Two sixth-graders from Gasden, Alabama were arrested Thursday for possession of a Death Note that held the names of teachers and fellow students. The students were not reported to have been serious about carrying out any attacks, but the authorities were quite serious about the incident, as the two boys are awaiting a juvenile court hearing. They (law enforcement) called the Death Note terrorist threats. That makes me laugh, having watched/read some Death Note myself, loathed it, and can totally see where they are coming from.
Since there have been other incidents involving Death Note in the past, this seems like this is a problem that will not readily go away. My advice is that if Death Note watchers/readers really want to keep their series, let alone reputation as human beings, they should leave the notebooks and things like that at home. It may be fiction, but it can still upset people. The whole thing about killing other humans tends to unnerve people, no matter how open to anime/manga and fictitious situations they may be. It's okay to be proud of who you are, but just don't bring everyone else down with you.
Sources
Anime News Network
Gadsden Times (linked in ANN article)
