what parent lets their 8 year old shoot an UZI?

Eight-year-old boy dead after accidentally shooting himself with Uzi

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/10/27/7217666-ap.html

never mind the parent.. what certified instructor believes an 8 year old can properly handle an UZI?

I think the instructor was 'certifiable' to allow a kid to use such a weapon.

Have you ever fired one?

An UZI is not much of a gun really. No real power, no real kick. The only thing going for it is the speed of fire.

I'm not saying an 8-year-old should be out firing one (especially unsupervised), but when I was 8, my father had me shooting .22, .32, 30/30, 12-gauge, 20 gauge etc. He taught me the proper way to handle a weapon before I was even allowed to pull a trigger. He would show me how to maintain/clean the weapons too, so I had respect for how it worked.

Last year I took my 2-year-old daughter to visit him on his farm. He has a target range setup there. Of course she's fascinated by the "big noise" guns...but she got a thrill about standing with dad, putting on the muffs, and pulling the trigger of the .22. Was there ever any risk for her? No more than running across a sidewalk, or climbing a set of stairs. There's risk in anything we do...it's a question of how that risk is controlled via education and/or protection.

i have used many many many different guns. The problem with an UZI in a childs hands is the speed of fire the small kick back coupled with the fast rate of shooting and the likeliness of a child to respond to the kickback by freezing instead of letting go makes me wonder if the instructor has ever fired one.

Only an idiot would let a child of 8 fire a weapon like that. Although the article doesn't say, UZI's are automatic, so I'm left wondering if the kid was firing bursts or single rounds. Nonetheless, an 8 year old is dead.

This is not the 22 used for shooting gophers down on the farm, this is a 9mm weapon designed for killing people. It does not belong in the hands of a child. Hearing s story like this is enough to make you puke.

Oh...I'll agree that there was obviously a problem here, be it the "instructor" or the parent.

You honestly can't blame the kid here...I don't know an 8-year-old who wouldn't jump at the chance to fire ANY gun.

IMHO, it's both the parent & "instructor" for not preparing the kid (teaching him) properly. For a repeating gun like an UZI, there should be about 6-levels of instruction. Of which, only the last one involves firing the weapon alone. For the repeating, and to prepare the kid for the kickback, a firing with an adult holding the weapon from either the shoulder or the grip should have been done. Let the kid hold it with two hands and pull the trigger, but the adult actually has control for kickback, or kid panic.

The one thing I want to emphasize here, is that age is NOT a factor. There are 8-year-olds I've known (and I know I was one of them myself), that could take a rifle and go hunting and be responsible enough to do it right. An example is that when I was 8-years-old I had my first flight lesson (and have the logbook to prove it), and that I was ready to solo (aside from the rule requiring you to be 16) by the age of 10.

There are others who, no matter what age, should NEVER touch a weapon, nor will ever have the maturity to be trusted with one. But because society wants to "categorize" everyone...we've created these arbitrary ages of responsibility, instead of addressing each individual and just telling some of them "No!".

true... very true..

This was an American kid! So all that has happened is that there will be one less vote for Bush or McCaine or his bimbo VP Palin!

When I grew up in Israel, we were all taught how to handle guns, rifles, hand-to-hand combat, and how to cook the books for the different banks, or in selling products!

AGEsAces wrote:Have you ever fired one?

An UZI is not much of a gun really. No real power, no real kick. The only thing going for it is the speed of fire.

I'm not saying an 8-year-old should be out firing one (especially unsupervised), but when I was 8, my father had me shooting .22, .32, 30/30, 12-gauge, 20 gauge etc. He taught me the proper way to handle a weapon before I was even allowed to pull a trigger. He would show me how to maintain/clean the weapons too, so I had respect for how it worked.

Last year I took my 2-year-old daughter to visit him on his farm. He has a target range setup there. Of course she's fascinated by the "big noise" guns...but she got a thrill about standing with dad, putting on the muffs, and pulling the trigger of the .22. Was there ever any risk for her? No more than running across a sidewalk, or climbing a set of stairs. There's risk in anything we do...it's a question of how that risk is controlled via education and/or protection.

I agree, at 8 years old I was firing .22's, 12 gauge shot guns, 8mm german mauser, .22 semi-auto pistol. I owned a .22 single shot at 8 years old. All with proper supervision and training.

I can honestly say I would probably not let my 8 year old handle a full auto. firearm of any kind.

At 8 I was fighting in Vietnam.

grumpy old man wrote:At 8 I was fighting in Vietnam.

Shenanigans !!

grumpy old man wrote:At 8 I was fighting in Vietnam.

Ok...you're old...but not THAT old

AGEsAces wrote:

grumpy old man wrote:At 8 I was fighting in Vietnam.

Ok...you're old...but not THAT old

How old is he???

Any bets the parents are NRA members and will continue to fight for Americans right to bare arms, no matter how many kids get killed.

The gun club says the shooting event was "safe and legal". legal possibly, safe not so much.

If an 8 year old died then safe was the last thing it was. 8 year old children have no business handling firearms. Or power tools. Or sharp instruments. These are children. Let's teach them to handle dangerous things when they are 14, 15, 16. Let them PLAY when they are 8.

I tend to agree that if done right and all rules about the use of guns are followed . Then it is as safe as can be and yes accidents happen but so do pregnancys . also as long as the guns are put away safely locked and seperete from the ammo . I was introduced to gun's at 10 and was taught to respect them just like anything.

"The gun club says the shooting event was "safe and legal". legal possibly, safe not so much."

pretty much sums it up perfectly

Why if no one is hurt is it unsafe did you see some offence . Yes it could have happened but it did not so .

rosencrentz wrote:This was an American kid! So all that has happened is that there will be one less vote for Bush or McCaine or his bimbo VP Palin!

When I grew up in Israel, we were all taught how to handle guns, rifles, hand-to-hand combat, and how to cook the books for the different banks, or in selling products!

I understand that the kid was a Democrat!!

Freeman wrote:

rosencrentz wrote:This was an American kid! So all that has happened is that there will be one less vote for Bush or McCaine or his bimbo VP Palin!

When I grew up in Israel, we were all taught how to handle guns, rifles, hand-to-hand combat, and how to cook the books for the different banks, or in selling products!

I understand that the kid was a Democrat!!

ahh so he was just trying to share the bullets with all those around him and thats why he was shooting wildly

grumpy old man wrote:If an 8 year old died then safe was the last thing it was. 8 year old children have no business handling firearms. Or power tools. Or sharp instruments. These are children. Let's teach them to handle dangerous things when they are 14, 15, 16. Let them PLAY when they are 8.

I agree. No one in their right mind can justify why an 8 yr old should be involved in this type of activity. I don't know if it is possible to punish these parents any more for allowing this to happen.

grumpy old man wrote:If an 8 year old died then safe was the last thing it was. 8 year old children have no business handling firearms. Or power tools. Or sharp instruments. These are children. Let's teach them to handle dangerous things when they are 14, 15, 16. Let them PLAY when they are 8.

That's right...playing with guns at 8 is much better .

It's too late to teach them when they are 14-16. Starting at age 8 is a good age. It's when most kids start to comprehend and understand right/wrong. It's when most kids know what mortality is, and that death is forever...not just a nap.

What happened with this situation is unfortunate, and I'm sure the parents and the instructor are devastated...but there's still nothing wrong with instruction and education of firearms at that age. I wouldn't recommend an Uzi...but aside from the repeater, it's no worse than a hunting rifle or a shotgun.

With any hope, the bureaucrats out there will not make a big deal about this and try to enact a bunch of useless gun laws. Or try to establish new regulations and other garbage that a) won't work and b) is a nuisance for everyone else.

It's an unfortunate incident, nothing more. Punish the instructor for negligence, the parents have already been punished. That's it, it's done, it's over...move on.

Actually, a Uzi is inherently more dangerous than a hunting rifle or shotgun. By its nature, a Uzi is designed for a very specific purpose, killing people. It has an incredibly short barrel, which means very little vertical or horizontal movement causes a larger arc to be covered. If I fired a long barrel rifle or shotgun, and the barrel rose due to recoil, it is unlikely that the muzzle would end up pointed at my head unless I was using my toe on the trigger. A pistol is even more dangerous in that regard.
It has a multiround magazine capacity (30) vs a hunting rifle that is usually 5 rounds, so even if someone went nuts with a hunting rifle, they would only shoot 5 postal workers before having to reload.
While it is not clear in this case whether or not this Uzi was capable of firing fully automatic, the weapon is capable of that so someone who "froze" with their finger on the trigger could have 30 shots in the air before there was an opportunity to stop.
While I am not a "gun nut", I do own firearms, and was quite proficient with them while in the army. I was given a 22 for my 13th birthday, and I think that the gun registry is bullshit. With all that, I am firmly of the opinion that an UZI is not something that an 8 yr old should be taught to use.