As the one of my readers knows, I am an avid proponent of the 2nd Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms.
Having said that, I was sickened to see the reports of the accidental death of a shooting instructor in AZ, killed by a 9 year old girl, who was learning how to shoot a fully auto Mini or Micro Uzi in 9mm.
*Can of Worms OPENED*
This death was senseless. I see the fascination with the little machine pistol. It is a bullet hose, and in my opinion, lest you are clearing a room, has no practical use. It is inaccurate, and expensive to operate, not to mention DANGEROUS to the user. The Mini / Micro Uzi, a smaller version of the bigger (and less dangerous) Uzi sub-gun, is best used suppressed by competent professionals.
I fault the instructor, G-d bless him, and the parents of this little girl, who put her in the situation.
My heart goes out to the little girl, the parents and the family of the instructor.
I speak from experience. I have, at a previous time in my life been issued, by Uncle Sugar, a damn fine General Purpose Machine Gun, the M60. It was belt fed, and fired the 7.62x51mm NATO round. I have also had the opportunity to fire an MP40 sub-gun of Nazi fame, M1A1 and M1928A1 Thompsons, and an M3 Grease Gun. I am proficient with the M4, and M4A1 carbines, and the M16A1 and M16A2 rifles (the M4A1 and the M16A1 are both capable of fully auto fire, where the M4 and the M16A2 have a three round burst setting).
In a recent experience, I asked a serving member of the United States Military Special Operations Community, "How often to you use the "fun" (full-auto) switch," on his M4A1?
"Outside of training? Never - can't be sure where every bullet goes. Not to mention, but it's a waste of ammo," was his reply.
I do not have the longest military experience. But I only remember a single time using the BURST or AUTO setting on any carbine or rifle I was ever issued. It was in training, and we were firing blanks. Made my rifle extra dirty.
I would NEVER give a sub-gun to a 9 year old. Hell, I wouldn't give ANYONE with no experience with firearms a mini or micro sub-machine gun. I am not a fan of sub-machine guns. They turn money (ammo) into smoke and noise, with minimal effect - unless you're really good with them. Semi-auto fire is accurate and effective than spraying bullets out of a hose with an 8 inch barrel.
I have an 11 year old daughter. She is an excellent marksman. I started her off gradually- she could repeat the 4 RULES to me and could identify all the working parts of a firearm before anything happened. Then, close supervision on a Daisy 880 BB gun (single shot, mind you - the gun you have to pump up). After that, a Ruger 10/22 rifle with me scant inches from her (1 round in the magazine). When she showed proficiency and responsibility, she graduated to an M1 Carbine. After that, an M1 Garand. Only when she was comfortable and safe with long guns did she even get to hold an unloaded pistol. When she had a new (to her) firearm in hand, I was always right on top of her, and we were on BLM land in Western Utah with a clear target and a mountain range as a backstop, with NO ONE around. She was told in no uncertain terms that once she had a firearm in hand, I would disarm her quickly and not-nicely should she do anything unsafe.
I get what the parents of that 9 year old in AZ were thinking - how cool it would be to have Facebook video of their kiddo lighting off a mag of 9mm from an Israeli bullet hose. I seriously doubt it was solely her idea. I'm sure the facility and the instructor had children firing probably the same gun many times before. Something different happened this time, though...
I believe in teaching children how to shoot, responsibly. I believe in the responsible use of firearms.
Likewise, I believe in teaching kids, when they are old enough and in a safe manner how to drive. Handing that little girl a Mini or Micro Uzi was like strapping her into a high horsepower car and putting it into gear for her. The noise and vibration are shocking, and they might cause a stress reaction and get into an accident that might result in death(s).
This is not about ownership of full-auto weapons. If you jump through the hoops (hugely expensive firearms and tax stamps and transfer fees, background checks and a huge amount of effort and time) and want to own one - knock yourself out. This is about not putting your child needlessly into a situation where they might hurt themselves or someone else. My child does dangerous things - she mountain bikes and skis, but she has experience and close supervision when she tries something new.
That 9 year old is going to need a lot of therapy. All my hopes and prayers for her and her family and the family of the instructor in this time of tragedy. I wish her parents had wanted her to shoot an M240, M249 or an M60... The instructor could have more easily controlled the situation (had her fire from the prone from the bipod), and she'd have a great memory and cool videos to remember her vacation in the desert, as opposed to the nightmare it became.
4 RULES
- Treat all firearms as if they were loaded
- Never allow the muzzle of a firearm to cover anything you are not willing to kill and destroy
- Keep your finger off of the trigger and out of the trigger guard until your sights are on target and ready to fire
-Be sure of the target and what is behind and adjacent to it
CRAZED AMERICAN, out.
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