9 year old girl accidentally kills shooting instructor

Sorry if repost.

 

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/s...tally-shot-girl

 

By DAVE HAWKINS

SPECIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

KINGMAN, Ariz. — An instructor who was shot by a 9-year-old girl who fired an Uzi at a northwestern Arizona shooting range died Monday night at University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

 

The girl fired the weapon at the outdoor range that caters to heavy tourism traffic along U.S. Highway 93 between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

 

Highway signage and Internet advertising beckons visitors to stop in, fire a machine gun and enjoy a meal at the Bullets and Burgers enterprise at the Last Stop, about 25 miles south of Las Vegas.

 

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said the accidental shooting occurred about 10 a.m. Spokeswoman Trish Carter said the girl, who was vacationing from New Jersey with her parents, was standing next to the instructor at the time.

 

Mohave County Sheriff Jim McCabe described a video taken of the accident as “ghastly.” His office released a short video of the girl taking her first few shots.

 

He said the girl safely and successfully fired the 9 mm weapon several times when it was set in the “single-shot” mode.

 

He said the weapon was put into the “fully-automatic” mode before the girl fired again with the instructor standing off to her left. The weapon recoiled and drifted left as the girl squeezed off an undetermined number of rounds as she maintained possession but lost control of the Uzi as it raised up above her head.

 

“The guy just dropped,” McCabe said of shooting instructor Charles Vacca, 39, of Lake Havasu City, who suffered at least one gunshot to the head.

 

Jeff Frichette, director of training for The Range 702 in Las Vegas, said the incident in Arizona would never occur at his business. He credited this to how continuously shooting range’s safety officers are trained.

 

“Hypothetically” a 9-year-old would be able to shoot a fully-automatic weapon, but it’s a discretionary decision, he said.

 

That decision is based on physical and safety guidelines, he said.

 

Children need to understand the concept of safety before they are allowed to shoot, Frichette said.

 

Also, they must be “physically and mentally prepared” before they are allowed to shoot a fully automatic weapon. This includes a 4-foot height requirement, he said, adding that even then, they have to master other weapons such as a semi-automatic .22-caliber rifle before they’re allowed to shoot a fully automatic.

 

He added that a petite-looking child would likely only be allowed to shoot a semi-automatic rifle.

 

The Review-Journal contacted several other gun ranges in Las Vegas. One did not return a call and officials at another two declined to comment.

 

An autopsy on Vacca’s body will be performed by the Clark County coroner’s office.

 

McCabe said no citations will be issued and no charges will be filed as the shooting range is a licensed and legal operation.

 

The Bullets and Burgers website markets a unique shooting experience for customers.

 

“Our guests have the opportunity to fire a wide range of fully automatic machine guns and specialty weapons,” the website states. “At our range, you can shoot FULL auto on our machine guns.

 

“Let ‘em Rip!”

 

Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Ricardo Torres contributed to this report.

Saw the video yesterday... Horrible accident. Can't understand why the mother would put it on the internet. Last thing I would want my child and the family of the victim to endure would be more attention and the pestering that comes from internet noteriety. Saw that three years ago the same thing happened with an 11 year old boy. Full auto Uzi, kicked back and he lost it and shot himself in the head. At a similar gun range too.

 

Very poor decision to put a little kid with absolutely no experience behind a gun like that.

that poor kids life is ruined wait till she gets older and really comes to terms with what happened

 

 

Why in the figgedy flying fcuk does a 9 year old need to shoot an automatic gun.

 

Un fcuking believable.

 

Did they make her drive herself home from the range too?

Stupid parents and stupid gun range.

Next week kiddies we're going to try bomb making!

 

Stick to Barbies and coloring books, maybe wait until she's 15 or so for guns. I understand the need to know how to handle a weapon if you're going to have them in the house, but shit, an auto?? C'mon

RIP to the instructor. It was an 'accident waiting to happen' that happened. I'm sure that from now on everyone who runs that kind of range will be more careful.

Posted in the gun thread but didn't get any attention so it's good you started a thread

Posted in the gun thread but didn't get any attention so it's good you started a thread

People stopped listening to you years ago

 

Why in the figgedy flying fcuk does a 9 year old need to shoot an automatic gun.

 

Un fcuking believable.

 

Did they make her drive herself home from the range too?

 

 

 

Exact same questions that went through my mind as I read this.. Un Frickin Real

Stupid parents and stupid gun range.

 

 

I disagree... This is 100% on the "instructor" (yes those are scare quotes... He's not much of an instructor, I don't think he's an NRA certified instructor, etc).

 

 

Parents go to the instructor and say, "is it ok for her to shoot that?" And they're relying on him as the subject matter expert, that "if it weren't safe, they wouldn't allow it? Right?"

 

It's his range... He's supervising and "training her". If something goes wrong it's on him....

 

Thank GOD it didn't end up hitting her like the kid in Massachusetts (btw... The video of THAT incident is also on the internet and it's horrifying.).

 

 

I thought everybody got the message after that- don't give the mini uzi (that has an extraordinary rate of fire, and is very small and heavy and hard to handle) to the young/inexperienced shooter... fcuk me.

 

 

I wouldn't trust any of YOU with that particular gun (or any of the spray and pray guns, mac, tec, Glock 17, etc) until I knew, that YOU knew, how to handle the fcuking muzzle flip.... You want to learn how to shoot cyclic? Start with an mp5 on 3 burst... Or better yet, an M60 on a bench.

Horrible situation, there would be no way I'd let my kids handle a gun!

I disagree... This is 100% on the "instructor" (yes those are scare quotes... He's not much of an instructor, I don't think he's an NRA certified instructor, etc).

 

 

Parents go to the instructor and say, "is it ok for her to shoot that?" And they're relying on him as the subject matter expert, that "if it weren't safe, they wouldn't allow it? Right?"

 

It's his range... He's supervising and "training her". If something goes wrong it's on him....

 

Thank GOD it didn't end up hitting her like the kid in Massachusetts (btw... The video of THAT incident is also on the internet and it's horrifying.).

 

 

I thought everybody got the message after that- don't give the mini uzi (that has an extraordinary rate of fire, and is very small and heavy and hard to handle) to the young/inexperienced shooter... fcuk me.

 

What happened to thinking straight as a parent? Just because some instructor in a gun range is saying it's okay for a 9 year old to shoot an automatic doesn't mean it's okay. Parents should take some responsibility for this as well. What's with the age limitation anyway? Somebody did research and figured out that a 9 year old is going to be more mature and responsible with an automatic gun than a 7 year old?

 

You can't have a drink with your dad or an instructor until you're 21 but can shoot an automatic gun... just crazy...

 

fcuk me is right... what a fucked up situation... RIP to the instructor and I feel really bad for the kid who's probably gonna have to go through years of therapy and live with this for the rest of her life. Terrible...

People stopped listening to you years ago

 

You stopped listening because the battery ran out.

Horrible situation, there would be no way I'd let my kids handle a gun!

 

 

That's the wrong attitude too...

 

 

My son can shoot a gun... But it started with years of me drilling the rules into him before he touched one... And then a .22 rifle. That's as far as he's gotten.

“Hypothetically” a 9-year-old would be able to shoot a fully-automatic weapon, but it’s a discretionary decision, he said.

 

That decision is based on physical and safety guidelines, he said.

 

Children need to understand the concept of safety before they are allowed to shoot, Frichette said.

 

Also, they must be “physically and mentally prepared” before they are allowed to shoot a fully automatic weapon. This includes a 4-foot height requirement, he said, adding that even then, they have to master other weapons such as a semi-automatic .22-caliber rifle before they’re allowed to shoot a fully automatic.

 

He added that a petite-looking child would likely only be allowed to shoot a semi-automatic

 

 

 

 

 

So 9yr old is legally allowed to shoot a gun, let alone a fully automatic rifle. a freaking GUN!!! a weapon solely built to KILL!! I am not only taking from a maturity point of view; i.e.: does the kid even understand its not a game, where when you die or kill, you can just 'restart' the game level?! The completely non-debateable part is that physically one can not expect a 9yr old to be able to safely control such a machine. If you think yes, why not get your kids to build the roads and railways....

 

Add to that you have to be only 16yrs old to be legally allowed to drive a car unaccompanied.

 

BUT to drink a cold 4% beer with your father, oh no, 21yrs old minimum.

 

HAhahaahah

That's the wrong attitude too...

 

 

My son can shoot a gun... But it started with years of me drilling the rules into him before he touched one... And then a .22 rifle. That's as far as he's gotten.

I'm starting mine on one of these next summer. http://www.crickett.com/crickett_22_LR.php

I was firing my dads 1911 .45 at 8 or 9 with him supporting my arms right behind me of course. Firing an Uzi with crazy recoil obviously isn't the smartest idea for a 9 year old kid as this instructor proved, but there's nothing wrong with getting children familiar with firearm safety and proper technique from an early age.

What happened to thinking straight as a parent? Just because some instructor in a gun range is saying it's okay for a 9 year old to shoot an automatic doesn't mean it's okay. Parents should take some responsibility for this as well. What's with the age limitation anyway? Somebody did research and figured out that a 9 year old is going to be more mature and responsible with an automatic gun than a 7 year old?

 

You can't have a drink with your dad or an instructor until you're 21 but can shoot an automatic gun... just crazy...

 

fcuk me is right... what a fucked up situation... RIP to the instructor and I feel really bad for the kid who's probably gonna have to go through years of therapy and live with this for the rest of her life. Terrible...

 

No... Kids do dangerous things all the time... Roller coasters are dangerous... (And, statistically, she was a lot more likely to be killed on the Matterhorn, than accidentally shoot her instructor on a gun range). Swimming is dangerous as fcuk... But you pay money to a professional and that professional says, "no problem", anybody would rely on that...

 

 

But this guy wasn't a professional (and yeah, I know everybody in the Cal natl guard knew him) but he had no business instructing anybody....

http://www.crickett.com/crickett_safety.php

I'm starting mine on one of these next summer. http://www.crickett.com/crickett_22_LR.php

I was firing my dads 1911 .45 at 8 or 9 with him supporting my arms right behind me of course. Firing an Uzi with crazy recoil obviously isn't the smartest idea for a 9 year old kid as this instructor proved, but there's nothing wrong with getting children familiar with firearm safety and proper technique from an early age.

 

 

That's a good one... Mine has an AR7. Basically because I wanted an AR7.

“Hypothetically” a 9-year-old would be able to shoot a fully-automatic weapon, but it’s a discretionary decision, he said.

 

That decision is based on physical and safety guidelines, he said.

 

Children need to understand the concept of safety before they are allowed to shoot, Frichette said.

 

Also, they must be “physically and mentally prepared” before they are allowed to shoot a fully automatic weapon. This includes a 4-foot height requirement, he said, adding that even then, they have to master other weapons such as a semi-automatic .22-caliber rifle before they’re allowed to shoot a fully automatic.

 

He added that a petite-looking child would likely only be allowed to shoot a semi-automatic rifle.

 

 

 

 

 

So 9yr old is legally allowed to shoot a gun, let alone a fully automatic rifle. a freaking GUN!!! a weapon solely built to KILL!! I am not only taking from a maturity point of view; i.e.: does the kid even understand its not a game, where when you die or kill, you can just 'restart' the game level?! The completely non-debateable part is that physically one can not expect a 9yr old to be able to safely control such a machine. If you think yes, why not get your kids to build the roads and railways....

 

Add to that you have to be only 16yrs old to be legally allowed to drive a car unaccompanied.

 

BUT to drink a cold 4% beer with your father, oh no, 21yrs old minimum.

 

HAhahaahah

 

You want to take down the bullshit picture, or shall I?

 

 

If you're interested in having a real conversation, I'd be happy to engage you...

 

 

You seem to be implying the child made some sort of judgement error.... It's quite clear from the video, she knew the seriousness, and she knew the rules... And she was doing everything right... This has nothing to do with her being too mentally immature to handle shooting a gun... She wasn't driving a car unaccompanied... She was shooting a gun under close adult supervision... Unfortunately the supervision turned out to be incompetent...

 

It's because she was too PHYSICALLY immature, and inexperienced, to fire that particular gun, on full auto...

 

 

 

Here's a 13 year old girl shooting a gun, for some other reason than killing people... Guess what? She's probably been shooting since she was a lot younger than nine... And I'd sit on a firing line with her with zero reservations...

 

 

No... Kids do dangerous things all the time... Roller coasters are dangerous... (And, statistically, she was a lot more likely to be killed on the Matterhorn, than accidentally shoot her instructor on a gun range). Swimming is dangerous as fcuk... But you pay money to a professional and that professional says, "no problem", anybody would rely on that...

 

 

But this guy wasn't a professional (and yeah, I know everybody in the Cal natl guard knew him) but he had no business instructing anybody....

 

We do rely on people claiming to be professionals to know what they're doing every day, I agree and accidents happen. That said, professional or not, range or not, a 9 year old with an automatic weapon is a bad idea, something the parents should be taking responsibility for even considering and something the professional ended up paying the ultimate price for.

We do rely on people claiming to be professionals to know what they're doing every day, I agree and accidents happen. That said, professional or not, range or not, a 9 year old with an automatic weapon is a bad idea, something the parents should be taking responsibility for even considering and something the professional ended up paying the ultimate price for.

 

 

No... It isn't a bad idea to allow a nine year old to shoot a full auto weapon.... IF THEY'VE been TAUGHT how to shoot a full auto weapon by somebody who knows how to teach them.... This guy didn't... He skipped a lot of important steps between "fire one round on semi" to "going hot!"...

parents of the girl are idiots , instructor is an idiot. I don't think kids under 14 should touch a gun. A BB gun is fine. What would be the purpose for a child to fire a gun? I can understand a young man hunting 13-14 and up. way to young IMO.