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AIBU?

To wonder what kind of idiot teaches a 9-year-old to use an Uzi

397 replies

BadLad · 27/08/2014 11:33

m.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28948946

A 9-year-old kills her shooting instructor when she loses control of the Uzi he is teaching her to use.

Apparently many (that's right, many) firing ranges have strict rules when teaching children.

Oh well, that's all right then, what was I worried about?

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PausingFlatly · 27/08/2014 12:34

Dangerous for whom?

The climber?

Or the people around the climber?

differentnameforthis · 27/08/2014 12:35

There are no live targets in shooting ranges. Except there was, yes, he wasn't an intended target, but the moment her parents consented to give that girl that gun, he became a target.

And she hit it.

And now she is a murderer.
At 9.
Yeah, I bet that's a lot of fucking fun to live with, hey!

dreamingbohemian · 27/08/2014 12:35

Every year 10,000 children and teenagers are killed or wounded by gunshots in the US

3,000 of those are kids who died of gunshot wounds before they even made it to the hospital

Fuck can you compare it to riding bicycles or camping or rock climbing. 10,000 kids a year!

I'm American btw, I used to live in cities where people were shot all the time. It is a fucking pathology and I will never understand why people think guns are no big deal, there are a million statistics that show just having guns in the home raises the risk of death or injury or suicide or murder significantly.

I feel sorry for the man who died but something is really fucked up when kids shooting Uzis is seen as fun. God help us.

Mrsjayy · 27/08/2014 12:36

Not many child climbers kill their instructers though do they can you not grasp the concept of he was shot in the face aga this isnt an accident at work that needs to go in the accident book aga sodiers are taught with lesser rifles first but hey lets pay a few dollars to shoot a gun

BarbarianMum · 27/08/2014 12:37

The little girl is not a murderer, although knowing that she killed someone accidentally will, I'm sure, not be easy to live with either.

AgaPanthers · 27/08/2014 12:37

Climbing does pose a third-party risk, since it is generally done in pairs, and you rely on your partner to do things like tying knots safely. My son does climbing and he has learned to tie knots and other safety procedures that are potentially life-threatening if not followed correctly.

differentnameforthis · 27/08/2014 12:37

People die riding bicycles, while camping, rock climbing, and many other things But very rarely do those people riding a bike/rock climbing take a life with them. If you decide to go rock climbing you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

This girl had NO idea of the dangers she & her instructor were facing.

It was a huge risk to take with his life & with hers.

Why are you defending this so much & making it sound like a bloody bike ride?

differentnameforthis · 27/08/2014 12:39

Why do people want to drive a Ferrari when a Vauxhall Corsa does the same job?

because an ADULT in sensible charge of a car they have learnt to drive is less likely to suddenly lose control & plow into someone, outright killing them.

Do you really think a 9yr old with a gun she can't control is the same as a driver in a car that he/she has had numerous hours learning to drive?

AgaPanthers · 27/08/2014 12:40

The statistics on children dying in the US from gunshot wounds (mostly suicides I believe?) are not really relevant to an accident on a shooting range.

A shooting range is an appropriate place to use and store guns. It doesn't really inform the discussion of guns in homes.

Shakirasma · 27/08/2014 12:41

Aga. Your attitude towards this is terrifying. You, and others with your culture have lost all perspective.

PausingFlatly · 27/08/2014 12:41

Aga

I was taught to shoot when I was 10 years old. On a proper rifle range, and using live rounds which could kill someone. The discipline was extremely strict, as were the licensing and membership conditions. Respect for what we were doing was a fundamental part of it.

I think giving a child an Uzi was beyond stupid.

And I find your attitude in defending children playing with semi-automatic weapons as "fun holiday stuff" irresponsible and dangerous.

Mrsjayy · 27/08/2014 12:42

Your son wasnt sent up everest on his rock climb was he aga if we are going to compare dangerous extreme sports

CerealMom · 27/08/2014 12:42

Shooting as part of sporting events I can understand - the idea of 'perfect' target shooting.

Firing off a few rounds on an Uzi - a whole other ball game. Maybe for a certain type of 'adrenaline/gun' lover (humm).

As for a child being able to do this casually at a walk in firing range - astounding.

Would I, if I were on holiday allow my DS (8) to try out any gun at a walk in range - hell would freeze over first.

PausingFlatly · 27/08/2014 12:43

And I disagree profoundly that what happened on that range is unconnected with what happens with guns in the home.

It's all part of a culture of guns as fun.

LineRunner · 27/08/2014 12:44

Aga

You are proving a point but not the one you think you are.

PausingFlatly · 27/08/2014 12:45

Agreed, LineRunner.

Kewcumber · 27/08/2014 12:46

I have a nearly 9 year old, I wouldn't let him drive a car or climb a rock face alone or shoot a gun. It's insane. I wouldn't even let him cross a very busy road on his own just yet.

But a sub-machine gun is OK?!

thegreylady · 27/08/2014 12:47

I remember when my dc did Pony Club tetrathlon which involved target shooting. The dc were not even allowed to take the gun out of the case. An instructor placed the gun on a table after loading a pellet. The child was then told to pick up the gun, turn sideways and, with one hand behind their back aim at the target. Everyone including the instructor stood well away before the child was told to aim and fire (at a target on a fixed wooden wall).
This was in the early 80s and was with light air pistols. Today I wouldn't want my children to do that never mind use a killing weapon.
An Uzi is a gun desined to kill. Why was it loaded with live ammunition? Apparently the catch switching to automatic fire rather than single shot was knocked. The child overbalanced from the shock of the recoil. It is horrible. Aga you cannot defend this culture, all your comparisons are just ludicrous. Where in the world does a '3 year old drive a dune buggy'?

Kewcumber · 27/08/2014 12:47

I was also a member of a gun club many years ago so am hardly prissy about guns

dreamingbohemian · 27/08/2014 12:47

The statistics are relevant. The only reason it's seen as 'fun' to shoot an Uzi on holiday is because guns in the US have become completely normalised. This death is the direct result of a culture that says it's okay for kids to shoot guns, even Uzis. The cost of that culture is not just this one death, it's thousands of kids a year.

AgaPanthers · 27/08/2014 12:48

"It was a huge risk to take with his life & with hers. "

I am not clear that it was. There has been a death here, that is sad, but it doesn't mean that there was a huge risk. I am aware that in the Las Vegas area there are hundreds of shooting ranges and places you can shoot machine guns. A quick Google search suggests that children generally are allowed to shoot guns on these ranges, and given that is so, it is reasonable to assume that children have shot these guns many, many times with no incident.

There has been an accident, but one out of how many? There's still no reason to assume that it's riskier than running a children's bicycle tour, for instance.

differentnameforthis · 27/08/2014 12:52

I'm sorry for my language on this thread...I am just so shocked that anyone can think this is a good idea, that a 9yr old shooting a gun is a 'fun' activity to do while on holiday & can happily compare it to riding a bike....

PausingFlatly · 27/08/2014 12:53

Aga, you're in complete denial about the link between gun use on ranges and gun use in the home and street, aren't you?

Mrsjayy · 27/08/2014 12:54

Oh shush its a fucking gun not a bike ride whether it is the norm in the state of nevada does not make it right or safe allowing children to fire guns that grown adults take weeks to learn is irresponsible and stupid and parents who take their children to shoot the gun are irresponsible and stupid.

merrymouse · 27/08/2014 12:55

Nobody needs to fire an uzi outside a war zone. How on earth is it fun?

Of course people die when they go climbing. However nine year olds go climbing with appropriately sized safety helmets, harnesses and with correct supervision. They tend not to kill their instructors.

I am not sure what the exact parameters/recoil of the Uzi are, but as the shooting ranges advertise it for 8+, I'm sure they have some considerable experience, more so than I or others on this thread, with handling it.

Or maybe they didn't know what they were doing, hence somebody died.

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