpetrator who should have been ineligible to obtain a concealed handgun license, and took place at the home of a relative of the perpetrator.

The following chart breaks down the twenty-nine mass killings listed in "Mass Shootings Committed by Concealed Carry Killers." Please note that the chart does not list all relevant criteria for each incident. For example, if evidence clearly shows that a shooting was premeditated but does not immediately show whether the shooter possessed a valid concealed handgun license, the chart lists only that the shooting was premeditated, in explaining why licensed concealed carry was not a factor. KEY:

ORANGE - Unlikely that licensed concealed carry was a factor.

RED - Likely that licensed concealed carry was a factor.

GREEN - No likelihood that licensed concealed carry was a factor. This includes shootings that were clearly premeditated, began in or took place entirely in the shooter's home, began with or were committed entirely with a weapon other than a handgun, began in or took place entirely in a location where licensed concealed carry was not legal, or were part of a lesser premeditated crime (i.e., robbery or hijacking) gone wrong.

Debunking The Violence Policy Center's "Mass Shootings Committed by Concealed Carry Killers"

Page 1

Perpetrator Victims Was lawful, licensed concealed carry a factor?

1. Michael McLendon 10 No. The shooting began at the perpetrator's home.2. Omar Thornton 8 No. Police said the perpetrator, knowing he was being called into a disciplinary hearing, used his lunchbox to

sneak two guns into his gun-free workplace. This indicates premeditation.3. Pedro Vargas 6 No. The shooting began at the perpetrator's home.4. Gerardo Regalado 4 No. The perpetrator planned the attack, which apparently targeted his wife.5. Paul Michael Merhige 4 No. The perpetrator, who bought his guns the day before the shooting, said he'd been planning the attack for

years.6. Guillermo Zarabozo 4 No. The mass shooting was part of a planned hijacking of a charter boat.7. Charles Johnston 3 No. The shooting was premeditated.8. Jason Kenneth Hamilton 3 No. The shooting began in the perpetrator's home. The shooter's criminal record should have precluded him from

owning a firearm, much less obtaining a concealed handgun license. 9. Kenneth Allen Keith 3 No. The shooting occurred during a premeditated robbery. 10. Ferdarius Shine 3 No. The shooting took place at the perpetrator's home. The perpetrator and his daughter had lived with his

grandmother, in the home where the shooting occurred, since he lost his job and house the year before.11. Troy Brake 4 No. The shooting was premeditated. The perpetrator shot three of the victims so that he could sexually assault the

fourth. The fourth was then beaten to death.12. Andrew Engeldinger 6 Unlikely. The perpetrator reportedly retrieved his gun after realizing he was going to be fired, suggesting that the

shooting was premeditated. Also, the only evidence that he had a concealed handgun license was a license application found in his house, indicating that he was probably still in the process of applying.

13. Jiverly Wong 13 No. The shooting was premeditated. Also, the perpetrator's "license to carry" was designated for "“TARGETSHOOTING – HUNTING" only.

14. Frank Garcia 4 No. The shooting was premeditated.15. Craig Stephen Hicks 3 No. The shooting was premeditated. 16. William Maxwell 3 No. The shooting took place at the perpetrator's home. 17. Terrance Hough Jr. 3 No. According to prosecutors, the perpetrator was determined to kill when he emerged from his home and shot

three people in a neighboring yard. 18. Kevin M. Cleeves 3 Likely. The perpetrator carried a handgun to his ex-wife's house, to confront her about custody of their daughter.

When the ex-wife's boyfriend refused to hand over the daughter and told him to leave, the perpetrator openedfire. At the time his concealed handgun license was issued, the perpetrator had an outstanding warrant for domestic abuse, which should have precluded him from owning a firearm, much less obtaining a concealed handgun license; however, a database error allowed the Pennsylvania license to be issued anyway.

19. George Sodini 3 No. The shooting was premeditated.20. Richard Poplawski 3 No. This was a premeditated shooting committed at the perpetrator's home, with a rifle. An active restraining

order against the perpetrator should have invalidated his concealed handgun license.

Debunking The Violence Policy Center's "Mass Shootings Committed by Concealed Carry Killers"

Page 2

21. Paul Clifford Moore Jr. 3 No. The shooting occurred at the perpetrator's home. 22. Michael Joe Hood 3 No. The shooting occurred at the perpetrator's home. 23. Tan Do 5 No. According to police, this was a premeditated shooting.24. Justin Matern 3 No. The shooting was premeditated.25. Christopher Speight 8 No. This shooting began at the perpetrator's home and involved a rifle, not a handgun.26. Aaron Poseidon Jackson 3 No. The shooting was premeditated.27. Dennis Clark III 4 No. The shooting began at the perpetrator's home.28. Ian Stawicki 5 Unlikely. The perpetrator, carrying two handguns and at least five extra magazines, walked into a restaurant from

which he'd been banned, waited until he was confronted by an employee, and then opened fire. The amount ofguns and ammo carried by the suspect, coupled with the fact that he shot his victims execution-style (notindicative of a crime of passion), suggests that this was something he'd planned.

29. Aaron Alexis 12 No. This was a premeditated shooting that took place on a U.S. military base (where concealed carry is notallowed), in a city that, at that time, did not allow any form of licensed concealed carry.