For Release: Thursday, November 29, 2012
Washington, DC–The deadly shooting in Florida of Jordan Davis, 17, by Michael Dunn, 45, in a dispute over loud music at a Florida gas station on November 23rd is unfortunately only one example of at least 499 victims killed in 32 states since May 2007 in incidents not ruled self-defense involving private citizens legally allowed to carry concealed handguns according to the November update of the Violence Policy Center’s (VPC) Concealed Carry Killers on-line resource (http://concealedcarrykillers.org). The fatal shooting of Jordan Davis is one of at least 28 incidents where victims under the age of 18 lost their lives during this time period as the result of a concealed carry killer. The juvenile victims of concealed carry killers range in age from one to 17.
VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, “The tragic killing of Jordan Davis, just like the death of Trayvon Martin earlier this year, is the direct result of Florida gun laws that allow virtually anyone to carry a concealed loaded handgun in public. Across America, lax concealed carry laws arm and embolden too many shooters who react to slight provocations with deadly force. The result is an untold number of innocent lives lost, families decimated, and communities shaken.”
The Violence Policy Center has been tracking shootings since May 2007 in which private citizens use their legal handguns to kill in non-self defense incidents. The Violence Policy Center’s Concealed Carry Killers database documents 370 incidents in 32 states. In more than three quarters of the incidents (295) the concealed carry killer has already been convicted (121), committed suicide (167), or was killed in the incident (seven). Of the 65 cases still pending, the vast majority (52) of concealed carry killers have been charged with criminal homicide, five were deemed incompetent to stand trial, and eight incidents are still under investigation. An additional 10 incidents were fatal unintentional shootings involving the gun of the concealed handgun permit holder. At least 14 of the victims were law enforcement officers. Twenty-three of the incidents were mass shootings, resulting in the deaths of 103 victims.
These killings, however, represent only the tip of the iceberg as most state systems release little data about crimes–including homicide–committed by concealed carry permit holders. The primary source for Concealed Carry Killers is published news reports. The Violence Policy Center believes that comprehensive data on crimes committed by persons with concealed carry permit holders should be collected through the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting system recognizing that people have the right to know the extent of the public safety threat posed by private guns carried in public places.
A detailed description of each of the 370 incidents is available at http://concealedcarrykillers.org, clicking on each category leads to a state-by-state breakout for the incidents with current known status. To review all deaths involving concealed carry killers, click on “Total People Killed by Concealed Carry Killers.”
About the Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
