We do not disagree that guns in inappropriate, untrained, etc hands can kill people. Where our difference lies is that you blame the inatimate object, and I blame the idiots that put an object that should NEVER be in an 8 year old's hands, in an 8 year old's hands.
An inanimate comic book in that boys hand would not have killed him. He might have got a papercut. The gun can't do anything, and it did just what it was designed to do. Put a hole in something. Just not the something that the boy was aiming at. It is really really sad. The more I think about it the sadder I am.
Chuck Norris's right and left leg were designed for killing and you don't see him sitting in jail. :happy102 Yes guns are a wepon but so is a knife, bat, golf club, hat pin, etc. If I were to put a gun on a table and no one ever touched it, would it kill me? Yea, that!
And that's exactly what should be in an 8 year old's hands, a comic book. But who's fault is it that there wasn't? Certainly not the gun's. It is very sad, and I'm sure the father was either well medicated, or kept a close eye on, after. Cause I certainly know what I would have done to myself, if I were in that situation. Of course, I would never be in that exact situation, cause guns have no place in my life and never will, but I respect the rights of others that choose to legally have and use guns responsibly.
I never said guns weren't dangerous if not used carefully. There are plenty of safer things in this world, and plenty more dangerous things. That a dangerous thing can be misused is not, in my opinion, a reasonable basis for blaming the thing, as opposed to the person misusing it.
Another really sad story in the news today. This time a device meant to SAVE lives used inappropriately killed a 13 year old. Sad news... HPD: Teen's seat belt joke led to strangulation http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6081680.html
I was taught to shoot at 8. I started with a .22 and did not find it to my liking. The most important sentence in that story is the last line of the first page. "Designed for military and police use". If you are an avid shooter then you know that there are certain guns that you cannot get because they are designed for law enforcement and the military. I have no problem with the fact the kid was given the gun, what I have problem with is they loaded the clip full. What was the point? 1 or 2 rounds to test it. An adult go ahead and give them a full clip. The gun owner is just as much to blame as the father. Dad should have helped the child hold the gun. Anytime you have 1 round per second going down range the amount of recoil is going to be tremendous. Gas operated or otherwise. Don't go after gun manufacturers or bullet manufacturers. The people that by the guns need to educate themselves and the people in household. If the education is there the chance of accidents is diminished of only slightly. I am planning on getting my ccw next year. Oregon has some strict laws about this and I plan to overtrain and overlearn so that I can be a prepared PARENT. I have two small kids and the safety of those children is first in my mind.
I think the main issue here is: Why the hell is there a law that allows minors to handle guns at all (no matter who's watching)?
Right on. I would never put my 12ga or my 44 mag in the hands of my 11 year old. There is no possible way for her to deal with the recoil and I'm not even willing to take a minute chance with her life. I will not even take her to a shooting range (maybe I'm a little too paranoid). The bottom line is that there is no way for a small child to understand or appreciate the power of a weapon like an Uzi, or a 12ga. Yes, I started shooting a .22 when I was 8, but I didn't move up to the bigger stuff until I was around 16 and only after taking a bunch of safety classes. I'm in my 40's now and I still do not like fully automatic or semi automatic weapons. Honestly, I'm not even interested in using them. My heart goes out to the father, but this is a horrible tragedy that could of been prevented by using a little common sense.
i have dozens of guns none have ever killed a human.not to mention more lives have been saved by guns than have been taken.I'm not saying this wasn't tragic but it could have been avoided with some common sense.what this child was handed was not a hand gun,hunting rifle,or small caliber firearm he was handed a assault weapon made for the military.
Legislation tends to create more problems than it solves. And where I grew up in south Louisiana, most of my friends owned a small arsenal of rifles and shotguns and used them regularly during hunting season. The problem in this case lies with the parent and not with the law, in my opinion.
Sad, sad story. I was just as sad at the story of Jennifer Hudson's 7-year old cousin found dead, shot in the head. Who shoots a 7-year old child in the head? Although I know I shouldn't feel this way, I find myself desiring for a particularly nasty corner of hell designated for such people. Right after we take them out back and . . . Regarding the Uzi accident, too many words come to mind. Idiotic, insane, moron . . . Those are just the ones I feel comfortable typing. I don't believe in gun control. But I do believe in accountability. An 8-year old with an Uzi? Would he have let the kid fire off a round from a bazooka had he the opportunity? It is one thing to teach your children how to handle firearms at an early age. This was just plain stupid. He could have handed the kid a bottle of Jack Daniels and the keys to a Ferrari and had a better chance at a happy outcome (at least the kid probably wouldn't have been able to drive the Ferrari). Stupidity is one thing. Lord knows I have done stupid things with my kids. But there is a line. And I have zero tolerance when it comes to kids getting hurt as a direct result of morons who should have known better.
From a legal perspective I can see the dad, the vendor, and the event being sued, cross-sued, etc. Its ugly and stupid. One round ok, a full clip? WTF!! I posted a youtube in the jokes forum about a lady who shot 1 round from a 50 caliber. A small lady to be sure. That thing kicked back and whacked her nose, just think if she would have squeezed another round off. If it is made for the military or police, it stays in that area, PERIOD, end of story.
I used an Uzi when I was in the IDF during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. This submachine gun is no longer in use by soldiers of ZAHA"L, and one reason why is because although it's very lightweight, it can be tricky, and it can easily get blocked by sand, or dirt. It was invented by an Israeli Major named Uziel Gal in the 1950's. If I am not mistaken, ZAHA"L is now using the M160, and other American-made weapons.
