8 year old dies at gun fair.

[Ichiban]

Call me old fashioned, but I don't think an eight year old should be handling an automatic weapon (even with adult supervision) for this very reason.  They just can't handle it and don't have the cognitive abilities to let go of the trigger in time.  Just more ammunition for the the gun grabbers. 

Truly a tragic accident.  My heart goes out to his family.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081027/ap_on_re_us/boy_shoots_himself;_ylt=AmO3CW0qFUbj1nMenTjgoDKs0NUE

WESTFIELD, Mass. – An 8-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while firing an Uzi submachine gun under adult supervision at a gun fair.

The boy lost control of the weapon while firing it Sunday at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club, police Lt. Lawrence Valliere said.

The boy, Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., was with a certified instructor and "was shooting the weapon down range when the force of the weapon made it travel up and back toward his head, where he suffered the injury," a police statement said.

Christopher died at Baystate Medical Center.

Although police called it a "self-inflicted accidental shooting," police and the Hampden district attorney's office were investigating, officials said.

"We are going to review all the circumstance regarding what happened, who was involved, what authorities they may or may not have had, who was supervising," District Attorney William Bennett said Monday.

It is legal for children to fire a weapon if they have permission from a parent or legal guardian and are supervised by a properly certified and licensed instructor, Lt. Hipolito Nunez said.

Those conditions were met in this case, he said. He declined to release the supervisor's name.

The club said on its Web site that the event, run in conjunction with C.O.P Firearms and Training, is "all legal and fun." People are allowed to fire weapons at vehicles, pumpkins and other targets, it said.

Officials of the private club and the firearms group could not be reached for comment. There was no response to a message left on a club answering machine. The C.O.P. group's machine clicked off without taking a message.

The sportsman's club was founded in 1949 and describes itself on its Web site as promoting "the interest of legal sport with rod, gun, and bow and arrow, both directly and through training."

[jaybet]

Sadly tragedies and ACCIDENTs happen. We'll say a prayer for the family, the club, all adults involved, and the soul of that boy.

[ericire12]

I don't think an eight year old should be handling an automatic weapon (even with adult supervision)

I agree. This is tragic for many reasons.

[SwoopSJ]

Call me old fashioned, but I don't think an eight year old should be handling an automatic weapon (even with adult supervision) for this very reason. 

Don't get me wrong, this is a tragedy without question and I do feel sorry for the parents, as they will have to deal with this for the rest of their lives.  That being said, the child had absolutely no business using an automatic weapon.  I have never personally fired one, but I have been told that they are hard to control even for an adult.  The parents are completely and totally responsible for this needless accident.  This should not be used as anti - gun fodder, although it will be, because the machine (gun) is not at fault.  The parents might as well have given the child the keys to the family car and turned him loose on the highway.  In that instance, I bet they wouldn't try to ban the car, just charge the parents with something like child endangerment, which IMHO, was the problem.  Just my 1/50 of a dollar.

Swoop

[ericire12]

Don't get me wrong, this is a tragedy without question and I do feel sorry for the parents, as they will have to deal with this for the rest of their lives.  That being said, the child had absolutely no business using an automatic weapon.  I have never personally fired one, but I have been told that they are hard to control even for an adult.  The parents are completely and totally responsible for this needless accident.  This should not be used as anti - gun fodder, although it will be, because the machine (gun) is not at fault.  The parents might as well have given the child the keys to the family car and turned him loose on the highway.  In that instance, I bet they wouldn't try to ban the car, just charge the parents with something like child endangerment, which IMHO, was the problem.  Just my 1/50 of a dollar.

Swoop

Right on target.


Exit Question: Should the parents and/or the gun range be charged in this?

[Sponsor]

[Hazcat]

Parents - yes, gross stupidity!

[shooter32]

Parents - yes, gross stupidity!

+100

[jaybet]

Parents = responsible; gun range= gets sued.

[oldeurope]

I did not come here for blame or insults - even though there is plenty of reason for it.

I'm interested: Is there any one person here that takes the tragedy as an opportunity to think things over?
This is not just a stupid yet tragic accident. It is a logical consequence of the importance guns are given in the U.S. A once very important 2nd amendmend is a sorry excuse for too many guncrazy fools. There should be better ways.
Is anyone waking up? Please post here!

[oldeurope]

Sadly tragedies and ACCIDENTs happen. We'll say a prayer for the family, the club, all adults involved, and the soul of that boy.

This is not just an accident - thats cynical. This is failure produced by a dangerous gun culture. Try to think. Try to feel.