Professor Shoots His Foot In Class, Raising Concerns About Idaho's Campus Gun Laws

A professor at Idaho State University may have inadvertently taught students an important lesson in gun safety when he accidentally shot himself in the foot on Tuesday.

The incident comes just slightly more than two months after the state of Idaho began allowing certain people -- such as retired law enforcement officers and those with enhanced concealed-carry permits -- to bring concealed weapons onto college campuses throughout the state.

It’s not yet clear what caused the firearm to discharge; Lt. Paul Manning of the Pocatello Police Department told The Daily Beast that the unnamed professor’s handgun was “pocketed, but not holstered” when it went off in class in front of some 20 students in the Physical Science department.

The professor, who possesses an enhanced concealed-carry permit, was treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to Reuters. An investigation is currently underway to determine if he will be charged with a misdemeanor for discharging a firearm within city limits, the Idaho State Journal reports.

The state's controversial law allowing concealed weapons on campus went into effect July 1 after setting off a fierce, state-wide debate. Gun advocates had argued more firearms increases campus safety, while others said the bill would lead to increased fear and raise the potential for school shootings.

“When they passed this law it was bound to happen," ISU President Arthur Vailas, who had objected to the bill, told Idaho State Journal, calling the incident "scary and embarrassing.”