What are nine year olds doing at a shooting range?

[Caesura75]

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us...ting-accident/

I realise this will have some passionate views from both sides, but I cannot understand why any child needs to be introduced to a firearm at such a young age.

Surely they can't own a gun of their own, so what is the purpose? Protection in later life? How does that work?

Does it just form an early viewpoint that such weapons are a normal way of life?

I'm not trying to argue against the pro-gun enthusiasts, i'm just interested to hear a viewpoint from all parties.

RIP to the instructor and thoughts with his friends and family.

[jeffaus]

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us...ting-accident/

I realise this will have some passionate views from both sides, but I cannot understand why any child needs to be introduced to a firearm at such a young age.

Surely they can't own a gun of their own, so what is the purpose? Protection in later life? How does that work?

Does it just form an early viewpoint that such weapons are a normal way of life?

I'm not trying to argue against the pro-gun enthusiasts, i'm just interested to hear a viewpoint from all parties.

RIP to the instructor and thoughts with his friends and family.

I m not going to get into whether its right or wrong for a 9 year old to learn to shoot a gun. Maybe her father has guns at home and wanted her to learn about the dangers of guns and how to handle them safely. Too many times Ive read about shootings at home because kids found their fathers gun and killed a sibling when playing with it (who knows) . But having said that, I don't see why a child that age would need to learn how to use a sub machine gun. Sad for the instructor and his family and equally devastating for the little girl Im sure.

[21infantry]

You got be kidding me, when my father grew up, part of the school lessons, where learning about firearms and marksmanship. I learned how to shoot at the age of five. Not uncommon in the US to get your first gun, usually a .22 at the age of five, dad takes you out tells you the importance of gun safety closely monitors you and teaches you how to shoot. By the age of 7 I could field strip almost any rifle.

[GKC45]

I take my 9 year old (now 10) to the range. He hasn't shot anyone yet. What about kids that die in car accidents? Should we keep kids out of cars? Drowning? Better keep kids out of pools.

[GreenWave1]

I do not have a problem with taking a 9 year old to the range, for all the reasons others have stated. That said, you need to supervise young people while they are handling a loaded gun. Someone should have been paying close attention to what she was doing.

[mslman71]

I remember shooting the .22 bolt action rifles at summer camp when I was a kid. It was one of my favorite activities. I would have been about 8 or 9. Don't recall anything unusual about it.

[GreenWave1]

I just read on the big Misc an article that says the police released a vid showing the shooting. She had an Uzi and they put it on full auto. That is serious WTF. It reminds me of an accidental shooting some years ago where a kid was killed in a similar fashion at a gun show using a full auto Uzi. What the heck are people thinking?

article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...sit-range.html

[dazlittle]

I take my 9 year old (now 10) to the range. He hasn't shot anyone yet. What about kids that die in car accidents? Should we keep kids out of cars? Drowning? Better keep kids out of pools.

Are you really likening taking a 9 year old to a range to shoot a gun to travelling with your children in a car or taking them swimming. I've heard a lot of stupid arguments in my time but this one...

FYI I have no issue with guns in fact I like to shoot, and would happily introduce my children to it at some point but definitely not while travelling to the swimming pool in a motorised vehicle as that would be down right crazy!

[dazlittle]

I just read on the big Misc an article that says the police released a vid showing the shooting. She had an Uzi and they put it on full auto. That is serious WTF. It reminds me of an accidental shooting some years ago where a kid was killed in a similar fashion at a gun show using a full auto Uzi. What the heck are people thinking?

article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...sit-range.html

if true that is just downright madness!

[Jtbny]

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us...ting-accident/

I realise this will have some passionate views from both sides, but I cannot understand why any child needs to be introduced to a firearm at such a young age.

Surely they can't own a gun of their own, so what is the purpose? Protection in later life? How does that work?

Does it just form an early viewpoint that such weapons are a normal way of life?

I'm not trying to argue against the pro-gun enthusiasts, i'm just interested to hear a viewpoint from all parties.

RIP to the instructor and thoughts with his friends and family.

I was shooting younger than that. My father was a weapons specialists in the service and a trained marksman and took me at a very young age. I learned gun safety and use and could field strip just about any weapon before the age of ten.

From the article it sounds like this was the first time this little girl had fired this sorta weapon. Not a weapon I would put in my kids hands at 9 but this kid could have been shooting for 5 years for all I know. I've personally never seen a kid that age fire such a weapon (usually just .22s and 9s) although I have seen a 10 year old fire a .44 before and handle it just fine.

Tragic accidents do happen and it's sad for all involved.

[Guinea-pig]

Family tradition at my place.

[EB68]

I had my own .22 rifle, 410 single shot shotgun, and a lever action 30/30 when I was 9 or 10 years old. My father taught me and my siblings to shoot at a very young age and the dangers of playing with guns. I have zero issues teaching young children to shoot, but a 9 year old with a fully automatic weapon is not a very good idea IMO. The parents and instructor are stupid for thinking this was a good idea.
I have no issues with 15 year olds driving either, but I wouldn't put one in a new corvette/mustang GT and expect anything other than a horrific accident was in the near future.

[Trigger543]

Learning how to shoot at 9 years old is one thing. Learning how to shoot a fully automatic uzi is completely retarded in my opinion. Not only is that instructor dead (RIP) but that girl will be scarred for life now.

[Corbi]

I have no issues with kids at the range, have taken a couple of my daughters with and they loved it. Youngest was maybe 9-10 at the time and she did fine, much better shooting the 9mm semi-auto vs the 12 gauge which she wanted to try. Comes down to parental supervision and exactly who was not watching her closely while she handled the weapon.

My oldest grandson is almost 12 and we bought him a couple of bb guns, one is a Red Ryder and the other is a CO2 powered handgun style, he is not allowed to even touch them unless I am with him. They stay locked in my gun cabinet.

[Plateauplower]

A tragic accident and seemingly some miscaluclations by the adult supervision IMO....

I was out squirrel hunting on my own by 9 or 10 with a .22. I started hunting and shooting around age 7, and competed in trap and skeet leagues by 9. I plan to get both of my kids involved in gun safety and marksmenship as soon as I feel they are ready. We will start with pellet rifles, move to shotguns and rifles. I dont see the need for pistol or automatic rifle handling at a very young age, but thats more about how I was brought up, and my knowledge comfort level with such equipment. I hadn't shot a pistol until I was around 14-15 and do not consider myself to be a qualified instructor for pistol so I would likely have someone else teach my kids anything beyond basic safety for pistol if they showed an intrest in that pursuit....

[21infantry]

You understand that the weapon was automatic is the medias talking point, a very Uneducated talking point, I have shot MP-5'S, UZI's even a MP-40 they virtually have no Kick what so ever, a 30-06 has about four times the kick and I shot my Dads old Grand Rifle when I was seven. It was a accident, the instructer got carless, simple as that.

[Trigger543]

You understand that the weapon was automatic is the medias talking point, a very Uneducated talking point, I have shot MP-5'S, UZI's even a MP-40 they virtually have no Kick what so ever, a 30-06 has about four times the kick and I shot my Dads old Grand Rifle when I was seven. It was a accident, the instructer got carless, simple as that.

I watched the video and I agree, the instructor seemed careless. However, what benefit does a 9 year old girl get from learning how to shoot an automatic weapon that justifies taking that risk in the first place? I'm all for kids learning proper gun safety but this is just nonsense.

[Caesura75]

I don't really know anything about the ranges but understand the fun in shooting air rifles etc. A nine year old with a submachine gun seems crazy though.

[gorbyak]

I was about to defend them...but then WTF UZI SRS?

[21infantry]

I watched the video and I agree, the instructor seemed careless. However, what benefit does a 9 year old girl get from learning how to shoot an automatic weapon that justifies taking that risk in the first place? I'm all for kids learning proper gun safety but this is just nonsense.

Its fun, basically the name of the firearm in general, scares people, the government doing its job. Hell in the Hitler Youth they where manning Pak 88's and where well versed in the MG-42 by the age of 9. These Firearms are not mythical and uncontrollable machines. A little common sense go's a long way.

[acrawlingchaos]

I started going out with my father when he hunted when I was six. After two seasons in the field, he allowed me to take the firearms safety course and was given my first firearm, a single shot break action 12 gauge shot gun. For parents that own firearms, proper education on use and safety is vitally important.

I don't really know anything about the ranges but understand the fun in shooting air rifles etc. A nine year old with a submachine gun seems crazy though.

There are parents who are absolutely reckless in regard to firearms. Most children have not developed the strength, coordination or experience to handle some of these weapons.


There was a case several years back in Mass where a 10 year old died at a shooting range. He was given a sub compact machine gun, and when he fired the first volley, the kick drove the barrel under his chin and he shoot himself twice in the head. It's like giving a 10 yr old a grenade in hopes that he can "probably" throw it far enough. Some things can wait.

[beachguy498]

There is a progression with guns, Daisy BB gun, Crossman Pellet gun, .22 rifle before jumping into the assault class of gun. How strong is a 9-year old girl? She probably was not at all ready for the recoil.

[x-trainer ben]

There is a progression with guns, Daisy BB gun, Crossman Pellet gun, .22 rifle before jumping into the assault class of gun. How strong is a 9-year old girl? She probably was not at all ready for the recoil.

This^^ i used to shoot my grandfathers bb gun when visiting "the country" in egg harbor township NJ a looong time ago. I figure if i lived there, before the development, i would have progressed but i highly doubt a machine gun would have been on the list.

[NorwichGrad]

Learning how to shoot at 9 years old is one thing. Learning how to shoot a fully automatic uzi is completely retarded in my opinion. Not only is that instructor dead (RIP) but that girl will be scarred for life now.

YES!! Absolutely ^^..


I learned how to dry fire a 1911 Colt 45 ACP when I was six. My father also taught me how to field strip it..



Nothing wrong with teaching the youth this NECESSARY American tradition and civic responsibility. But common sense, just like in all walks of life, must be exercised.


I am pro-gun, but sometimes I am embarrassed by the actions of my fellow gun nuts.

[21infantry]

The problem here is that a UZI is as easy to control as a phucking .22

[hammerfelt]

I was in y-indianguides. I learned to shoot a .22 at a very young age in this organization along with a lot of other fun father son things to do. Swimming, canoeing, camping etc.

http://www.y-indianguides.com/

[Trigger543]

Its fun, basically the name of the firearm in general, scares people, the government doing its job. Hell in the Hitler Youth they where manning Pak 88's and where well versed in the MG-42 by the age of 9. These Firearms are not mythical and uncontrollable machines. A little common sense go's a long way.

I understand what you're saying but I look at like this. Risk vs reward, what are you risking by putting an automatic weapon in the hands of a child? Lives. What is the possible reward? Fun? Education? Experience? None of that is worth risking anyone's life. A couple years ago a young boy died because he shot himself in the head with an uzi. Now this man dies because of it. Not worth it at all imo. Not saying it can't be done safely, but clearly it wasn't.

[acrawlingchaos]

The problem here is that a UZI is as easy to control as a phucking .22

You have your belief, I have mine. I believe (as beachguy stated), that there should be a level of progression in regards to firearms. There is a subtle complexity with shooting an UZI, and it's nothing like shooting a .22 LR. The UZI is also a sup par weapon with high failure rates, mechanical breakdowns and low accuracy and range. Personally... I wouldn't teach anyone to use it. It's garbage.

Parents can do whatever they want, I really don't care. If I was running a range, I would place an age limit on the use of fully automatic weapons to 13 for the liability and insurance reasons alone. YMMV

[NorwichGrad]

The problem here is that a UZI is as easy to control as a phucking .22

When you and your team were learning how to ‘clear’ a house in MOUT training, were you given ‘hot’ weapons right off the bar? No..

You conducted some dry fire exercises. You followed the traditional ‘crawl, walk, run’ methodology. You conducted AAR after each cycle in order to unphuck everything you phucked up during training.

UZI’s may be as easy as shooting 22 LRs, but back to my point and what others have already stated, the instructor was reckless and did not follow common sense.

Let this tragedy be a lesson to all parents out there..

And, just like the Ferguson mess, barrack obola will probably issue his daily executive order related to this accident.

[GreenWave1]

The problem here is that a UZI is as easy to control as a phucking .22

You keep stating this. Why? Muzzle climb is real. This has happened twice in the last 6 years. The first time a kid died, this time the instructor.