9-year-old girl accidentally kills instructor with Uzi

[bersaguy]

Reading these comments, I think it's interesting to see how many are engaging in the same sort of rhetoric that anti-gun people use for firearms in general (the "why would anyone" type of logic).  Perhaps I am in the minority, but I don't see age as the issue here; it's the level of experience and skill the shooter possesses.  2 years old, 25 years old, or 80 years old, if the shooter is inexperienced and/or unable to effectively maintain safe control of a particular firearm, they shouldn't be using it until they have developed those skills.  If a 9 year old has been shooting since a young age and knows their way around a firearm, it is entirely possible they could safely and effectively handle an UZI.  Why would you let a small kid shoot an UZI?  The same reason any of us might choose to shoot an UZI; it's something we enjoy doing and if done properly, it doesn't result in the unintended death of another person. 

I'm not going to insult anyone involved, but simply say that this is an example of how a seemingly minor lapse in judgement, something we all are guilty of from time-to-time, can lead to a tragic outcome.  The problem here was complacency on the part of the instructor.  My understanding of his background suggests he was reasonably well-trained and knowledgeable, but it seems he had a lapse in judgement in this case and this one cost him his life.  The parents are most certainly second-guessing their decision to allow their child to shoot this firearm, but they trusted the judgement of the instructor who should have known that this inexperienced shooter was not ready for a full-auto sub-machine gun.
 

I think it can safely be noted that controlling an UZI by even some of the most qualified shooters is not an easy task. The gang members in many gangs like these guns for the fact that they can spray a large area with many bullets in drive by shootings because the gun is very well noted for it's ability to walk in many different directions just by pulling the trigger...........jmho

[shortround]

Age may not be an issue, but size, strength, maturity level and yes, experience are all issues. Coincidentally, these are all things that many 9 year old's do not possess.

[LCPfraTN]

I fired an UZI when I was around 20 years old in the Marine Corps as part of Marine Security Guard training...exposure to different weapon types and all that. I will just say that it was a handful to control and can't imagine that little girl being able to control it even if she was somewhat experienced. And from what I can see in the longer version of the video, she appeared very apprehensive even with single shots, so she should have never been allowed to shoot that gun on full auto. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[glowdotGlock]

I've not shot an UZI but I paid to shoot a Glock 18 in Vegas but ot had a stock on it. Even with the experience I have it couldn't really keep it on the silhouette.

[daddyo]

That's horrible. Think of the guilt that poor child will have to live with for the rest of her life. It was an accident but one that should never have happened.

 

She didn't do anything wrong, so there's no reason for her to have any guilt. However, seeing someone die unnecessarily like that will most likely traumatize her for a long time if not for life, and she most likely won't want anything to do with firearms. She may very well become another Shannon Watts.

[Jonnin]

Reading these comments, I think it's interesting to see how many are engaging in the same sort of rhetoric that anti-gun people use for firearms in general (the "why would anyone" type of logic).  Perhaps I am in the minority, but I don't see age as the issue here; it's the level of experience and skill the shooter possesses.  2 years old, 25 years old, or 80 years old, if the shooter is inexperienced and/or unable to effectively maintain safe control of a particular firearm, they shouldn't be using it until they have developed those skills.  If a 9 year old has been shooting since a young age and knows their way around a firearm, it is entirely possible they could safely and effectively handle an UZI.  Why would you let a small kid shoot an UZI?  The same reason any of us might choose to shoot an UZI; it's something we enjoy doing and if done properly, it doesn't result in the unintended death of another person. 

I'm not going to insult anyone involved, but simply say that this is an example of how a seemingly minor lapse in judgement, something we all are guilty of from time-to-time, can lead to a tragic outcome.  The problem here was complacency on the part of the instructor.  My understanding of his background suggests he was reasonably well-trained and knowledgeable, but it seems he had a lapse in judgement in this case and this one cost him his life.  The parents are most certainly second-guessing their decision to allow their child to shoot this firearm, but they trusted the judgement of the instructor who should have known that this inexperienced shooter was not ready for a full-auto sub-machine gun.
 

 

well, I don't see it that way.  Experience of the shooter is irrelevant because *most* kids*  can't handle this gun; just like you can't hand a 2 year old a cocked and ready 500 magnum snubbie pistol and expect good things to happen.  There are physical limitations on some types of firearms that make them inappropriate for some shooters.   It really should have been obvious here; the gun has a reputation amongst adult and experienced shooters as "challenging".  It is not anti-gun rhetoric to say this.

 

* a kid that grew up around firearms AND was exceptionally strong physically might manage it.  I would still recommend a shoulder stocked uzi model instead of that pistol variety.  

[gun sane]

The range's operator weighs in on MSNBC.

 

http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/uzi-gun-range-owner-exclusive-322667587762

[gun sane]

The incident has turned Las Vegas into a machine gunning mecca for tourists who live in areas with tight restrictions. There will always be those who beat a pathway to the forbidden fruit tree.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/09/01/tourists-are-flocking-to-gun-ranges-to-make-us-visit-real-blast/

 

 

There's also the prohibitive cost of owning an automatic weapon -- an M5 might go for $25,000, while a chance to gun down zombie targets with an AR-15 and three other weapons costs less than $200.

 

Dang, all the LGSs that sell ARs for less than two hundred bucks go out of business before I can get there.  :(