I guess we’ve got a current front-runner for the 2014 Darwin Awards.
Seriously: an Uzi and a 9-year-old? WTeverlovingF?
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The effect on the girl is just too much for me to have any schadenfreude. It would be fine if it were just the instructor getting what he deserved, but the girl has to live with the guilt of this, even though it was entirely his fault.
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Reap what you sow, and sew what you rip.
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Sew it goes.
To be more on-topic, this is just horrible. From what I remember of my days firing rifles in Air Cadets, I think this is why we had to use a manual version of the SA80 (the L98 - semi-auto would have been okay, but not full auto), and short barrel weapons were right out.
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A freak accident? Spare me.
A weapon specifically designed to slaughter multiple human beings in the shortest possible time kills someone. Gee, who woulda thunk it?
The only one involved I have any sympathy for is the poor little girl. Everyone else? Live by the sword, die by the sword.
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The instructor’s problems are now over. That little girl has a lifetime filled with this ghastly memory.
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By “context” I assume you mean “the United States.”
Let’s be honest - there’s no good reason for most of the US’s gun culture. Having common ownership of deadly weapons as use as penis-replacements/a part of a “freedom” fantasy/toys are not good reasons. (This also holds true for US car culture to a lesser degree as well.)
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I can see the train of thought. I’m constantly trying to think of cool and fun things to experience with my daughter. If I’m doing it myself at the time, doubly so.
If I at all thought that firing a weapon was cool and fun (and it is really hard not to, living in North America) and I was at a firing range trying out weapons, I could almost see myself not only letting but encouraging her to try out the experience as well.
Which frightens the hell out of me.
Something this dangerous should not be fun or cool. Smoking isn’t cool anymore because it kills people. Is there any reason we can’t do that with guns?
To the wider thread: the instructor is as much a victim of this frame of thinking as the rest. Mourn him as well as the girl who lives.
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First order of business is to get a start on the (hopefully not lifelong) process of helping the girl to fully internalize she had zero culpability in this.
At least three adults put that weapon in her hands when she was demonstrably physically incapable of controlling it.
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The instructor filled his Facebook page with all sorts of pro-gun posts. He undoubtedly wanted people to see them and understand his point. He’s now getting more views than he could have ever expected. Granted, there’s now the great irony that now their effect is likely the opposite of what he intended or desired.
This is the Darwinian solution to incompetent firearm instructors.
It would be very interesting to talk to kids who became murderers by accident (and their families) and see what their opinion of gun control is decades later. Obviously many of them grew up in a pro-fun household (and sadly, many others did not) but how do these events change the views within a family over time?
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I don’t think she’s a murderer.
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She’s not murderer. Murder requires intent; and (1) it was an accident, thus utterly lacking in intent, and (2) I’d be astounded if 8 years old is adequate for criminality [though I note the other BB thread where an 8 year old boy was arrested - silly, although the related incident may have been very upsetting]
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I’m just going to say that regardless of your thoughts on gun control, I think it’s hard to say that this range markets itself terribly responsibly.
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Sorry, my dumb attempt at sarcasm - the idea that 9 was seen as an acceptable age to handle an automatic weapon should have raised serious alarm bells. I like the way one of the instructors being interviewed here tries to dodge the obvious answer to the interviewer’s question:
Interviewer: How does a 9 year old get an uzi in her hands?
Instructor: Well, a 9 year old gets an uzi in her hand when, uh, when, uh, they’re within the criteria, which is 8 years old to shoot firearms. We instruct kids as young as 5 in .22 rifles…
I can understand the desire to teach gun safety to kids who live in areas where guns are prevalent, whether it’s the inner city (like where I grew up) or rural areas where hunting is common. I was taught at a young age how dangerous guns could be and I’ve never had the desire to own one. I can’t, however, think of any reason that a 9 year old (or anyone at all) should be handling an Uzi.
Edit: My definition of gun safety for kids does not include teaching how to shoot, but rather to avoid touching the weapon and to notify an adult.
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I forget where I read it, but I once read an interesting essay written by a guy who had accidentally shot and killed his best friend when he was a small child. It was clear that even three decades later, it remained the defining moment of his life with an undeniable effect on everything that happened to him since.
I forget how or where or why, but I was taken skeet shooting at a very young age and had no business handling the shotgun we were using. I didn’t shoot anyone, but very nearly did. It was pretty close. It definitely made me very scared of guns. I’ve gone shooting a fair number of times since then (and do enjoy it), but never with a shotgun. Being around them instantly makes me feel all the guilt and fear from that childhood incident. And no one was even hurt! I can’t imagine how I’d feel if someone was hurt or killed.
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D’oh - my bad. Wow, I hadn’t seen that interview. One more reason to stay the hell away from that state at all costs…
Little Girl 1, Gun nut 0
