July, 23 2010, 12:05pm EDT
More Deaths, More Convictions, More Murder-Suicides: VPC Concealed Carry Killers July Update
The conviction of a Tennessee concealed
handgun permit holder who murdered another man during an argument over how
close their SUVs were parked to one another, a "love triangle of
sorts" that ended in murder-suicide, and a 15-year-old killed with an
"unloaded" handgun by his friend are among the updates and
additions to Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line
resource that tallies news reports of killings by concealed handgun permit
holders.
WASHINGTON
The conviction of a Tennessee concealed
handgun permit holder who murdered another man during an argument over how
close their SUVs were parked to one another, a "love triangle of
sorts" that ended in murder-suicide, and a 15-year-old killed with an
"unloaded" handgun by his friend are among the updates and
additions to Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line
resource that tallies news reports of killings by concealed handgun permit
holders.
Since May 2007, concealed handgun permit holders have killed
at least 182 individuals--including nine law enforcement officers--in 26
states. Of the 109 incidents that resulted in the deaths, in more than
half (58 incidents) the concealed handgun permit holder has already been
convicted or committed suicide after the shooting. Of the 48 cases still
pending, the vast majority (43) are charged with criminal homicide, two were
unintentional shootings, and three are still under investigation. In the
three remaining cases, two alleged shooters were deemed incompetent to stand
trial, and the final case involved a concealed handgun permit holder who was
also shot and killed during the incident. Of the 109 incidents, 16 were
mass shootings where concealed handgun permit holders claimed the lives of 65
victims.
A summary of each of the 109 incidents is available at https://www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm,
clicking on each category leads to a state-by-state breakout for the incidents
with current known status. To review all killings by concealed handgun permit
holders, click on "Total People Killed by Concealed Handgun Permit
Holders." While the incident summaries of the few concealed handgun
permit holders eventually found not guilty of their crimes are listed on the
site, those numbers are not included in the VPC's totals.
Updates and additions for July include:
o In July 2010, Tennessee
concealed handgun permit holder Harry Raymond Coleman was convicted of second degree
murder and other charges in the killing of Robert "Dutch" Schwerin, 52. During
a parking lot argument over how close Schwerin's GMC Yukon Denali SUV was
parked to Coleman's wife's Hummer, Coleman, then 60 years old,
retrieved his 45 caliber pistol from the Hummer and shot Schwerin in the
chest. During the trial, prosecutors told jurors that Coleman and his
wife were not fearful that night, only angry, adding, "Poor Harry
Coleman. He had to kill a man. He wants to be the first man in
history to stick a gun in the mouth of an unarmed man, to stick it in the chest
of an unarmed man and then to shoot him to death in front of his children and
then call himself a victim." Coleman faces up to 25 years in prison
without parole.
o In January 2008, Alabama concealed handgun permit holder
Joshua Noel Jones, 22, shot and killed 15-year-old Daniel Wayne
"Danny" McKinnon. While sitting in a pick-up truck with
friends, Jones "dry-fired" (pulling a gun's trigger
presumably without a bullet in the chamber) his 40 caliber handgun. The
loaded gun went off, killing McKinnon. Jones was charged with
manslaughter, convicted, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
o In May 2007, Florida
concealed handgun permit holder Antonio Olo Duran, 40, shot and killed Richard
Scoggins, 39, and then took his own life. Scoggins was the current
boyfriend of Duran's ex-girlfriend, Maria Bautista, 44. According
to press reports the three were "in a love triangle of
sorts." During an argument about "past relationships,"
Duran fatally shot Scoggins in the head. As Bautista attempted to help
Scoggins, Duran struggled with her. He then put the handgun in his
mouth. As Bautista attempted to pull it out he pulled the trigger,
killing himself.
Violence Policy Center Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, "The evidence is becoming
overwhelming that too many people who get concealed handgun permits are
homicidal, suicidal, or both. The simple fact is the laws that allow the
carrying of guns in public need to be repealed--unfortunately, it is impossible
to do this before more people die."
Because most state systems that allow the carrying of
concealed handguns in public by private citizens release little data about
crimes committed by permit holders, the VPC reviews and tallies concealed
handgun permit holder killings primarily as reported by news outlets. It
is likely that the actual number of fatal incidents involving concealed handgun
permit holders is far higher.
The Violence Policy Center (VPC) works to stop gun death and injury through research, education, advocacy, and collaboration. Founded in 1988 by Executive Director Josh Sugarmann, a native of Newtown, Connecticut, the VPC informs the public about the impact of gun violence on their daily lives, exposes the profit-driven marketing and lobbying activities of the firearms industry and gun lobby, offers unique technical expertise to policymakers, organizations, and advocates on the federal, state, and local levels, and works for policy changes that save lives. The VPC has a long and proven record of policy successes on the federal, state, and local levels, leading the National Rifle Association to acknowledge us as "the most effective ... anti-gun rabble-rouser in Washington."
LATEST NEWS
Trump's Unprovoked War on Iran Triggers 10% Spike in Global Oil Prices
"When global energy security can be upended by a single flashpoint, it shows how unstable and risky our dependence on oil and gas is," said one critic.
Mar 02, 2026
President Donald Trump's unprovoked, unconstitutional, and politically unpopular war against Iran is about to cause pains for Americans at the gas pump.
CNBC reported on Monday that Brent crude oil prices surged by 9.3% to a 52-week high of $79.40 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices spike by 9% to $73.10 per barrel.
This spike in oil prices is projected to directly lead to an increase in gas prices in the coming days.
Petroleum industry analyst Patrick De Haan noted in a Monday update on his Substack page that gas prices in the US had already risen by roughly six cents in the last week, and that war with Iran would drive these prices higher.
"Developments surrounding Iran—particularly any threat to regional production or shipping flows—are likely to remain the dominant driver of oil prices," wrote De Haan, "and could keep crude elevated or push it higher if tensions intensify further."
A Sunday research note from Wells Fargo cited by CNBC drew attention to the importance of the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian government closed off over the week and which is used to transport roughly 20% of the global supplies of petroleum and liquified natural gas.
According to Wells Fargo, a "prolonged" closure of the strait would result in "an oil shock to $100+ per barrel," which it described as the "worst-case scenario" for global stock markets.
In addition to closing off the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has also been launching attacks on other nations' energy infrastructure.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery at Ras Tanura had to cease operations on Monday after being struck in a drone attack.
"An attack on major energy infrastructure is a nightmare scenario for global markets," noted Bloomberg, "with maritime traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz all but halting."
Olivia Langhoff, managing director at climate justice organization 350.org said that the global economic disruptions being caused by the Iran war shows the folly of continuing to rely on fossil fuels for energy needs.
"When global energy security can be upended by a single flashpoint, it shows how unstable and risky our dependence on oil and gas is," Langhoff said. "Renewable energy provides homegrown power that remains secure and affordable regardless of geopolitical shocks."
The increase in gas prices comes at a time when US voters have been expressing widespread dissatisfaction with the economy under Trump, as polls show voters have been particularly anxious about the prices of groceries and utilities, among other essentials.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Only 25% of Americans Support Trump Attack on Iran: Poll
"If this goes on... this is going to become a political disaster," said one foreign policy expert.
Mar 02, 2026
President Donald Trump's war in Iran is extraordinarily unpopular, according to a poll conducted shortly after the US and Israel carried out massive strikes on the country Saturday.
The survey, conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, found that just 27% of voters approved of the strikes, which have killed at least 555 Iranians as of Monday morning and resulted in retaliation from Iran that has killed at least four US service members, with more casualties expected according to a spokesperson for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Meanwhile, 43% of respondents disapproved of the military action, while 29% said they were not sure.
A majority of Republicans said they approved of the strikes, with 55% expressing support. Still, 13% disapproved, and a noteworthy 31% said they were unsure.
Approval is dismal with nearly everyone else. Only 19% of independents expressed support compared to 44% who disapproved. And though Democratic leaders in Congress have done little to stand in the way of the strikes, their voters are overwhelmingly against them: 74% said they disapproved, while just 7% approved.
The poll reflects a wider skepticism of US military intervention, with 56% of respondents saying the president was too quick to deploy military force in recent months, including in Venezuela, Syria, and Nigeria.
Compared with previous US military interventions in the Middle East, such as the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, which—at least at their outset—enjoyed broad support from the American public following intense government efforts to drum up support, there has been little effort by the Trump administration to define the purpose of war with Iran.
Trump's justification for launching the war has shifted wildly since he began amassing troops in the region. Trump has most recently said the strikes were intended to stop an "imminent threat" from Iran; meanwhile, the Pentagon has told Congress there was no sign Iran was planning an attack unless the US did so first.
The president previously said his push for war was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, an assertion at odds with his claim that his strikes in June "obliterated" the country's nuclear capabilities.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Al Jazeera that Trump's shifting explanations reek of "desperation."
"It's very clear that Trump has a tremendous difficulty finding a justification for this war of choice that he's embarked on," he said. "The reality is that if this goes on for another week or two, this is going to become a political disaster."
"So now he's suddenly, desperately, using all kinds of justifications: Liberating the Iranian people, Iran is fighting against civilization," Parsi said. "If he actually had a case, he would have stuck to that point and made it clearly. But he doesn't have one."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Call Grows to Impeach Trump, 'The Most Dangerous Man on the Planet'
"Trump’s illegal war on Iran and the rule of law," said one pair of campaigners, "establish an intolerable pattern of egregious abuses of power, directly threatening our constitutional order, our safety, and our way of life."
Mar 02, 2026
After the unprovoked bombing of Iran over the weekend by the United States and Israel—strikes that included the unlawful assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei—the call for US President Donald Trump to be impeached and removed from office has grown as the straightest path to hold the US leader to account for the attacks which policy and human rights experts have condemned as a serious war crime.
With a regional war in the Middle East that was already boiling from Gaza to Lebanon and from Syria to Yemen now exploding in the wake of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, Globe and Mail columnist Debra Thompson on Sunday called Trump "the most dangerous man on the planet."
"Rather than ending wars," Thompson notes, "Trump has initiated military action eight times, carrying out attacks in seven countries (Syria, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia, and Venezuela) in 2025." Such a pattern of violence and warmongering should make clear that failure to restrain Trump has only emboldened him.
"The recurring danger in this latest presidential aggression is that there are no guardrails, no constraints, and no post-hoc justification," writes Thomson, "other than that Mr. Trump is the President of the United States and can do whatever he wants."
But American presidents cannot simply do whatever they want. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll out Sunday, less than 25% support the president's aggression against Iran. In the first wave of the US military attack, an Iranian school for girls was bombed, killing over 108 civilians, mostly children.
While some congressional lawmakers are pushing for a vote this week on a War Powers Resolution to curtail US military operations against Iran, others are demanding more robust action from Congress to bring Trump's war-making to an end.
"Under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war, as well as to raise and support armies, provide and maintain a navy, and fund and regulate the military," declared novelist and political activists Stephen King on Saturday. "Impeach the SOB."
Mike Hersh and Alan Minsky, respectively the communications director and executive director of the Progressive Democrats of America, argued in a Sunday op-ed for Common Dreams that "Trump's illegal, unconstitutional war on Iran is not only a moral and humanitarian disaster, but also a profound constitutional crisis."
According to Hersh and Minsky:
Trump’s illegal war on Iran and the rule of law establish an intolerable pattern of egregious abuses of power, directly threatening our constitutional order, our safety, and our way of life. These intertwined crises cry out for an immediate, decisive response by the Congress and the US public.
Therefore, PDA demands that all members of Congress, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike, uphold their oath of office to defend our constitutional republic. The Constitution offers one and only one remedy when President a repeatedly breaks the law and arrogantly refuses to abide by the limits on the power clearly laid out in the Constitution. That remedy is impeachment, followed by removal from office.
Matt Duss, executive vice president for the Center for International Policy, said that US lawmakers, as well as the American people they represent, "must also be ready to hold the president and his administration accountable for this breach of US and international law."
"The failure to hold past presidents liable for war crimes and related violations of our own laws has helped lead to this dangerous moment, with a seemingly unrestrained president endangering millions of lives with impunity," warned Duss. "The forever wars and the imperial presidency must finally come to an end.”
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular