8 year old shoots self with Uzi

[Logan]

During one my searches for something not even remotely close to what I actually found, this little article came up. The actual case is going into trial over the holidays by the seems of things, though it event happened in 2008.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/17/AR2010121703094.html

The thread title pretty much summarises the article. I've copy/pasted the first 2 paragraphs to provide just a little of what is said.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- A judge ruled Friday that jurors in the manslaughter trial of a former western Massachusetts police chief won't hear audio from the most graphic part of a video that shows an 8-year-old boy accidentally shooting himself to death with an Uzi submachine gun.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter Velis' ruling came as jury selection resumed in the case of former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored a 2008 gun fair where Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., shot himself in the head.

Not quite sure why anyone would be letting an 8 year old mess with such a gun without any assistance or safety set up. I suppose that's where the whole case would rest whether the parties to blame are guilty of involuntary manslaughter or not.

[Cromell]

If only Uzi had a proper gun barrel, this tragedy could have never happened. How the hell a 8 year old could know which end shoots bullets? Also, I wonder how many bullets hit the target.

[Logan]

Considering it was a gun fair, he could probably find out without too much issue. Strange thing is the kid's father was the one who recorded the accident. You would think that the dad would have been holding the gun along with his kid to make sure it didn't go out of control. I know I'd rather have a living son with no video than a video with my son shooting himself in the head.

Sad tragedies like this can be so easily avoided with a little bit of this "common sense" that seems to be lacking a lot to say it's supposed to be common.

[mamatz]

Yeah..... A lot of people nowadays lack a common sense.... I mean, what was the boy's dad thinking, allowing his son handle that gun??? he must be crazy....

[Cromell]

I'd say that common sense is a little bit too uncommon to bear this name lately...

anyway, who the hell keeps Uzi in his house? With children around? I mean, it's not even a goddamm revolver or a pistol... it's a freaking SUBMACHINE GUN! It eats full ammo clip in, like, 3 to 5 seconds...

[Logan]

It's a gun fair, Cromell. A kind of event that shows off and demonstrates a variety of different gun types and probably includes things like "have a go at shooting this gun" for people to have an experience they don't get chance to have very often.

It would be a little more interesting if it was at his house, but unfortunately it wasn't. It's the owner/organizer of the gun fair that has been charged, probably on grounds of negligence (failure to provide safety checks/mechanisms) since it's an involuntary manslaughter case.

[Ryojin]

The whole thing is ridiculous... Who the hell would give their child a gun without at least teaching them about it?

anyway, who the hell keeps Uzi in his house? With children around? I mean, it's not even a goddamm revolver or a pistol... it's a freaking SUBMACHINE GUN! It eats full ammo clip in, like, 3 to 5 seconds...

*cough* My dad did... I first held the thing when I was 7-9 years old. Obviously, I didn't manage to shoot myself... <.<

[DARK|PhoeniX 105]

I could understand if the father let the kid shoot a pistol of some sort but a UZI thats just stupid and even with a pistol id rather not have a video then a dead kid

[Ryojin]

A pistol is just as dangerous in untrained hands as an Uzi... I blame the father not for letting the kid shoot an Uzi, but failing to properly instruct the kid on it's use.

[rikkublossom]

He did it because two people (i believe) who were suppose to be experts or at least trained, told him it would be safe. He should never have listened to them, but that's hindsight for you. At the time he thought his son would be safe.

I have very limited gun knowledge. Never seen nor touched one and i'm okay with that, should be like that with the rest of my country, but increased gun crime in the UK is another story.
But wouldn't holding a gun that can eat loads of rounds a second be more powerful (rather then just dangerous) then a normal pistol?

I personally wouldn't allow a child to hold any, but America is a different culture and maybe it's just okay over there, that's up to them. But wouldn't the boy just be too weak to handle this gun and should have been given a pistol. Again, just going to say i know nothing about them, I'm going on what I imagine it may feel like, in my head it has quite a recoil on it (that's the right term right?)

[Cromell]

Uzi has little power compared to many pistols but thanks to its rate of fire and reasonable recoil, it turns targets into swiss cheese. But if the kid shot himself from distance this short, power of a gun didn't matter this much. Thanks to its size and weight Uzi can be handled by almost anyone. If the gun was in full-auto mode, the kid probably would kill several people along with himself.

Regulations should be more strictly obeyed when it comes to giving a gun to children. In my opinion the person that gave the kid a loaded gun should take full responsibility for this. My nephew is 7 years old, I can't even imagine giving him a real gun (even for a second) in next 10 years...

[rikkublossom]

Okay then. I wouldn't know the first thing about a gun, i just imagine them to be pretty powerful.

I personally wouldn't give a gun to any one who isn't a trained professional (as in soldiers and police officers).
It's just too easy for things to go wrong, and when they do that's when you suddenly regret ever having one.
You're more likely to hurt yourself or a loved one then an intruder.
Lets be honest a gun is used to kill, or at the very least hunt, so why give one to a child.

[DARK|PhoeniX 105]

Just for clarification on the specs of these things
M9(i think its the most common pistol may be wrong)
vs
Uzi
Ammo both 9mm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:9mmLuger.jpg
Muzzle velocity Uzi 400m/s M9 380m/s
Rate of fire Uzi 600 Rounds per minute M9 Semi-auto (one bullet each time you pull the trigger)
Effective range Uzi 200m M9 50m
two guns in question Uzi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uzi_1.jpg) M9 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M9_pistol) so pistol is less lethal but still deadly,like i said id rather not have a video than a dead kid odd thing is the Uzi is like 3 kilograms and the M9 is 1.1Kg loaded but compared to a desert eagle both are toys

[Ryojin]

It doesn't matter which is more lethal, really... A gun is a gun, and in untrained hands can be VERY dangerous. I personally believe that everyone should have a mandatory gun safety class, even if they never plan on going near a gun at any point in their lives. You never know when a gun might be thrust upon you, so don't you think it would be best if you knew how to handle one if it was? I mean, basic gun safety should be common knowledge...




One thing I find odd:
Velis earlier ruled that jurors will see the video, but said Friday that they will not hear the audio portion of the shooting and afterward because it would be too prejudicial against Fleury.

Would the audio really have that much more impact than the video itself?

[Iao-dono]

How the hell a 8 year old could know which end shoots bullets? When you give a loaded gun to a monkey... there's a 50/50 chance for the monkey to shoot the gun... and 50/50 chance for the bullet to hit someone...

with a kid... the chances are worse for the target tho.......

and where the hell did they keet that Uzy for the kid to get his/her hands to it....

[wtmf]

I started hunting when I was 10 or 11. We did it for food. Firearms are needed for protection and food. It is my opinion that the person responsible for having a LOADED firearm at a gun show is guilty of STUPID and anything else that goes along with it including the death of the child. He should know that the range or hunting is the place for a loaded firearm. I will be curious if he walks or gets a minimum sentence because he is a COP. It is my belief that cop stands for criminal on patrol. What did Jeff Foxworthy say, If you can't figure out a seatbelt maybe you shouldn't survive the crash, thin the heard.

[Nudi_Alf]

Why did he give the kid a loaded gun? Couldnt the kid see it without the bullets? Im sure he cant see anything now...
I think that this is just plain stupid.. The dad is stupid, the people at the "crime scene" are stupid and I actually also think the kid is stupid... I would never hold a loaded gun in my hand just to have a look at the weapon.. I dont even think Ill accept a loaded weapon no matter where, when or why ever.. I do not like weapons and I dont understand the people that are so proud that they can fire a gun... well congratz -_- You just have to pull a trigger but okay with your current IQ it may be a really big project for you to do so..
Ill stop here before I get even more mad...

[Ryojin]

It isn't about pulling a trigger... It's about accuracy for some, and it's about power for others. For me, it's the former. I have extremely good aim, and have been told by more than a few people that if I ever go into the military, I should be a sniper. There's a lot more to that than just pointing the gun and pulling a trigger. But to those who care only for the power... They are the idiots that fuck everything up. They are the ones who allow shit like this to happen, more often than not.

There's nothing wrong with guns themselves. There's something very wrong with idiots with guns. Or is that just my apparently low IQ speaking?

[Nudi_Alf]

No it is not... You just said in your last line what I myself think.. Idiots shouldnt have guns..
I have never said it is the gun itself that is wrong, I will just never have one in my hands because I simply do not want to..
I think that people that just think of guns as something that can cause destruction and is facinated by that is idiots.. not people that like to improve their skill in accuracy and that doesnt shoot simply for fun...
Funny that you felt offended by my low IQ comment, since I have the feeling that you would never give a loaded gun in the hands of a child without prober instrutions...

[Ryojin]

I wouldn't give a kid a gun even with proper instructions, unless I knew the kid so well that I could trust him/her with my life.

And to be honest, I wasn't that offended... Just a bit annoyed. People often think that anyone who likes guns, no matter the reason, is an idiot. Your post just made it seem like you thought the same. :/

[Nudi_Alf]

Meh, it wasnt supposed to do so..
I think it is fine if people like guns, but not if they like to use them in idiotic ways..
My father has had shooting (dunno if that is the right word, but where you pratice hitting the target, which in this case was pieces of paper with a point system on them) as an hobby and I have seen his gun + a rifle he has inherited from his father, and I have been raised with that touching fathers guns is a big NO NO, so I just generally think guns is a big NO NO because of that and Im not interested in trying to fire one or own one..
The only gun I have ever fired was a hardball gun and laser guns :flapper:
I will never judge a person on what he likes (just like how he looks).. I always judge people on their personalities and nothing else.. ^^