Gun lovers in denial

I commented on this incident from last year. Sadly, it seems all the more relevant today.


http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us/arizona-girl-fatal-shooting-accident/index.html

What drives me crazy is that zealot gun lovers/owners will bend over backwards to somehow justify or downplay this incident.

Let's be clear, folks: An Uzi is a weapon of war. It was designed to kill people....a number of people in a short period of time. It was NOT designed for target practice, or to hunt animals for food.

So the question that immediately comes to mind is, what the hell is this kid "practicing" for?

I venture that this mindset goes back 30 some odd years when the "survivalist" trend was in full swing. These were folk who saw the end of civilization as we know it was just around the corner, and devoted a portion of their lives to preparing for the cataclysm. They did this by securing "secret" hide-a-ways and outposts stocked with freeze dried foods, potable water and water purification devices, medicines, clothing.....and guns. Lot's of guns. Parallel to these people were the separatists....groups who just couldn't stand the federal government taking their tax dollars for things like the Civil Rights (Fair Housing) Act of 1968, etc. They all ran to remote parts of various states, set up their own communes...and waited. I always wondered are they still waiting. But in any event, these folks were ready to "defend" their property and family against "them" (be they the government or a particular race, creed or color).

So a kid "practicing" with an Uzi would fit right in with an over 30 year old paranoia that never saw it's realization. But unfortunately, the instructor and the kid (and her parents, relatives and friends) all learned a hard lesson that maybe a CHILD shouldn't be handling a weapon of war as some sort of "fun" practice game. Hell, you have accidents in law enforcement and the military with recruits learning to handle weapons from time to time. So why risk it with kids?

And here's a thought....when we see videos of "child soldiers" in parts of Africa, or grade school kids in celebration waving and shooting automatic weapons in the Middle East, Americans are repelled and horrified. So why turn such a thing into a "game" or "entertainment" for children here?

When I was a kid, I played "war" with all my friends. We had the toy guns and rifles..and ran around pretending to kill the other guy/girl "soldiers". But I GREW UP, and LEARNED WHAT REAL WAR IS AND WHAT IT DOES TO PEOPLE. My father was a cop...a homicide detective...so I LEARNED WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE SHOT WITH VARIOUS WEAPONS. So unless I was enlisting in the military or joining law enforcement, I had no need to have a gun. Maybe if I were a home owner, I might get one for home protection....but that would be a hand gun and I would receive proper training.....I wouldn't need an automatic weapon that belongs in the field of battle. And since I wasn't raised to hunt for food as a past time, I wouldn't need a rifle or shot gun.

I am afraid that this latest incident is yet another milestone moment that unfortunately will be ignored by those who think having a military style weapon in a civilian setting will give them peace of mind. A pity.

 

Yes, that's right, a child should not have an Uzi. Is that what you thought gun rights supporters were advocating for?

Start the child off with a toy archery set, then maybe a BB gun when they get a little older, so they can prove that they can be responsible. 14 years of age is not too young for a child to go off on his own hunting with a rifle, but it really depends on the child and region of the country. There are some bad seed children out there who should not even have a BB gun.

As for the higher end military-type stuff, did you know that in the old days a child was not considered a fully responsible adult until he was 21 years of age?

 

Owning a firearm is an individual right, independent of the persons need. If you don't want one, then don't get one, but don't apply your "needs" to everyone else.

 

You know it is different in other parts of the world...

 

It is your right not to own a firearm. It is not your right to tell anyone else that they cannot own a firearm.

 

Just as supporters of the current administration will bend over backwards to justify or downplay the various violations of not only established law, but constitutional restrictions on governmental overreach?

The obvious question of "So what?" must be asked here? The supreme court has ruled that the second amendment protects an individual right to firearms ownership for all lawful purposes, such as self defense, even if it involves killing someone as a result. There is a constitutional right to use deadly force against others. Firearms do not have to be configured exclusively for target practice or hunting to be regarded as legal.

If you cannot even get the basic facts of discussion correct, it is questionable as to whether or not there is any reason to continue addressing you. One does not discuss algebraic theory with someone who believes two and two equals five.

Someone paying to rent a piece of equipment does not entail practicing for anything.

 

I never supported them giving that kid control of an Uzi. I suspect that I said it was a stupid thing to do and the blame lies with the parent and the instructor. The instructor paid with his life for not keeping control of the gun and the parent has to raise a kid who shares the guilt of killing an innocent (but incompetent) instructor.

By contrast, my boys started shooting .22 rifles around age 8. When I introduced pistols(around 10), I let them shoot with an empty magazine so that there would not be an accidental stray follow up shot. My 13 year old can handle a subcompact 9mm with ease now. It helps that he's as big as many adults.

 

Hey bud, if you don't want a gun don't get one. Because of the first amendment your allowed to blab nonsense about why you think Americans should not own guns. But because of the second amendment you can pound sand. The first and second amendment are like thing 1 and thing 2.

 

Meh,another day,another attempt to demonize firearms.
They do their homework every night and start a new thread every day.
Yes putting a full-auto Uzi in the hands of a 9-year old child is a bad idea.
I don't see anything wrong with allowing a full-grown adult to own one, though.

 

That sounds a little young. I assume it was under close supervision?

One of the big things to point out here, for those who may not be familiar with all this, is the importance of teaching proper safety, handling, and responsibility.

 

Does that sound a little young to you? Too bad. They are not your kids.

 

Car accidents are the leading cause of death behind heart disease. Should we ban cars or will the car-nuts riot? I mean, there's PLENTY of car-control. Must be of age to obtain a license, MANDATORY training, yet they kill more than anything else (besides heart disease).

You don't just ban things. You figure out the problem (mental illness) and you solve that.

Guns will NEVER be banned. Ever. Get that through your head. There might be some form of more strict gun control, but the problem is paying for it. You have no idea what it would take to enforce more strict background checks.

Then you go into the problem of invading a person's medical history. HIPAA laws, among others, protect a doctor and patient's confidential treatment plan, and diagnosis.

Are you telling me you want to let the government control who gets to see YOUR medical history? Should your employer?

This is a slippery slope that you don't even realize is ahead of you. I hope you figure this out one day. I truly do.

 

psychobabble pure and simple.

 

not me-my son started shooting a bow at 3, a 22 Walther pistol and a single shot "Cricket" rifle at 7. won a silver medal at the biggest Youth archery tournament at age 10. Was shooting a Glock at that age as well as an AR 15. at 11 won our club's pistol tournament which was a falling plate event where the number of plates hit was divided by the time. Beat 40 adults in the rimfire division. Went to tactical firearms training academy that year-was one of two (I being the other but I have had years of experience) to "survive" a live fire house without shooting any hostages and neutralizing all the threats. two years ago he beat all the instructors at the place on speed shooting drills
now he's one of the top 5 speed shooters in the region. also a member of the GLOCK 500 club

 

Sorry to tell you but most of the people in the military have grown up shooting at a young age. You know the People that are fighting Obama 's wars.

 

can anyone tell us what the purpose of the OP was-

other than to demonstrate a pathetic hatred of gun ownership?

 

I was thinking the same thing. However it is generated from the mind of a liberal. Just another example of why liberalism is a mental disorder. Plus I don't believe a word about his daddy being a homicide detective.

 

well weasels will be weasels to drag up a story almost a year old that got caused plenty of bed wetting among the gun banning left is pretty pathetic. It also appears to be a drive by posting as the the ferret hasn't come back to defend this nonsense

 

Congratulations to both of you.

 

What do you see in this image? How about a little bit of culture clash? No matter what you

think of the people in this image, notice that the safeties are engaged on all 3 of the AK's in

view. A thousand years ago, you might have seen a similar group from the same tribe, with everyone holding onto a wooden staff. Back then, it was the normal thing for them to have, and using that staff was the normal thing to do. The staff has been replaced with the AK. The old guys don't look too worried, and that little guy is being taught right.
The OP is a bit off in many ways. First, the Uzi is NOT a battle weapon. It was designed for

clearing rooms, and for security forces. It has been largely replaced by guns like the Glock

18 and an equivalent from Beretta.
The little girl was not "practicing" for anything. The establishment that rents these guns, and

all of the similar places around Las Vegas are doing it for recreation. Are we to ban

recreation?
After this incident happened, I talked with all of the local Las Vegas ranges that offer

machine gun rental, and ALL agreed that the instructor was very much in error. The range

that I refer visitors to offers Uzis in 9mm and in .22LR. They don't have a problem with

letting kids shoot the 9mm, but when they do, the gun is anchored to the bench, to prevent

muzzle climb and control issues.
The OP needs to get a serious grip on reality.

 

bet those three Africans don't have people stealing their goats or lions killing their stock

 

A girl shooting an automatic Uzi is stupid.
The parents were stupid.
The instructor more so.

What is the point of the thread? A silly strawman?

 

Automatic weapons are not that difficult to handle. But you sure as (*)(*)(*)(*) do not give them to children.

 

Why not? If the gun is bolted to the bench, it's impossible for the kid to do anything but have a bit of fun.

 

There is that. However, I am referring to the OP.