The Gun debate sandbox

Before firearms there was peace in the kingdom of men?

A Tennessee man on Wednesday caused panic as he paced back and forth near a high school in a bulletproof vest with a rifle strapped across his back and a GoPro camera, WSMV-TV reported.

Multiple people called the police when they saw Leonard Embody with a gun near the school, but he was not arrested because he did not walk onto the school grounds. Open carry is legal in Tennessee.

Embody has been arrested multiple times before for walking around with a gun, but the charges were dropped, according to WSMV.

According to WSMV, Embody has been demonstrating with his gun throughout Tennessee for the past five years in order to defend his Second Amendment right.

After complaints from Hillsboro High School parents, Embody didn't apologize.

"A school is a prime place to be able to hand out my leaflets and educate children that guns aren't dangerous as people think they are. Certainly a man carrying a gun doesn't mean they're going to get shot," he told WSMV.

He said it's not his problem that people are scared of his gun.

"I don't think I look terrifying. Other people may think I look terrifying, but that's in their own minds and that's something they should deal with -- with maybe a psychologist," he said.

A 47-year-old man in Sebring, Fla., accidentally shot his 60-year-old wife in the face on Sunday after he mistook her for an intruder, reported the News Sun.

Sebring Police Department Cmdr. Steve Carr told the paper that the shooter, Eusebio Christian, said he heard a noise and got out of bed to check out what he allegedly thought was a break in. The paper reported that Christian told police he saw a figure in the kitchen and started shooting because he was afraid. The figure turned out to be his 60-year-old wife.

"Once he realized it was her, he stopped shooting," Carr said. "All (shots) missed except one in the face."

Carr told the Sun that the wife was expected to recover from the gunshot wound to her face. He also said the wife's name has not been released because she may be a victim of domestic violence, reported the Sun.

According to Carr, Christian volunteered to go to a crisis center where he was evaluated and released the same day.

Carr said Christian is known to police because of calls he's made citing theft and criminal mischief, none of which have resulted in viable leads.

Video game critic, feminist and blogger Anita Sarkeesian canceled a Wednesday speech at Utah State University after the college received an email threatening violence if she lectured, school officials said.

Sarkeesian is a pop culture critic whose series of videos under the Feminist Frequency banner analyze sexism in mainstream video games. Her series has drawn death threats in the past...

...“Anita Sarkeesian has canceled her scheduled speech for tomorrow following a discussion with Utah State University police regarding an email threat that was sent to Utah State University," the announcement on the university website said. "During the discussion, Sarkeesian asked if weapons will be permitted at the speaking venue. Sarkeesian was informed that, in accordance with the State of Utah law regarding the carrying of firearms, if a person has a valid concealed firearm permit and is carrying a weapon, they are permitted to have it at the venue.”

An off-duty Honolulu police officer alleges he accidentally fired his gun while he was in the bathroom of a Target store on Saturday.

According to KHON, the officer took the Glock out of the holster, put it on the toilet paper dispenser, and accidentally shot it when he went to pick it up.

No one was injured, but the bullet ricocheted off the stall and into the wall of another stall. It’s unknown if anyone else was in the bathroom at the time, but the noise startled shoppers in the store.

Anyway, here's a quick and dirty rundown on the numbers in our most-frequently reported categories. From around mid-August to early September, we saw 11 "home invasion" shootings, that is, where someone has accidentally fired into their neighbors' home or property, not counting two additional instances of firing into a neighboring hotel room. There were also 11 target shooting accidents of various kinds, five hunting accidents, five accidents while cleaning still-loaded guns, six various FAILs involving law enforcement or security officers, three shootings of people mistaken for intruders, two accidental shootings arising from attempted interventions in ongoing attacks or robberies, three accidental discharges while out shopping or dining in public, and the first accidental discharge in the classroom of the still-young school year.

The really alarming numbers, though, were among those who accidentally shot themselves (33), those who accidentally shot a family member or significant other (11), and kids who were accidentally shot (29). Among all the carnage, 17 of the 100 incidents on the list resulted in fatalities.

Which were our most spectacular GunFAILs this time around? Number 14, which demonstrates the need to keep track of your weapon at all times and not accidentally throw it into a bonfire. Number 32, in which a grandmother mistook her 7-year-old grandson for an intruder and shot him. Number 37, in which a son argued with and then shot his father and fled, the mother called police, and when a deputy arrived, mom shot him, thinking it was her son returning. Number 52, in which an angry driver attempting a road rage shooting of a nearby driver accidentally shot himself in the head and killed himself. Number 91, the Idaho State University professor who accidentally shot himself in the foot in the middle of chemistry class. Number 65, in which a cameraman from the long-running TV reality show Cops was accidentally shot and killed during filming, by a cop. And finally, number 17, in which a man carrying his gun under Georgia's new "guns everywhere" law to a German-style biergarten in the Bavarian-themed tourist town of Helen accidentally shot himself in the hand, and the same bullet killed a visitor across the street.

A student who authorities say opened fire at a high school Washington state high school on Friday morning is dead, police said.

Police Cmdr. Robert Lamoureux said the student, whose name has not been released, died after firing multiple rounds inside Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Wash., around 10:40 a.m. Local media have reported that others were hurt inside the school cafeteria, but the extent of their injures is not known and police did not comment on those who were injured.

Authorities have identified the Pomona police officer who was shot early Tuesday while serving a search warrant, alleging a known gang member opened fire on the officer as he tried to enter a San Gabriel home.

Officer Shaun Diamond was part of a 14-member, multi-agency SWAT team serving the warrant about 2 a.m. in the 100 block of San Marino Avenue, authorities told reporters at a Tuesday news conference.

Former baseball star Jose Canseco is undergoing surgery after he accidentally nearly shot his finger off in his Las Vegas home Tuesday night, his fiancée Leila Knight told the Los Angeles Times.

The shooting happened about 3 p.m. while Canseco was cleaning his gun at the kitchen table. There was still a round in the chamber in the handgun because Canseco had recently visited the shooting range, Knight said.

“I heard the gun go off and saw his middle finger hanging by a string,” she said.

Canseco shot his middle finger on his left hand.

“It will either have to be amputated or have full reconstruction surgery," Knight said.

Doctors already told the couple Canseco will never have full use of his hand again, Knight said.

Las Vegas police officials confirmed they responded to the shooting. But they declined to elaborate on the circumstances because they did not find any crime had been committed.

Canseco was in poor condition when he arrived at the hospital, Knight said, adding he almost passed out a few times when she called 911 while wrapping a towel around his hand.