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MY TAKE on OLD-T's thread-- UZIs don't kill people. Nine-year-olds with UZIs do!
Yes, I know there was another post about it from my fellow American, Old-T, but if we can suffer 75 .benghazi threads, another take on this subject won't kill you. Unless you read this while teaching a third-grader how to go full-auto.
While you were busy pissing and moaning about Obama, THIS happened in Arizona. That it happened in Arizona is NOT surprising. That is happened at all takes the question of gun control to the level of "REALLY?"
What age is the right age to put a fully-automatic machine pistol in a child's hand?
What kind of parent takes their 9-year-old girl to classes to learn how to fire an Uzi?
The kid was being instructed by a "professional." Does that make it OK?
Does that kid have the right under the fucking constitution to do ANYTHING?
Oh yeah, and what about the kid? Will her LIFELONG therapy be covered by Obamacare?
Accidental Fatal Shooting of Gun Instructor by 9-Year-Old Girl Sparks New Debate
Age-Limit Issue Raised After 9-Year-Old Loses Control of Uzi
By SHEILA V KUMAR
Aug. 27, 2014 9:29 p.m. ET
The death of a shooting instructor at an Arizona gun range when a 9-year-old girl lost control of a powerful automatic weapon has raised the issue of age limits at such operations.
The girl, on vacation with her parents at the Last Stop shooting range in White Hills, Ariz., accidentally shot and killed the instructor, 39-year-old Charles Vacca, while firing an Uzi submachine gun Monday, officials said. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office said the gun's recoil sent the weapon over the girl's head, its bullets striking Mr. Vacca, who stood next to her.
Mr. Vacca, who was shot in the head, was airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he died from his injuries Monday evening, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Video of the incident released by the sheriff's office shows Mr. Vacca adjusting the girl's stance and then saying, "All right, now go ahead and give me one shot," apparently before the gun was set on fully automatic. With her back to the camera, the girl successfully fires a single round at a target.
"All right, full auto," Mr. Vacca then says before the girl releases a series of shots, apparently losing control of the gun before the video ends.
The shooting touched off a debate on social media among gun-control advocates, parents and gun-rights supporters, with many questioning why the girl's parents would let her fire such a powerful weapon.
E.J. Montini, a columnist for the Arizona Republic newspaper, wrote: "Arizona law allows a minor to possess a weapon if accompanied by a parent, guardian or an instructor. But this type of weapon? It's time we asked ourselves: Why would a shooting range allow a kid to handle an automatic weapon? Why would a parent? And, most importantly, why would a state?"
Others expressed sympathy for the girl, but questioned why she was handling such a weapon.
Adam Winkler, a professor of constitutional law at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of the book "Gunfight: The Right to Bear Arms in America," said shooting ranges can adopt their own policies on how old a person has to be to handle their weapons.
"Generally there are no age restrictions to use a shooting range. As long as the minor is supervised by an adult, there are no laws barring minors from shooting firearms," Mr. Winkler said.
"There's nothing wrong with having children at gun ranges," he continued. "Shootings at gun ranges are freak accidents. They don't happen very often. Usually there's no place where shooters are more supervised than on a gun range."
However, he added, that it is unusual for a 9-year-old to fire an Uzi, because they are sizable, and "young arms might not be well equipped to handle the power of the firearm."
Gun usage is a sensitive topic in Arizona, which has strong laws supporting gun rights and where it isn't unusual for families to shoot together at ranges.
The state has been embroiled in recent high-profile gun debates—especially after the wounding of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a 2011 mass-shooting in a Tucson strip mall that left the Arizona Democrat seriously injured, and six dead.
The Last Stop is a popular shooting range just south of the Nevada border near Las Vegas where patrons can fire a variety of weapons, some of which were used in movies such as "Jumanji" and "Rambo: First Blood Part II."
Sam Scarmardo, the gun range's operator, said his business abides by standards set by the National Association of Shooting Ranges, which suggest that no one under the age of 8 should enter a shooting range.
Mr. Scarmardo, who also owns Sam's Shooters Emporium in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., wasn't at the range when the accident occurred, but said Mr. Vacca had been working for him for a little more than a year. Mr. Vacca had served in the military and was still in the reserves, he said.
"Of course everyone is mourning," Mr. Scarmardo said. "Charlie is a brother."
Mr. Scarmardo said he and his staff will review their policies as federal officials investigate the incident. He noted that this was the first time anyone was injured on his ranges.
"We probably got close to 100,000 people that have shot between the two ranges in the last 14 years and several million rounds of ammunition and to date we've never even handed out a band aid," he said.
This kind of thread can only come you and Old-T. I don't know what to tell ya man. Buy a ballistics vest and stay away from nine year olds. Although it's a tragic occurrence it's still an isolated incident. If this story was about this nine year old girl shooting with care and precision nobody would be making a big deal about that. We only want to hear about the tragedies and pit falls in life so brilliant people can tell you what to be afraid of and who to blame.
This kind of thread can only come you and Old-T. I don't know what to tell ya man. Buy a ballistics vest and stay away from nine year olds. Although it's a tragic occurrence it's still an isolated incident. If this story was about this nine year old girl shooting with care and precision nobody would be making a big deal about that. We only want to hear about the tragedies and pit falls in life so brilliant people can tell you what to be afraid of and who to blame.
Not only do I not disagree with a parent teaching their child to shoot, I think it is very important if the family has a gun in the house. The best way to ensure that a child doesn't play with a gun is to demystify guns by teaching them gun safety and how to shoot.
However, teaching children firearm safety, and how to shoot should also be common sense. Start the kid on a small hand gun or BB gun, something they can handle. A fully automatic gun should never be put into the hands of a child. But the responsibility for safely instructing children in gun safety lies with the parent, not the government.
Government is not a tool by which we can save the stupid, ignorant, and irresponsible. Everyone agrees on the belief that the American Dream is supposed to mean that we all have the freedom to succeed. Well, there are two sides to that coin. If we believe in the individual's freedom to succeed, we should also believe in the individual's freedom to fail.
So while I very much sympathize with this little girl, and the trauma she will have to live with, and I sympathize with the family who lost their 8 year old son to a similar accident, I don't believe that any action is required from either the state or the Federal gov't. It is up to the parents to pull their heads out of their asses and use some common sense. For those parents who can't remove their heads from their rectums, no amount of government regulation will suffice.
In a matter of speaking that's pretty much it. What kind of world do you think we live in? Nobody is sitting around with a crystal ball foretelling what future events may take place to warn us to get out of the way of danger. It's up to us to make our own decisions sometimes they are good ones, sometimes not so good, like in this case. I don't think it's a good idea to allow a nine year old kid on a firing range either. I can't even believe the range officials even allowed it, but they did.
Not only do I not disagree with a parent teaching their child to shoot, I think it is very important if the family has a gun in the house. The best way to ensure that a child doesn't play with a gun is to demystify guns by teaching them gun safety and how to shoot.
However, teaching children firearm safety, and how to shoot should also be common sense. Start the kid on a small hand gun or BB gun, something they can handle. A fully automatic gun should never be put into the hands of a child. But the responsibility for safely instructing children in gun safety lies with the parent, not the government.
Government is not a tool by which we can save the stupid, ignorant, and irresponsible. Everyone agrees on the belief that the American Dream is supposed to mean that we all have the freedom to succeed. Well, there are two sides to that coin. If we believe in the individual's freedom to succeed, we should also believe in the individual's freedom to fail.
So while I very much sympathize with this little girl, and the trauma she will have to live with, and I sympathize with the family who lost their 8 year old son to a similar accident, I don't believe that any action is required from either the state or the Federal gov't. It is up to the parents to pull their heads out of their asses and use some common sense. For those parents who can't remove their heads from their rectums, no amount of government regulation will suffice.