Concealed carry permit holders are supposed to be the “good guys” with guns. In reality, far too many permit holders are a direct threat to public safety.
Concealed Carry Killers is a resource maintained by the Violence Policy Center that includes hundreds of examples of non-self defense killings by private citizens with permits to carry concealed, loaded handguns in public that took place since May 2007. These incidents include homicides, suicides, mass shootings, murder-suicides, lethal attacks on law enforcement, and unintentional deaths. Only a tiny fraction of these cases are ever ruled to be in self-defense. Any homicide that is legally determined to be in self-defense is documented and removed from the Concealed Carry Killers database and the ongoing tallies.
Spotlight: Mass shooting in California
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 On August 23, 2023, concealed carry permit holder John Snowling, 59, shot and killed three people and wounded six others at Cook’s Corner Bar in Trabuco Canyon. Snowling had been a member of the Ventura Police Department from July 1986 to February 2014 when he retired as a sergeant. The incident took place at around 7:00 PM during an evening of live music and an $8 Spaghetti Night special at the bar. According to law enforcement, Snowling targeted his estranged wife, who was injured in the shooting. Betty Fruichantie, a friend of Snowling’s estranged wife, accompanied her to the bar that evening. She said, “We were sitting there listening to the band and all of sudden, from behind us, we hear shooting. A bunch of shooting…I thought it was just firecrackers, she didn’t say anything. People were getting shot.” Fruichantie said Snowling made his way toward them and began shooting. According to police, Snowling entered the bar with two handguns. He then went back to his truck where he retrieved a third handgun and a shotgun, which he fired at law enforcement when they arrived before he was killed. All of Snowling’s weapons were acquired legally. Read more… |
These incidents are only examples. There is no comprehensive federal database of concealed carry incidents, and some states even bar the release of such information by law. As a result, the examples in Concealed Carry Killers are taken primarily from news reports and from the reporting required in a few states. These examples represent an unknown fraction of similar incidents that routinely occur across the nation.
Currently, Concealed Carry Killers documents 2,277 incidents in 40 states and the District of Columbia resulting in 2,541 deaths. In 95 percent of the incidents (2,154) the concealed carry killer died by suicide (1,505), has already been convicted (561), perpetrated a murder-suicide (64), or was killed in the incident (24). Of the 83 cases still pending, the vast majority (67) of concealed carry killers have been charged with criminal homicide, five were deemed incompetent to stand trial, and 11 incidents are still under investigation. An additional 40 incidents were fatal unintentional shootings involving the gun of the concealed handgun permit holder. Twenty-four of the victims were law enforcement officers. Thirty-eight of the incidents were mass shootings, resulting in the deaths of 186 victims.
More than just numbers, Concealed Carry Killers provides detailed accounts of lethal incidents involving concealed handgun permit holders. Whenever possible, this includes the names of the killers and victims, the legal status of the cases, and the circumstances of the incidents. To find out more, click on the numbers on the left-hand side to view nationwide information, and see the map above to view the incidents by state.
Last updated February 25, 2025