Crimes by Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit Holders
Wayne Meredith Latham
On September 11, 2010, Wayne Meredith Latham walked into Waterstone Pizza in Lynchburg, Virginia—a restaurant with a no-guns policy—and ordered a beer. When Latham reached into his pocket for his wallet to pay the bartender, his unholstered .45-caliber Glock 36 went off in his pocket, discharging a round into his leg. Latham, who suffered minor injuries, then walked out of the restaurant, but was soon apprehended and arrested by police. He violated Virginia law by consuming alchohol while carrying a loaded firearm.
Latham held a permit to carry a concealed handgun in the state of Virginia. He was convicted of recklessly handling a firearm and his permit was temporarily suspended for one year.
Robert Klosterman
Robert Klosterman, 64, shot and killed his wife, Rebecca, on May 2, 2010 before turning the gun on himself. The murder-suicide occurred just days before the final hearing of the couples' divorce proceeding. Klosterman ambushed his wife at her house and forced her to lie on the garage floor before shooting her in the chest. The combat veteran apparently blamed her for his failure to reach the rank of Admiral in the United States Navy.
In May 2005, Klosterman was issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Shortly after his wife filed for divorce in 2008, the permit was revoked as part of a short-term protective order after Rebecca alleged that Robert pointed a gun at her. After Rebecca failed to obtain a long-term protective order, Klosterman successfully appealed the revocation of his permit and had his right to carry a concealed handgun reinstated.
Colton Jack Luman
Colton Jack Luman, a combat veteran of three tours in Iraq, accidentally shot and killed his 9-month-old daughter Makenna Luman in their home on February 21, 2010. Luman, 26, was watching television and "dry firing," i.e., drawing his handgun and aiming at candles on the wall. A round from the weapon discharged as he was preparing to reholster it, striking his daughter in the face as she sat in her high-chair eating fruit.
Luman held a permit to carry a concealed handgun in the state of Virginia at the time of the shooting. He told police he carried a concealed weapon with a bullet in the chamber at all times.
Last year, a law was enacted in Virginia that allows concealed handgun permit holders to carry loaded firearms into bars, nightclubs, restaurants, pizza parlors and bowling alleys across the Commonwealth. The Virginia General Assembly considered several bills during the 2011 legislative session that would have further weakened laws governing the carrying of concealed handguns in the state. This included proposals to: 1) Allow individuals who have been treated for mental illness or substance abuse to petition for a concealed handgun permit five years after entering treatment; 2) Allow residents to carry long guns in a concealed manner; 3) Bar Virginia courts from releasing identifying information to the public about concealed handgun permit holders, and; 4) Reduce the penalties for carrying a concealed handgun without a permit.
These proposals were considered despite several high-profile mass shootings and other disturbing criminal acts by Virginia concealed handgun permit holders in recent months:
Randy NewberryRandy Newberry, 52, opened fire on Buchanan County Deputy Sheriffs as they responded to a 911 call about a larceny in progress
at Rogers Service Center on March 13, 2011. Newberry was armed with a high-powered rifle and fired on the deputies from a "sniper location" on a ridge line in the wood-line overlooking the property, killing two deputies (Cameron Justus and William Stiltner) and wounding two others critically (Eric Rasnake and Shane Charles). Virginia State Police and additional sheriff's deputies tracked Newberry down and killed him when he pointed a handgun at them.
Newberry had been a concealed handgun permit holder in Virginia going back to at least 1999.
Richard Ferris
On January 28, 2011, the Chesterfield County Police Department responded to a 911 call from Michelle Ferris, who indicated that she was concerned about the welfare of her husband, Richard Ferris. At the end of an eight-hour standoff at the Ferris home, Richard Ferris fired on SWAT team members from his garage. Police returned fire and killed Ferris. During a search of the home, authorities recovered a .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun, a 9mm Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun, a 5.26mm ArmaLite assault-style rifle, a 5.56mm Colt M4LE assault-style rifle, a Kel-Tec .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun, a .45-caliber Springfield Armory TRP semiautomatic handgun, a Springfield Armory 1911 semiautomatic handgun and a 9 mm Browning CZ83 semiautomatic handgun. They also found an empty bottle of Alprazolam and five empty bottles of beer.
Ferris was a federally licensed firearms dealer and held a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Virginia.
Timothy Drew
In a murder-suicide in Vinton, Virginia, Timothy Drew broke into the house he once shared with his estranged wife and killed himself after shooting his wife to death on September 24, 2010. Drew's wife, Kimberly Drew, had filed for divorce twice in 2009 and was dating Michael Stegall at the time of her death. Less than a week before the murder-suicide, Drew drove to Franklin Country to find Stegall and violently attacked him. Drew was charged with assault after threatening to kill Stegall, throwing him to the ground, hiting him in the eye, and biting his arm.
Timothy Drew was licensed to carry a concealed handgun in Virginia.
Paul Warren Pardus
On September 16, 2010, Paul Warren Pardus was at Johns Hopkins Hospital seeing to the treatment of his mother when he suddenly became enraged and pulled a semiautomatic handgun from his waistband. Pardus shot orthopedic surgeon David Cohen in the abdomen, then engaged in a a standoff lasting more than two hours with law enforcement officers who surrounded the hospital. Pardus eventually shot both himself and his mother to death.
An investigation quickly revaled that Pardus was an Arlington resident who held a concealed handgun permit in the state of Virginia.These proposals were considered despite several high-profile mass shootings and other disturbing criminal acts by Virginia concealed handgun permit holders in recent months:
Randy NewberryRandy Newberry, 52, opened fire on Buchanan County Deputy Sheriffs as they responded to a 911 call about a larceny in progress
at Rogers Service Center on March 13, 2011. Newberry was armed with a high-powered rifle and fired on the deputies from a "sniper location" on a ridge line in the wood-line overlooking the property, killing two deputies (Cameron Justus and William Stiltner) and wounding two others critically (Eric Rasnake and Shane Charles). Virginia State Police and additional sheriff's deputies tracked Newberry down and killed him when he pointed a handgun at them.Newberry had been a concealed handgun permit holder in Virginia going back to at least 1999.
Richard Ferris
On January 28, 2011, the Chesterfield County Police Department responded to a 911 call from Michelle Ferris, who indicated that she was concerned about the welfare of her husband, Richard Ferris. At the end of an eight-hour standoff at the Ferris home, Richard Ferris fired on SWAT team members from his garage. Police returned fire and killed Ferris. During a search of the home, authorities recovered a .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun, a 9mm Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun, a 5.26mm ArmaLite assault-style rifle, a 5.56mm Colt M4LE assault-style rifle, a Kel-Tec .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun, a .45-caliber Springfield Armory TRP semiautomatic handgun, a Springfield Armory 1911 semiautomatic handgun and a 9 mm Browning CZ83 semiautomatic handgun. They also found an empty bottle of Alprazolam and five empty bottles of beer. Ferris was a federally licensed firearms dealer and held a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Virginia.
Timothy Drew
In a murder-suicide in Vinton, Virginia, Timothy Drew broke into the house he once shared with his estranged wife and killed himself after shooting his wife to death on September 24, 2010. Drew's wife, Kimberly Drew, had filed for divorce twice in 2009 and was dating Michael Stegall at the time of her death. Less than a week before the murder-suicide, Drew drove to Franklin Country to find Stegall and violently attacked him. Drew was charged with assault after threatening to kill Stegall, throwing him to the ground, hiting him in the eye, and biting his arm. Timothy Drew was licensed to carry a concealed handgun in Virginia.
Paul Warren Pardus
On September 16, 2010, Paul Warren Pardus was at Johns Hopkins Hospital seeing to the treatment of his mother when he suddenly became enraged and pulled a semiautomatic handgun from his waistband. Pardus shot orthopedic surgeon David Cohen in the abdomen, then engaged in a a standoff lasting more than two hours with law enforcement officers who surrounded the hospital. Pardus eventually shot both himself and his mother to death.Wayne Meredith Latham
On September 11, 2010, Wayne Meredith Latham walked into Waterstone Pizza in Lynchburg, Virginia—a restaurant with a no-guns policy—and ordered a beer. When Latham reached into his pocket for his wallet to pay the bartender, his unholstered .45-caliber Glock 36 went off in his pocket, discharging a round into his leg. Latham, who suffered minor injuries, then walked out of the restaurant, but was soon apprehended and arrested by police. He violated Virginia law by consuming alchohol while carrying a loaded firearm.
Latham held a permit to carry a concealed handgun in the state of Virginia. He was convicted of recklessly handling a firearm and his permit was temporarily suspended for one year.
Robert Klosterman
Robert Klosterman, 64, shot and killed his wife, Rebecca, on May 2, 2010 before turning the gun on himself. The murder-suicide occurred just days before the final hearing of the couples' divorce proceeding. Klosterman ambushed his wife at her house and forced her to lie on the garage floor before shooting her in the chest. The combat veteran apparently blamed her for his failure to reach the rank of Admiral in the United States Navy. In May 2005, Klosterman was issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Shortly after his wife filed for divorce in 2008, the permit was revoked as part of a short-term protective order after Rebecca alleged that Robert pointed a gun at her. After Rebecca failed to obtain a long-term protective order, Klosterman successfully appealed the revocation of his permit and had his right to carry a concealed handgun reinstated.
Colton Jack Luman
Colton Jack Luman, a combat veteran of three tours in Iraq, accidentally shot and killed his 9-month-old daughter Makenna Luman in their home on February 21, 2010. Luman, 26, was watching television and "dry firing," i.e., drawing his handgun and aiming at candles on the wall. A round from the weapon discharged as he was preparing to reholster it, striking his daughter in the face as she sat in her high-chair eating fruit.Luman held a permit to carry a concealed handgun in the state of Virginia at the time of the shooting. He told police he carried a concealed weapon with a bullet in the chamber at all times.
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