Testimonials

Bill Atkinson wishes he knew then what he knows now: that it’s a federal crime for drug users to have a gun.

“I believe I would have my daughter today,” Atkinson says matter-of-factly. Atkinson’s 22-year-old daughter, Leanda Christina Rose Atkinson, was shot and killed by her live-in boyfriend and father of her child on May 22, 2004.

"My daughter was the kind of girl who thought she could change the world," Atkinson says, so even though Matthew B. Dickel had an unsavory history, Leanda hoped for the better.

But better didn't happen -- "The more she tried to change him, the worse he got with drugs," Atkinson said -- and after 22 domestic violence calls to the house, Leanda had decided to end it, and returned her engagement ring.

Dickel pawned the ring, and used the money to buy a gun, lying on the required purchase form.

Dickel was found guilty of state charges of involuntary manslaughter and wanton endangerment and sentenced to six years in prison, but could be out of jail after just over a year served.

But after pleading guilty to federal charges of lying on a gun application and illegal firearm possession, Dickel was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, without the prospect of parole, the maximum penalty.

The added jail time is of little comfort for the Atkinsons, however.

With Dickel's record, he should never have had a gun, and Atkinson laments his own ignorance and vows to work so that other parents won't have to experience similar pain.

"By him illegally obtaining the gun, what he ended up doing was taking my whole family’s life," Atkinson said. "My dad was the one who found her and eight days later he passed away from a major heart attack."

“Somehow we’ve got to get the word out to the community that if there’s drugs involved, you cannot have a gun. … Someone could have done something if the public were aware of this.”

For more on Leanda, visit the family's website.

Interested in a speaker for your organization, class or club to discuss issues of gun violence and ways to prevent its spread? Contact one of the following:

Legal issues, government and law enforcement response: Mr. Steven Loew, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of WV.

Hard Time for Gun Crime is a part of Project Sate Neighborhoods, a national effort to reduce gun violence.