COVINGTON — A mother accused of shooting an alleged child molester in the groin is one of more than 66,000 Kentuckians who hold a concealed-carry permit for a firearm.

        That's a little more than 1.5 percent of the state's 4.04 million residents.

        When Kentucky in 1996 passed one of the most liberal concealed-carry laws in the country, there was much debate about the possibility of “vigilante justice.”

        Gun-rights advocates disagree, and statistics compiled by the state about crimes committed by concealed-carry permitholders indicate there has not been an increase in vigilante incidents since the law's passage.

        Police filed four first-degree assault charges against permit holders from across Kentucky in 2000, and only one of those charges involved the use of a gun against someone other than a family member.

        Another four murder charges were filed that year against concealed carry holders, and only one of those charges involved the use of a gun against someone other than a family member.

        “I don't think it does encourages vigilante justice,” said Peter Garrett, owner of Garrett's Gunsmiths Inc. in Newport. “(The mother) says she shot in self-defense.”

        Mr. Garrett has brought a lawsuit, currently in the Kentucky Appeals Court, against the cities of Dayton and Bellevue to challenge zoning rules that prohibit him from opening gunshops in the cities' central business districts.

        The mother, whom The Enquirer is not identifying to protect her child's identity, told a judge she shot Larry Eugene Howell in the groin and abdomen Nov. 29 after her son told her that the family acquaintance had molested him. The mother and Mr. Howell were arguing in a van parked in a CVS parking lot, the woman testified at her arraignment, and he seemed to threaten her.

        Mr. Howell, 40, of Erlanger, was later charged with nine counts of sodomy.

        Mr. Howell is being held at the Kenton County Detention Center on $250,000 cash bond awaiting a Jan. 16 preliminary hearing.

        Police in Northern Kentucky recall only one other incident in which a concealed-carry permit holder shot someone.

        In August 1999, a permit holder shot a would-be mugger while walking in Devou Park.

        Authorities have revoked 330 of the concealed carry licenses, or 0.49 percent of the permits, since the law's passage through 2000 for reasons including felony convictions.

        Seventy-four were revoked in 2000, the latest year for which statistics are available from the Kentucky State Police.

        None of the assault and murder charges filed against concealed- carry permit holders resulted in a conviction in 2000, but the statistics do not indicate if the charges were disposed of, reduced or still pending.

        The most common charge against permit holders in 2000 was no vehicle insurance. Two hundred eighty-two permit holders were charged; 20 were convicted.
       Hundreds of other permit holders were charged with traffic violations. Convictions of misdemeanor charges, such as speeding, wouldn't be grounds to revoke someone's permit, state police said.

        State police annually release the number of arrests, convictions and types of crimes committed by permit owners, but not the circumstances of each charge. It is possible, for example, that the four murder charges on record at the state are against the same person.

        The statistics also do not indicate if a permit holder used a concealed weapon while committing the crime.

        Kentucky is one of 44 states in the U.S., including Indiana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, to allow at least some degree of concealed-carry of firearms.

        In 2000, Handgun Control Inc., a gun control advocacy group, gave Kentucky a grade of F-minus on gun safety issues. Ohio was rated a C-minus and Indiana was rated a D. Twenty-five states were rated a D or an F by the group.

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