“I’m the type of person who would not be questioned when purchasing a firearm in America,” Afghan vet Jay Kirell wrote in an essay last week entitled “Take my Guns, Please.” “I’m white. I’m male. I’m educated. I’m an honorably discharged military veteran.”

And yet, he concludes, “I shouldn’t, by any reasonable measure, own a firearm.”

Kirell was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing scenes of violence and death during his tour, images which plague him still. But he is able to walk into any of the dozens of gun shops near Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was stationed, “hand over a copy of my orders and $500, and within minutes walk out with my choice of handgun, shotgun or long rifle,” he writes. “I shouldn’t be able to hide my PTSD evaluation from a background check because of HIPAA laws.”

While his diagnosis isn’t his fault, he writes, “I am responsible for how I prevent it from becoming someone else’s problem. And step one is to recognize that my right to own a gun is outweighed by the public’s right to have as few people as possible with mental problems walking around with hand-held death machines.”

Here is today’s report.

—Jennifer Mascia

A 13-year-old was accidentally shot in the arm at her house in Warren, Ohio, Wednesday afternoon. Police found a rifle at the scene, along with a magazine for .22-caliber ammunition and nine .22-caliber bullets.

—Vindy.com

A 15-year-old was shot and wounded by a 16-year-old at an apartment complex in West Valley City, Utah, Thursday afternoon. The victim showed up on a neighbor’s doorstep, bleeding from the stomach. Police said the shooter was showing off a gun, and the shooting appears to be an accident.

—Fox13Now.com

A 15-year-old boy was shot outside his high school during an attempted robbery in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago, Ill., Wednesday afternoon. The victim was at a bus stop when two boys began chasing the him, and the gunman yelled a gang slogan before pulling the trigger.

—ABC Chicago

A teenager was injured in a shooting in a high school parking lot in Peoria, Ill., Tuesday night. Police arrested 18-year-old Darell C. Booker, a gang member who is currently on parole.

—CIProud.com

A man shot and killed in a park across from his Wilson, N.C., home Tuesday night was shielding his girlfriend and brother from a spray of gunfire. Estevan Martinez, 20, died in a drive-by shooting at around 10 p.m. “He was a caring person who was always watching out for everyone,” his mother said. “He was like big brother bear.”

—The Wilson Times

64-year-old Patricia Volkar was killed and a man was injured in a shooting at a home in Winchester, Ky., Thursday night. Police received a 911 call at around 8:30 p.m. from a man saying he had been shot three times, and when they arrived, they found him in the front yard and Volkar dead inside the house.

—WKYT

A Pennsylvania state trooper was shot and critically wounded while serving a warrant in Jefferson County, Pa., Thursday afternoon. Police have not released the name of the trooper or the shooter.

—GantDaily.com

A man shot and killed a 47-year-old woman whom he said was part of a group of people who robbed him at gunpoint in his southeast Harris County, Tex., home Thursday afternoon. The homeowner said two men and a woman forced their way in at around 5 p.m., and as they were leaving he was able to grab a gun and shoot the woman in his driveway. Detectives have yet to determine why the man was targeted and what might have been taken.

—Chron

A 34-year-old was shot and seriously wounded in Waukesha, Wis., Thursday, and investigators are unsure if it was self-inflicted or an accident.

—CBS58.com

The victim in a Sept. 20 shooting in Salem, Va., died of his wounds Wednesday evening. Damian Preston Wright, 35, was found lying in the parking lot of an apartment complex with a gunshot wound to his head. Jasper Reed Jackson, 23, an ex-convict, was arrested.

—Roanoke.com

A woman was shot and critically injured in Lynn, Mass., Thursday evening. The victim was found on a sidewalk across the street from a gas station. Police are looking for a male suspect.

—Boston.com

A man was shot and wounded in Lowell, Mass., late Thursday. Shell casings were found at the scene. No information was available on the victim’s condition or whether police found a suspect.

—LowellSun.com

A man was found shot and wounded in an alley in Rock Island, Iowa, Thursday afternoon. Police are knocking on doors and interviewing witnesses.

—KWQC.com

Francisco Gonzalez-Alvarez, 35, was shot and killed at a McDonald’s in south Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday night. Zoran Medic, 22, was arrested for murder. Police said Medic and the victim got into a confrontation after a minor collision at the drive-thru.

—TucsonNewsNow.com

A man was shot in the leg by someone in a passing car while standing in front of an apartment in Huntsville, Ala., Thursday evening. So far no one is in custody.

—WAAYTV.com

A 24-year-old man was shot in the stomach and a 17-year-old boy was shot in the back in two separate incidents in Milwaukee, Wis., Wednesday. No suspects are in custody.

—Fox6Now.com

A man was seriously injured in a shooting in New Haven, Conn., early Thursday. The victim told police he was shot while on his way home. A shell casing was found on the ground.

—New Haven Register

A 25-year-old man was shot twice and seriously wounded in Rochester, N.Y., Wednesday afternoon. Officers said it was not immediately clear what led to the shooting.

—Democrat & Chronicle

Police said 57-year-old Brian Helgeson was shot and killed by his son, who then buried his body on their property in Jackson County, Wis.. Police found Helgeson’s body on the family’s farm Wednesday. Lars Helgeson, 20, is facing charges of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse.

—LaCrosseTribune.com

According to Slate’s gun-death tracker, an estimated 8,737 people have died as a result of gun violence in America since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012.