Clear and Present Danger
What happened at the gun show in Massachusetts is precisely why guns and kids should be kept apart. Guns kill - that is their purpose. The tragic death of an 8-year-old boy who, while under supervision by a certified instructor at a gun show accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi submachine gun, is horrific; a catastrophe of gargantuan proportions for the child and his family, and I would say, for all parents everywhere. Words cannot even begin to describe the sorrow that must certainly consume the family and friends of this little boy. In a heartbeat - an out-of-control instant, a child's life is gone.
I mouthed a silent prayer for the victim and his parents when I read about the tragedy, and wondered again at the stubbornness of gun lovers and promoters. Why is an 8-year old child allowed into a gun show in the first place? Why is a little boy encouraged and allowed to test-shoot an Uzi sub-machine gun, or any gun for that matter? Shouldn't there be an age requirement to get into a place that is full of loaded guns? Guns are serious business - they represent a clear and present danger. And clearly, even professionals cannot guarantee safety around them when those weapons are loaded.
Though I don't presume to question the right of qualified adults to own a gun, to engage in hunting sports, and to guard life and limb, I wonder what has lead our society to think that weapons of mass destruction - Uzi submachine guns and the like, should be so easily bought and sold and put on display to be fondled and tested by untrained individuals - especially children?
The proliferation of guns, the crime that is committed against society with guns, and the potential for accidental injury and death because of guns, is at the heart of the gun debate, and of course the issue heats up after a tragedy occurs. I hope this time we make a move - not only to enforce laws that are already on the books, but also, as a society, to be proactive in taking appropriate steps to ensure safety; to treat guns with the gravity and seriousness they require. And, to honor this child's memory, to keep them out of the hands of kids.
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Dear Cheryl Saban,
"Why is an 8-year old child allowed into a gun show in the first place? "
Actually 8 is a common age for many children to get experience shooting firearms.
Kim Rhode, an Olympic gold medalist in shooting at age 16, first began shooting at about age 8.
"I wonder what has lead our society to think that weapons of mass destruction - Uzi submachine guns and the like, should be so easily bought and sold "
Sub-machine guns are not easily bought an sold. To buy a sub-machine gun, you must get photographed, finger printed, obstain an affidavit from state authorities attesting to your character and ability to possess such a firearm, fill out the requisit forms and send it all, along with $200 per firearm, to the BAFTE who will then have the FBI run an extensive background check on you (not the instant check used for other firearms). Then, if you are approved, the firearm in question will be registered to you and you will receive a federal tax stamp which you must be able to produce when asked. This process takes several weeks to complete.
Safety, Safety, Safety.
Why do you think they banned fireworks like M-80s and cherry bombs? Because most people are stupid about handling things they don't know much about and wind up hurting themselves. Instead of Dad grabbing a camera to take a picture he should have had his hands on the gun and let the kid pull the trigger. Better yet, Dad should have just let this child WATCH him do the shooting. An eight year old doesn't have the strength to control the recoil on that type of weapon.
Guns don't kill people. People kill people. The people who let an eight year old pick up a weapon he never should have been allowed to touch when loaded much less try and fire are responsible for this tragedy. This is not a toy. The instructor who was running this operation was more concerned about making a buck. The instructor disregarded SAFETY for patrons at the show for the lure of making a buck. Now that was the crime.
Please take a gun safety course and know what your doing before you handle guns. Remember it is always the other person who get hurts.
And Yes! I do own guns and enjoy shooting. But in a safe manner.
Even though a gun range is one of the safest places you can be, freak accidents do happen. Especially in the presence of stupid or uneducated people. The moral of this story should be that children should only be allowed to fire weapons that are appropriate for their size and age and under the supervision of competent adults.
As for Uzis and other submachine guns being easily purchased, the price tag alone puts them outside of the reach of anyone but the extremely wealthy. You can't just go into a gun store and buy a machine gun. In order to buy one legally, expect about 3-4 months worth of red tape involving the ATF and your local law enforcement. And even renting one requires you to fill out quite a bit paperwork.
If ordinary citizens cannot find/buy automatic weapons, then why do I know so many Spanish men, in New Mexico, that have these guns in their houses? Don't try to blow smoke up my skirt and tell me that automatic guns aren't available to those who want one bad enough. I only refer to Spanish men because I lived there for 10 years and practically every man had an automatic weapon.A child of 8 years old shouldn't be allowed at a gun show. What a recipe for a disaster like this one. I began shooting a single shot 22 when I was 12 years old. I was only allowed to handle the gun when my father was close by. I feel so sorry for the family of this child. I cannot imagine the sorrow of the mother knowing that her child was killed in such a horrific way.
Do you even know what the definition of an automatic weapon is?
Since 1986, automatic weapons have been extremely difficult to obtain. This is why these automatic "fun shoots" are so popular. It's because these events are pretty much the only chance an average citizen will ever have to fire an automatic weapon, short of joining the military.
Actually most of the restrictions started in 1934
I would be surprised if these "automatic weapons" that these Spanish men have are not in actuallity SEMIAUTO rifles as opposed to machine guns. The BC and VPC strike again.
The article stated: "I wonder what has lead our society to think that weapons of mass destruction - Uzi submachine guns and the like, should be so easily bought and sold..."
Automatic weapons easily bought and sold? What an ignorant statement. To purchase an automatic firearm requires the individual have a Class III license issued by the BATF as well as meet any state and local jurisdiction requirements.
By law, that child is prohibited from possessing or firing that gun unless his parents consent to it and the child must be under direct supervision. All of this was done, no laws were broken. I agree that it's absolutely silly that a child should be firing an automatic weapon, but this was the fault of the child's parents and to a lesser extent the exhibitor who agreed to let the child fire the weapon.
The fault lies entirely with these two individuals, not the gun or gun shows. More children accidentally die from other things than accidental death by firearms according to CDC mortality statistics, but nobody is looking to pass laws to stop them. Why pick on guns?
"Automatic weapons easily bought and sold? What an ignorant statement. To purchase an automatic firearm requires the individual have a Class III license issued by the BATF as well as meet any state and local jurisdiction requirements."
Not only that, but since 1986 it has been illegal to manufacture automatic weapons for civilian use, so you would have to find one made before then.
Interesting you use the word, ignorant, to describe a tragedy through an argument that "to purchase . . . requires . . ." ad absurdum. It's my belief that it will be a short path to display the advertisement, collect the settlement, and possibly have multiple parties spend time in prison. Beyond that, although a little longer, the path seems clear to the day we ban automatic weapons from the country. I hope that day is sooner, rather than later.
Ah carrying on the fine gun control tradition of focusing on weapons that are the least likely to be used in crime, I see.
The fact is, automatic weapons are hardly ever used in crime. They are very tough to get for anyone, lawful or not.
Well then what, pray tell, do you call someone who makes a claim, such as "Saddam had weapons of mass destruction", that is incorrect? It's not exactly what I call well informed regardless of the subject.
You might as well ban drugs and alcohol, you'll have the same results. Oh, wait we already tried that, and it failed miserably.
Sadddam's generals were convinced he had WMDs, so the alliance getting it wrong doesn't bother me much (especially since Egypt and the Mossad warned us of his WMD)
I would agree that it was a mistake to allow an 8-year old to use a fully automatic weapon. That being said, there is nothing wrong with youth shooting. Many people I know start their kids off hunting and target shooting at a young age. It's a perfectly fun and safe activity, and accident are exceedingly rare.
Just calling for a blanket ban on youth shooting is not going to be taken seriously by anyone other then anti-gun fanatics (a few of whom have already shown up here, it seems). Reasonable people can call for restrictions on youth activities involving automatic weapons without infringing on safe family shooting activities enjoyed by the majority of gun owners.
As Eddy Izzard says, "Guns don't kill people, people do. But I think the guns help."
So do bombs, cars, and knives, what's your point?
I agree with your comment above/above (4:51 pm/10/28). My son learned to shoot a .22 with his local gun club-sponsered BSA troop when he was twelve, where he learned proper safety procedures and a healthy respect for firearms in general. But I disagree with your comment I'm replying to directly above. It misses a point that I wish more gun enthusiasts would acknowledge: guns can kill at a distance with the twitch of a finger. Cars, knives and baseball bats require a bit more work and proximity. (Adding "bombs" to the mix is just plain silly.)
It especially helps when lawful citizens are disarmed by gun control laws that no criminal will ever obey.
So I guess we shouldn't have any laws, since criminals (by definition) don't obey them.
Funny how that logic only seems to get applied to firearms and nothing else in the universe.
Dr. Saban,
I agree whole heartedly with your opinions here regarding guns, except I would presume to "question the right of qualified adults to own a gun......". Guns bloody well kill people. As the personal recipient of several AK-47 rounds in my legs during the Vietnam War, I can testify to the lethal power of automatic weapons. We really have to wonder what it says about us as a society that there are so many guns out there. Totally horrific!
As to this specific incident, I share your sentiments for the child and his family. However, we must also question the collective wisdom of placing an eight year old in this position. As to the "certified instructor", he/she is certainly not certified in good judgment. We can only hope that that individual makes a silent personal pledge to never again pick up a weapon.
2nd posting--no question firearms are formidable weapons (which is why they are so good at defending lives in the hands of LEOs and law abinding civilians), but the ARs and AKs that civilians own in this country are SEMIAUTO only and not the full auto milspec machine guns of the US issue M16 or the NVA AK47.
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