8 year old shoots self with uzi, dies later at hospital

[Arm0r]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/27/boy.shoots.himself.ap/index.html

my question is...who let the 8 year old hold the loaded automatic weapon...fuckin idiots.

[:iR:goatkilla]

saw dat on the news poor kid

[jägermonsta]

Well the kid has had experience with different types of guns before but this was his first automatic weapon.

They gave him a 'small' automatic weapon thinking it would be easier for him to handle but their ignorance ignored the fact that those smaller automatic weapons have more pull on them then the larger & longer counter parts.

Who's to blame?

Well I'll tell you who is not to blame... guns. A gun is a tool, like any other dangerous tool. They require proper experience. When you buy a chainsaw you're not going to start off with the biggest most baddest chainsaw in the store, you're going to start small to gain some experience. Unfortunately some people don't understand this...

I blame the establishment that hosted the gun rally. This wasn't a competition for the kids age group or anything. If it were they would of been restricted to a specific fire arm they would of been trained on. It seems they just handed this gun to him and let him loose... There should of been rules to protect dumb people. (aka a father giving a 8 year a short, powerful, automatic weapon). Of course the father is to blame too... but if the establishment was responsible enough to say 'NO' then this wouldn't of happened.

[metaL]

8 years old's shouldn't be anywhere near any type of firearm, period.

EDIT: at the time i imagined a loaded firearm. i still stand behind this.

[DaHanG]

Retarded parents....

[fanny]

Peoples greatest "fault" is the never ending chase to find fault.

And the "8 year olds should never be around guns. period" is just another knee jerk reaction (another thing we are very good at ) IMO and taking that opinion out farther I guess we should state 18 year olds should never be allowed to drive, which kills far more kids than this type of firearm accident.


 

 

[DaHanG]

But is the proportion of 18 year olds who happen to drive the same as 8 year olds who happen to operate Uzis?

[fanny]

In the US, no


My point was aimed at the comment about 8 year olds not being around guns and taking it out to an equally over the top position and the never ending search for fault.

Where I am from 8 year olds NOT having been around firearms is the rarity, hence my 180 degree opposite position on the comment..

Just as a bit of food for thought, my experience with firearms (whether they were auto, semi or single shot) and all of the kids I saw shoot them, the typical response was one of dropping the weapon vs clinching the gun and therefore the trigger in a death grip. So in my later years if my experience was placed in this situation I may very well have not ever considered the possibility of a kid taking a death grip on the trigger thereby letting the gun recoil all the way around to be pointing at his head.

Even with the best people, most experienced, mostest bestest etc etc accidents will happen just as there will be the armchair quarterbacks looking for fault. Hindsight is a bitch


It was an accident, were poor decisions made Yes, will the parent and gun show guy pay for that for the rest of their life Yes.

[FYATroll]

Im not gonna say 8 year olds shouldn't be around guns in general...but I firmly believe they shouldn't be around uzis

[UUD-40]

The people supervising him should have... been supervising. 

[Whirlingdervish]

I think a better way to put it would be: "all people who aren't properly trained should not handle assault weapons"

I see no problem with teaching a child at a young age to correctly operate a firearm and practice firearm safety, but I do see a big problem with the type of firearm in this situation.

An air rifle or single shot 22 short would be fine if you're teaching them how to shoot at targets, and a pump 410 shotgun would be fine if you were teaching them to hunt, but a submachinegun is NOT the kind of weapon that anyone who doesn't have a lot of experience with firearms should be handling and there is absolutely no reason that a child should be handling or firing an automatic.

a loaded uzi is up there on the list of the stupidest things you could ever hand an 8 year old, no matter how much respect they show guns.

[metaL]

8's just a little too young for me.  i don't think they can quite grasp the risk or the responsibility of using such a potentially deadly tool at that age.  i've openly stated that i back the 2nd amendment 100%, so don't misinterpret my post.

to derv (2 posts came while i was typing the last one): i'd probably let my son use a 22 at age 12 or 13 under close supervision until i feel he understands the responsibility involved, then gradually move on to other firearms if he develops an interest.  8 just seems so young to me 

[Whirlingdervish]

I agree that 8 seems a bit young.

Around 10-11 I might be more willing to teach them how to shoot, but 8 is still really immature for most kids.

[Pink Cadillac]

Fucking dumbass parents.

[Arm0r]

8 is waaaay to young, especially for something that would have a recoil like that--im sure the people there have done this sort of thing alot and would understand the recoil involved thus knowing a pair of 8 year old arms would not have the power to control it properly--and one thing, I back the second amendment right as well....but a submachine gun in the hands of that small a child?....nope..never