Pittsburgh Attack: Sixth Mass Shooting by a Concealed Handgun Licensee in Just Over Two Years

George Sodini, the man who opened fire at a Pittsburgh LA Fitness health club on Tuesday killing three women and wounding nine others -- including the pregnant fitness instructor -- before turning a gun on himself, is at least the sixth person licensed to carry a concealed handgun to commit a mass shooting since May 2007, according to research by my organization, the Violence Policy Center (VPC).

The prior mass shootings are detailed in a July 2009 study the VPC issued documenting killings by concealed handgun permit holders resulting in criminal charges or the suicide of the shooter, Law Enforcement and Private Citizens Killed by Concealed Handgun Permit Holders: An Analysis of News Reports, May 2007 to April 2009 (a recent update to the study can be seen here).

In a little over two years, these six mass shootings by known concealed handgun permit holders have claimed 26 innocent lives. An additional 16 people were injured. In three of the incidents, including the most recent Pittsburgh shooting, the shooter took his own life. One of the incidents -- which also occurred in Pittsburgh--claimed the lives of three law enforcement officers. And these are just the mass shootings where the shooter had a concealed handgun permit that we know of from news reports.

Yes, news reports.

That's because, at the gun lobby's insistence, in most states information on who possesses a concealed carry permit is secret. In fact, in Pennsylvania it can be a crime to release the information.

So instead of stopping mass shootings, concealed handgun permit holders are committing them.

Rather than give pause, it's safe to predict that the gun lobby will find a way to dismiss Sodini or somehow even use the Pittsburgh shooting as an argument for giving more people concealed handgun permits -- because if there's one thing the activist core of the pro-gun movement is more attached to than its guns it's the blanket of rationalization they swaddle themselves in when their world view is challenged by reality.

It won't take long before someone argues, "If only one woman in that class had a handgun," ignoring the fact that such a statement is predicated on the argument that people need concealed carry permits to stop other people with concealed carry permits from killing them. This will soon be followed by tortured calculations intended to show that relative to their population concealed handgun permit holders don't commit that many mass shootings. Or kill that many cops.

And that's because beneath these false arguments lies a clear truth: concealed handgun permit holders want what they want. Period. And there's no number of mass shootings, dead policeman, or innocent victims that will ever change their minds.

Comments

[don m]

Like the Brady folks, the VPC make up their own sound-bite factoids and spout them as gospel truth. After all, the end justifies the means, right?

The "concealed permit holder" who killed three Pittsburgh police officers had been dishonorably discharged from the military. The Firearms Control Act of 1968 would classify him as a "prohibited person," meaning that he is prohibited from owning ANY firearm, EVER. It's certainly not likely he'd have made the cut for a License to Carry Firearms.

Aside from that, it seems rather illogical that someone with criminal intent would bother to go through the process since it would be a hassle with no benefit. Using a gun to commit a crime is just as illegal, license or not.

But once spouted by a politician and emblazoned on some web sites, it becomes TRUTH!

[OdinsEye]

Maybe I missed it, but I have not seen any official report that this guy had a concealed carry permit. All the articles I have seen saying he did either do not attribute their source of the info or list it as the "Freedom States Alliance", an anti gun group aligned with VPC.

Regardless, as we have shown in the past, VPCs numbers usually include shootings where either the person was in a place where a concealed carry permit was not required (example: in a private residence), used a firearm that is not a concealable handgun (example: rifles), was not actually carrying concealed at the time (example: had to go retrieve the firearm), or in at least one case included a person who did not actually have a concealed carry permit (VPC got permit to purchase and permit to carry confused).

[KVL]

Mr. Sugarmann,

We agree with you. Sooner rather than later, we need to confront the truth; violence is wrong and guns (concealed or otherwise) have no place in a civil society. As the family of a victim of the Pittsburgh shooting incident, it sickens me to read endless amounts of psychoanalysis, justifications and explanations of Sodini's behavior.

What about the victims and how their life has been transformed by the senseless massacre?!! Do they have a voice?! And do they deserve to be represented?! Was sodini justified in his drastic approach?! Do his estranged family and blog moderators bear responsibility here?! More importantly, what about the victims and their families who have to pick up the pieces and move on?!!! It will take months, if not years, of hard work to rebuild broken trust...

I am an avid news reader but alas, I am deeply disappointed in the past week. It is time that we wake up and condemn violence. I am grateful for your effort but we need more.

Sincerely,

Elle

[OdinsEye]

If you can't trust your neighbor with firearms, how can you trust them to drive, vote, or be around your children?

Firearms most certainly DO belong in civil society.

[djcrsn]

Since effective self defense is a basic and fundamental human right, confronting and STOPPING those who would commit violence is far more effective than words condemning said violence if no concrete action is taken

[djcrsn]

Good news folks, apparently the rumors are correct--the SAF and Gura are taking DC to court on concealed carry

[molonlabe]

Josh's own data proves the illogical direction of the anti-gun campaign.

Looking at the 26 deaths at the hands of CCW holders over 2 years, and comparing that with the approx 13(k) "gun murders" per year, we're looking at .002 percent of people murdred with guns being murdered by CCW holders in mass shootings.

And since the anti's love to include suicides in their cause, that percentage drops to .00086 when considering ALL gun deaths over the past 2 years.

So the VPC's position is to regulate and infringe upon the rights of 80,000,000 gun owners in an effort to solve .00086% of the nation's crime problem. Again, no mention of the US recidivism rate for violent felons, no mention of funding programs aimed at the social and socio-economic contributors of violent crime, and certianly no mention of gun safety education programs.

This is the logic for which the Joyce Foundation is paying a couple of 6 figure salaries.

Boy am I in the wrong business.

[molonlabe]

oops! Cut those percentage figures in half. I was erroneously considering only one years worth of "gun deaths."

That's .001 and .00043 respectively.

Did the lights just get brighter in here?

[Jadegold]

"Because the real statistics in this country will ALWAYS show that conceal carry people have no criminal background, are upstanding law abiding citizens, and only want to protect their family, and self frrom criminal deadly attack. "

Then why is it the NRA openly advocates against keeping records on CCW holders? If CCW holders are always law-abiding citizens, it seems keeping tabs on their criminal records would shut us up.

OTOH, the NRA knows better. They know if the criminal records of CCW holders were actively tracked--CCW would likely go away. Here's how a GA law enforcement official put it:

“A blind person can get a permit in Georgia, since all you have to do is pass a background check,” says Bankhead. “And that person can be arrested the very next week for a felony, convicted of that felony the next month and still have that permit for the next five years.”

In states where a small amount of data exists, it shows CCW holders break the law more than the average population.

[Thirdpower]

"In states where a small amount of data exists, it shows CCW holders break the law more than the average population."

Then show that data. Primary sources please. No VPC nonsense.

[Jadegold]

Josh is exactly correct: the logic of the NRA has become we need CCW laws to be relaxed to protect us from being killed by CCW holders.

[djkrlsn]

Greenslime is exactly WRONG:the logic of demonizing law abiding gun owners instead of prosecuting and imprisoning criminals is a complete failure

[Ohio9]

The logic is that we need CCW laws so that lawful citizens can protect themselves from un-lawful citizens, regardless of whether or not the criminal has a CCW permit, driver's license, ATM card, Commercial Truck Driver's permit, ATV certification, or any other piece of plastic that has no effect on a person's ability to commit a crime.

[djkrlsn]

It would be nice if Josh would finally come up with solutions to violent crime that pass constitutional muster and by focusing on criminals instead of disarming the law abiding

[Karlitos]

In reading the reactions (such as this one) to the recent murders at that Pittsburg-area health club, it has dawned on me that the gun control groups have employed circular logic and in so doing, really painted themselves into a corner.

For example, they are using the recent example to demonstrate that "law-abiding" gun owners go on murderous rampages. In other words, gun owners cannot be trusted to act lawfully.

OK. Then consider the recent concealed carry reciprocity issue. Their argument there was that carry permit holders go on murderous rampages. According to their arguments, background checks and training, etc. are not enough, and in other words, licensed gun owners cannot be trusted to act lawfully.

So then that gets us to issues regarding guns in the hands of military and police. I doubt that even most gun controllers will try to disarm the police and military. But there are plenty of examples of police and military members going on murderous rampages. So by their logic, military and police ALSO cannot be trusted to act lawfully.

It is illogical to argue that no one can or will have guns. It is illogical to argue that just SOME people should have guns (because the line is arbitrary). It is logical to conclude that ALL people have the right to arms, in part because it rises from a natural right of self preservation. The other arguments are simply arbitrary.

[JD59]

Another scare tactic article by the gun grabbers. They would rather disarm all of American's so the criminals, can kill us at will.

Yes this loser did have a conceal carry permit. But your arguments will never succeed. Why?

Because the real statistics in this country will ALWAYS show that conceal carry people have no criminal background, are upstanding law abiding citizens, and only want to protect their family, and self frrom criminal deadly attack.

http://www­.2asisters­.org/
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/aus.html
http://publicrights.org/Kennesaw/PoliceResponsibility.html

[Ohio9]

Compare the number of CCW permit holders who commit murder with the number of licensed drivers who commit vehicular manslaughter or the number of licensed doctors who kill by malpractice.

Over a two year period, the VPC could only find 54 murders from CCW holders in a country that averages over 16,000 homicides per year! The data proves that by the VPC's own admission, 99.9999999999999% of murderers do NOT have CCW permits.

And he thinks CCW holders are the ones we should worry about?

The bottom line is that a CCW permit is just a piece of plastic. It has no benefits to a criminal at all. A CCW holder still has to go through the same process to buy a gun as everyone else. Out of all the cases Josh cites, he presents no evidence that the killers would not have gone on shooting rampages if they did not have CCW cards:

And of course, showing his fear of facts and relavent info, Josh makes no mention of the many lives saved by CCW holders, although such information is easy to find:

http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html

But what else would you expect from a gun grabber? Since they have no facts or evidence to support banning CCW, pointing to the tiny number of CCW holders who commit murder as if not having a CCW permit would have made the killings harder is all they can do.

[Bandofotters]

RE: Over a two year period, the VPC could only find 54 murders from CCW holders in a country that averages over 16,000 homicides per year!
__________­__________­__________­__________

This is an amazing statistic that bodes well for CCW. One needs to already be very biased against guns or the Second Amendment to see any merit in Josh's rant. I noticed that an assault rifle was used in one of those incendents. Doesn't that distort Josh's premise, in his favor, of course?

[Ohio9]

Not only that, but that shooting also took place in the home of a family member (the shooter's mom), which obviously has nothing to do with carrying a concealed weapon in public (the only legal status effected by a CCW permit)

[JackBurton]

Sugarman has been busted for so many lies in this bogus "report' that only the extremely foolish and naive give him a spoonful of credibility...

For example...

http://www.examiner.com/x-3253-Minneapolis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d23-Brady-Campaign-joins-the-VPC-in-deception

[Thirdpower]

Which explains why the Brady Campaign cites them regularly. :)

[DaveNYC]

I think I figured out what the point is. The last paragraph concludes: "concealed handgun permit holders want what they want. Period. And there's no number of mass shootings, dead policeman, or innocent victims that will ever change their minds."

So the argument goes:
(1) Sodini had a concealed handgun permit
(2) Sodini would have killed his victims regardless of whether he had a permit or not
(3) Other people (who are not Sodini, but who could potentially have been Sodini's victims) want concealed handgun permits
(4) So, we should revoke concealed handgun permit laws to get back out all those darm concealed permit holders who "want what they want. Period."
I think that argument refutes itself.

I wrote a new concluding paragraph for Mr. Sugarmann. "Gun ban extremists want what they want. Period. And they will never change their minds, even if the curtailments they seek would increase the number of mass shootings, dead policeman, or innocent victims."

[DaveNYC]

When I got down reading this post, my first thought was, "what is Mr. Sugarmann actually advocating here?" The post proceeds by: (1) citing purely anecdotal "research" (e.g. a book of scary stories) to support the untested proposition that concealed handgun laws enable antisocial killers; and (2) then arguing that the best way to frustrate pyschopaths is to repeal concealed handgun laws or ban handguns (or something else?).

My favorite quote is the loaded statement that "people need concealed carry permits to stop other people with concealed carry permits from killing them." What does this actually mean? Is Mr. Sugarmann saying that if the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took away Sodini's permit, he wouldn't have gone to the gym and killed three women? I think we can all agree this is totally implausible.

is Mr. Sugarmann instead saying that the women who Sodini killed would have been better protected if there was NO concealed handgun law in Pennsylvania? How would that work? Maybe if one of Sodini's victims would have been armed, they wold have been able to stop him -- and maybe not. But how could they have had a BETTER chance of surviving in the absence of a concealed handgun law?

What we see -- once again -- is that a deplorable tragedy is being used as fodder to support the curtailment of civil rights. Mr. Sugarmann's proposal to give up freedom in exchange for security will provide us with neither.

[Thirdpower]

There've been more 'mass shootings' in Chicago this year alone by convicted felons.

Chicago, where handguns and most long arms are banned, universal background checks and registration.

More innocent people have been shot/abuse­d/raped/et­c. by Law Enforcement Officers this year alone than by Concealed Carry Permit holders.