# Gun Range Lets 8-Year-Old Shoot Full Auto



## JustRick (Sep 14, 2008)

... and the boy kills himself. Link to story: http://news.bostonherald.com/news/r...71&format=&page=2&listingType=Loc#articleFull

Summary:



> The federal ATF is expected in Westfield today to aid local police in investigating the accidental death of an 8-year-old boy who was killed yesterday after firing an Uzi submachine gun while attending a gun show.
> 
> The boy, identified as Christopher Bizilj, was firing the Uzi when he lost control, forcing it upwards and back, causing him to shoot himself in the head, said Westfield Police Lt. Hipolito Nunez. Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., was under the supervision of a certified instructor at the gun expo at the Westfield Sportman's Club when he was shot.
> 
> The annual machine gun show is advertised as a free-for-all for gun enthusiasts, and has created discord among some club members, said longtime club member Bob Greenleaf.


I think we can expect this to be a cause celebre for the anti-gun crowd. Sheesh. What idiots -- letting an 8-year-old shoot full auto? Stupid, stupid, stupid. :smt076


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

JustRick said:


> EDITED: Sorry -- I typed "ranges" instead of "range" in the title.


Fixed it for you.

Tragic all around. Poor supervision, obviously, and maybe some poor decision-making regarding the little guy shooting the Uzi.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

:smt009:smt012:smt166:smt011
Poor decision making is an understatement


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Holy Crap! I used to live in Westfield and was a member at that range at one time!

Lots of poor decision making from a lot of parties went into this one. Why wasn't the instructor a little more hands-on? This is a frickin' kid, not a 200 pound man. And where were the parents? If I ever was going to let my sons shoot anything full-auto, I'd sure as hell be right there bracing them and the gun. No way would I let them do it alone. And if the rules didn't allow me to help, "Sorry Junior, no shooting for you."

I'm shocked that they were even allowed to have that event, considering it is in anti-gun M*ass*achusetts. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's the last time that event is allowed to happen.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

DevilsJohnson said:


> :smt009:smt012:smt166:smt011
> Poor decision making is an understatement


I've seen some kids who would be fine with a light-recoiling subgun like an Uzi. The Uzi weighs something like 9 pounds, so a kid who can hold one up should be able to control it. It doesn't really kick, being a 9mm. Hard to judge without knowing the kid's size, experience, etc., though. Probably should have started him with 2-3 rounds in the mag, though, rather than a full one.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Todd said:


> I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's the last time that event is allowed to happen.


That's a pretty sturdy limb. I will be very surprised if that place still exists in a year.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Mike Barham said:


> That's a pretty sturdy limb. I will be very surprised if that place still exists in a year.


It would be sad if they did shut down because IIRC, the club itself (at the time) was pretty strict on safety. Maybe they went down hill though, it has been a long, long time since I was there. Hopefully this tragedy gets them back in the right direction if they end up staying open.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Well..Not knowing if it had the folding stock or not but say it was the pistol config. The balance of the gun is all on the grip. It seems the child did not expect the recoil being the barrel flipped up enough to shoot himself. That alone speaks volumes. I didn't let my 9 year old shoot a 22 pistol without my hands on his until he fired a few mags out of it and I was sure he would not point it in any direction that could hurt him. I would think that when getting the chance to shoot an automatic that there would be an adult doing the same for at least a mag so they knew the child should handle the recoil. I'm just wondering where the guardian was if not right there with the child. If it was my child I would have to be right there. with my hands around his. Surly the child has not had a lot of full auto experience.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

DevilsJohnson said:


> Well..Not knowing if it had the folding stock or not but say it was the pistol config. The balance of the gun is all on the grip. It seems the child did not expect the recoil being the barrel flipped up enough to shoot himself. That alone speaks volumes. I didn't let my 9 year old shoot a 22 pistol without my hands on his until he fired a few mags out of it and I was sure he would not point it in any direction that could hurt him. I would think that when getting the chance to shoot an automatic that there would be an adult doing the same for at least a mag so they knew the child should handle the recoil. I'm just wondering where the guardian was if not right there with the child. If it was my child I would have to be right there. with my hands around his. Surly the child has not had a lot of full auto experience.


Agreed on all points.


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## Marcus99 (Apr 23, 2008)

Wow, I was just about to start a thread on this. Westfields relatively close by to me too.

Why would they let an 8 year old shoot a firearm like that? Very unfortunate circumstances. I bet I'll be seeing this for a while whenever some new regulation is being pushed in MA.


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## jeb21 (Jun 10, 2008)

A true tragedy.


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## Fred40 (Jan 7, 2008)

Unbelievable!

I have a 10 year old son....he won't even try my .45 semi-auto yet. But he's a crack shot with my Ruger Mark III. Can't imagine if that had been him.


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## BigMatt (Sep 4, 2008)

See if we let the government tell us how to raise our kids this never would have happened. IT TAKES A VILLAGE!

We should all vote OBAMA so another weapon is never in the hands of an innocent child!


SIG HEIL! SIG HEIL! SIG HEIL!


HEIL OBAMA! HEIL OBAMA! HEIL OBAMA


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/29/20081029boysdeath1029.html


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

BigMatt said:


> See if we let the government tell us how to raise our kids this never would have happened. IT TAKES A VILLAGE!
> 
> We should all vote OBAMA so another weapon is never in the hands of an innocent child!


When individuals act irresponsibly, do not be surprised when people call for government to step in...especially when a child is killed due to the irresponsibility.


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## niadhf (Jan 20, 2008)

I Was there (in westfield) that day talking to a southfield (border town) LEO about this. He lives in westfield and shoots at that range a little, and another local one regulalrly. Todd, The range is still pretty strict, and this has been a repeat event for them in the past. There was a lot of turmoil over this that day (as can be imagined).


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

News Flash!!!:

"8 year old child running through kitchen holding steak knife falls and kills himself!"

Time to outlaw steak knives... They are deadly in the hands of children.

JeffWard


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## funkypunk97 (Aug 2, 2007)

JeffWard said:


> News Flash!!!:
> 
> "8 year old child running through kitchen holding steak knife falls and kills himself!"
> 
> ...


We have to ban nail guns too because last year a kid in Omaha, NE shot himself in the heart and died while fooling on a construction site......

Wait..... maybe we should outlaw construction sites too.....

Whoever at that range put an Uzi into the hands of a kid, is a MORON with a capital MORON...... no kid should really be handling guns unless they are well versed and I imagine this kid was not...


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