Not suitable for children?

[kallend 1,623]

"All legal and fun."

ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hl-VtQImXVuBfNXTpNMvOgFOxj2wD942R8P82

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[shropshire 0]

Giving a kid an automatic weapon - what could possibly go wrong?

Poor little mite

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[popsjumper 2]

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"All legal and fun."

Quite right. The problem is that you can't legislate stupidity. It was pretty stupid to let an 8-year old fire a weapon like that without hands-on training.

Poetic justice would have been if the out-of-control weapon had snagged the bozo "certified instructor" instead.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[AWL71 0]

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"All legal and fun."

Quite right. The problem is that you can't legislate stupidity. It was pretty stupid to let an 8-year old fire a weapon like that without hands-on training.

Poetic justice would have been if the out-of-control weapon had snagged the bozo "certified instructor" instead.

Quite right indeed. Shooting automatic weapons is a blast but what moron would let an 8 year old shoot one? Complete stupidity.

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

[Rookie120 0]

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Shooting automatic weapons is a blast

Carry a M240B for 2 years and I bet your attitude would change.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[normiss 622]

Great.
Now gun shows may be as dangerous as a college campus.

[AWL71 0]

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Shooting automatic weapons is a blast

Carry a M240B for 2 years and I bet your attitude would change.

I bet it would. Shooting a H&K MP5 is much easier and much lighter than a M240B.

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

[Trent 0]

That is awful. I feel horrible for his family. That should never have happened and I think it was irresponsible to put a fully automatic weapon in an 8yr old's hand.

It is unfortunate that instead of blaming incredibly irresponsible judgement by adults, people will blame the gun.

Oh, hello again!

[matthewcline 0]

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Shooting a H&K MP5 is much easier

I think the MP5 is harderto shoot as it needs beter technique. It is lighter and thus makes some think it is easier, but being so light it can rise quickly and get out of control faster than a heaveir weapon.

On the original topic, and 8 year if trained properly can shoot just like any other small bodied person, but unsuppervised or untrained is plain stupid.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[sfc 0]

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That is awful. I feel horrible for his family. That should never have happened and I think it was irresponsible to put a fully automatic weapon in an 8yr old's hand.

It is unfortunate that instead of blaming incredibly irresponsible judgement by adults, people will blame the gun.

It was totally the adults' responsibility, both the father (assuming he was the guardian that gave consent) and the instructor that fucked up the instruction.

It's crazy that this child was not allowed to drive a car in a public place but can go to a public place and shoot himself legally. I hope the adults (not guns) responsible are held accountable for this death and it is not brushed off as accidents can happen.

[akarunway 1]

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"All legal and fun."

ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hl-VtQImXVuBfNXTpNMvOgFOxj2wD942R8P82

Downright criminal if you ask me. The instructor shoud be charged. I wasn't there so I don't know if there were mitigating circumstances tho so I SHOULD reserve judgement.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[billvon 2,400]

>I hope the adults (not guns) responsible are held accountable for this death and it
>is not brushed off as accidents can happen.

Agreed. I also hope they put in place new rules concerning kid's use of guns to prevent this in the future.

[sfc 0]

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>I hope the adults (not guns) responsible are held accountable for this death and it
>is not brushed off as accidents can happen.

Agreed. I also hope they put in place new rules concerning kid's use of guns to prevent this in the future.

I'm torn on that one, I would hate for a parent to loose the right to teach his kids to use weapons, but I think that children need to be protected from idiot adult, being the parent doesn't give you the right to cause your childs death like this.
Possibly tighten up the "instructor" rating/training, make the training much harder with more refreshers and require more stringent testing before giving the rating, maybe a rule about full-auto and some age limit for public facilities. However I worry that knee-jerk legislation would either be too broad and effect legitimate uses, or too focused and not have any effect.
General negligent homicide laws should suffice to punish these kinds of cases. I'm not sure what laws/regulation can prevent it though, there will always be idiots and at some point legislating again them messes up life for the rest of us.

[billvon 2,400]

>However I worry that knee-jerk legislation would either be too broad and effect legitimate uses . . .

Agreed. Right after an incident like this is often the worst time to implement new rules, because the mothers-against-XXXX are out in force. (And besides, then the kid is already dead.) Much better to put in those rules _before_ such an incident happens, although lately we have seen incredible resistance to even the most basic of new regulations.

[sfc 0]

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>However I worry that knee-jerk legislation would either be too broad and effect legitimate uses . . .

Agreed. Right after an incident like this is often the worst time to implement new rules, because the mothers-against-XXXX are out in force. (And besides, then the kid is already dead.) Much better to put in those rules _before_ such an incident happens, although lately we have seen incredible resistance to even the most basic of new regulations.

Right, you run up against the NRA and supporters who will do anything to prevent any kind of gun legislation that attempts to regulate regardless of how sensible it is.
There are many things we do that are dangerous (flying, driving, drinking, smoking) and they are tightly regulated, I don't see why guns should get a pass, the 2nd doesn't mean without regulation as the SCOTUS said recently.

[Rookie120 0]

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There are many things we do that are dangerous (flying, driving, drinking, smoking) and they are tightly regulated, I don't see why guns should get a pass, the 2nd doesn't mean without regulation

Over 30,000 pages of regulation isn't enough?

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[sfc 0]

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There are many things we do that are dangerous (flying, driving, drinking, smoking) and they are tightly regulated, I don't see why guns should get a pass, the 2nd doesn't mean without regulation

Over 30,000 pages of regulation isn't enough?

Dead kid is OK?
Some of those 30,000 pages need some changes.

[pirana 0]

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There are many things we do that are dangerous (flying, driving, drinking, smoking) and they are tightly regulated, I don't see why guns should get a pass, the 2nd doesn't mean without regulation

Over 30,000 pages of regulation isn't enough?

Tough choice. We can forego regulation and allow natural selection to run it's course. That and prosecution of offenders of established law will recuce the chances of idiots hurting themselves and others. Or we can legislate every detail of daily life.

Are there really no laws that would dictate children below a certain age not be allowed to use a firearm?

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[Skyrad 0]

Stupid is as stupid does.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[AggieDave 6]

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Dead kid is OK?

Personal responsibility, common sense and the application of which by parents is what is needed.

I've seen hundreds of more children riding around in a car not in a car seat, not in a booster seat or not even seat belted in a vehicle then I have seen having access to automatic weapons.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Shotgun 1]

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I also hope they put in place new rules concerning kid's use of guns to prevent this in the future.

What kind of rules would you suggest?

I was shooting guns at that age, but my parents only let me shoot guns that I was strong enough to control.

I think that some regulations on guns are good, but at some point we've just got to let parents be responsible for their own kids.

[shropshire 0]

It sickens me when I see kids not strapped in, in a car. The parents should be locked up. "little Jonny doesn't like being strapped in".

Little Jonny should be taught to do as he's fucking told and would like being smashed through the front windscreen, a whole lot less

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Rookie120 0]

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Dead kid is OK?
Some of those 30,000 pages need some changes.

So you want to make "STUPID" a felony?

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[shropshire 0]

Yes certainly, when it cause the death of someone, especially a kid.

On the face of it, with the story as presented. someone FUCKED UP BIG TIME and should pay.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[LadiDadi 0]

What an absolutely tragic thing to hapen.

What an absolutely random thing to happen.

What an absolutely stupid and completely preventable thing to happen.

Does this need to be legislated away? How? Has anyone here ever heard of an 8 year old accidentally shooting himself in the head with an automatic weapon while shooting at a pumpkin at a gun show?

Anyone?

One accident does not equal a need for a law to prevent it. If anything there should be a law to prevent stupid people from having children - stupid people who will allow someone - certified instructor or not - to place a weapon in their child's hand that most adults would have trouble firing.

This is yet one more black mark on gun shows. I grew up going to gun shows back in the 70's and early 80's. I don't know when things changed but I've never heard of anyone being able to fire a weapon at a gun show. But I guarantee you this: No matter who the instructor was, my dad would have never in a million years placed, or allowed to be placed, an automatic weapon in my or my sister's hands.

The gun show will be blamed. That's the easiest way out. That's why there is no more Great Western gun show - which was, truly, the mother of all gun shows. It is gone because a crime was committed. The crime. or crimes rather, were committed by a man who had absolutely nothing to do with The Great Western and, while he did use firearms to commit his crimes, he didn't purchase either one at The Great Western. Hell, he didn't even purchase them in California.

Bottom line - large calibre weapons, automatic weapons, unique weapons (flame throwers, grenade launchers, etc.) do not belong in the hands of children. Period. Children do not belong in the hands of adults that disagree with that. Period.

Also, I predict that the gun show will be banned.

If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you.
****************************
Be like the cupcake and suck it up.