<p>What kind of idiot hands a loaded Uzi to an 8-year-old boy he doesn’t know? No charges filed. “It was legal.”</p>
<p>[Ashford</a> Boy, 8, Shot To Death In Mass. Gun Show Accident – Courant.com](<a href=“http://www.courant.com/community/news/ec/hc-ap-gunaccident-1027,0,7933566.story]Ashford”>http://www.courant.com/community/news/ec/hc-ap-gunaccident-1027,0,7933566.story)</p>
<p>^
my thought exactly.
I think the adults should be charged.</p>
<p>I saw that, too, and also thought it was stupid. Surely there must be a law against children being able to handle weapons at gun shows.</p>
<p>And then there are the adults who get guns for protection, but keep the guns in places where their children can access them.</p>
<p>"The father of a 22-month-old who was accidentally shot and killed pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon today in Orange County court…</p>
<p>The shooting took place in March when his son, Tyler Rodgers, was spending the night with his father. The toddler grabbed the gun that was hidden between the mattresses. When Rodgers realized the boy had the gun, he told deputies, he reached for the gun and it went off, killing the toddler…"
[Father</a> pleads guilty in son’s death – OrlandoSentinel.com](<a href=“http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-father-pleads-guilty-102208,0,6290254.story]Father”>http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-father-pleads-guilty-102208,0,6290254.story)</p>
<p>The wife of one of my husband’s h.s. classmates was killed by her toddler, who found a loaded gun in her nightstand.</p>
<p>It would have qualified for a Darwin Award if the kid had accidentally shot the “supervising” adults instead of himself. How terribly sad. Is it safe to assume that now the father, who gave permission, will file a huge lawsuit on the grounds that the pros “should have known” that a child of that size could not control the kick of a weapon that powerful?</p>
<p>As a very strong supporter of the 2A, I propose that they hold the adults (read: idiots) who were ‘supervising’ the kid criminally responsible. You let a 8 yr shoot a .22, not a full automatic Uzi. Simply ridiculous</p>
<p>I seriously hope no one uses this incident as rant against weapon.</p>
<p>The kid firing the UMP in the picture is probably too young to appreciate and handle the weapon in selective fire as well…</p>
<p>consolation: I sure hope not. The father is responsible for letting his son fire it as well…</p>
<p>Why in the world would an 8 year old ever need to “shoot a .22”? I am sickened by this whole thing.</p>
<p>I can’t believe no charges are being filed.</p>
<p>In any other case, this would be manslaughter at least, wouldn’t it? Even if by accident, when you cause the death of another person you are responsible. The adult should have known an 8 year old cannot handle an Uzi.</p>
<p>To learn proper weapon handling technique with a gun with no more kick than a typical BB gun.
I don’t know what sort of ammo this “Uzi” was using but anything stronger than a .22 is very questionable as they all pack a pretty good kick–way too much for a kid.</p>
<p>As a teacher of seconds graders, I do not understand why anyone would feel the need to put a gun of any sort in the hands of an 8-year-old. Why does a kid that age need to learn proper weapon handling, anyhow?</p>
<p>It’s what some families do. You start hunting small game at a young age (9-10 or so)after you learn to shoot. If you have taught 8 year olds you know gun play with make believe weapons of all forms is pretty typical–even when parents strive to stop such behavior and allow no toy guns. This was just way too much gun for any kid. You don’t teach a teen to drive in a Porsche Turbo either.</p>
<p>I find this situation especially surreal in that the father (who took the 8 year old to the show and was readying his camera when the son shot himself) is the director of emergency medicine at a hospital.</p>
<p>It wasn’t a “gun show” it was an open house at a shooting range. The writer was sloppy. I’ve only ever been to one gun show, and at least at the Washington Arms Collectors shows all firearms on the premises are locked into inoperative configurations with plastic wire ties. Non-members cannot carry even locked firearms, and all members are checked through the federal firearms clearance system. It sounds to me like this shooting range wasn’t following standard NRA safety rules.</p>
<p>Nearly all Uzis fire 9mm pistol ammunition, although a few were made in other calibers. Any caliber is way too much for an 8-year-old, especially in full auto. The shape of the Uzi makes it a lot harder for a kid to control than a small caliber long rifle.</p>
<p>Lots of boys (and girls) shoot .22 caliber rifles and BB guns safely, under supervision. My brother and I had a Marlin .22 with a little scope which we used to terrorize tin cans and other inanimate targets under my father’s and uncle’s supervision. I would imagine that this is the experience of millions of youth in the US. I share a Ruger .22 with my sons (although they are not little kids anymore obviously), and they only fire it under my supervision. Neither of them shows any particular tendency to use firearms irresponsibly.</p>
<p>Barbara, you might be a teacher, but you don’t sound like a mother of boys. Generally speaking, boys like anything that bites, barks, stings, bangs, or smells funny. WashDadJr didn’t have toy guns at first, but as a 2-year-old he used to “shoot” people with his imaginary fireman’s hose. I wonder if kids played with little tiny bows 400 years ago?</p>
<p>And tiny swords. 
Although we are not a hunting/gun-owning family, I certainly think it is perfectly reasonable for people who are to begin teaching an 8 yr old how to shoot. Country boys have been shooting or snaring or otherwise killing small game for the family table for thousands of years.</p>
<p>But I don’t think that ANYONE who isn’t in the military “needs” to shoot an Uzi on full automatic, let alone an 8-yr-old.</p>
<p>The adults involved should be charged. There is absolutely no excuse for this. It’s sickening. </p>
<p>By the way, I’ve noticed that among my neices and nephews, the girls are just as likely to be interested or not in guns as the boys. And “country girls” have always known how to handle guns.</p>
<p>You don’t teach a teen to drive in a Porsche Turbo either.</p>
<p>[And</a> maybe you shouldn’t hand the car keys from a BMW M5 over to an 18 year old.](<a href=“http://www.autounleashed.com/5-dead-in-bmw-m5-crash-in-florida]And”>http://www.autounleashed.com/5-dead-in-bmw-m5-crash-in-florida)</p>
<p>What a horrible story. From what I’ve read on other websites, this weapon fires 30 rounds in about 3 seconds, and nobody seems to think it’s possible for an 8-year old to have the strength to control it, unless an adult was actually holding it with him. Especially since he apparently fired it from the hip instead of the shoulder, so naturally the kick would direct the barrel up towards his head. How could anyone possibly be so stupid? </p>
<p>I learned how to shoot a .22 rifle, for target practice, when I was 10 years old, in summer camp, and did it rather frequently that summer and the next. (Although, oddly enough, not since.) It was no big deal, and I had no trouble with it, even though I couldn’t possibly have been more than 4 feet tall at the time. Probably less.</p>
<p>Somewhere in the back of a closet, I have an old BB gun.</p>
<p>And I grew up on 67th Street and Lexington Avenue – not exactly the country!</p>
<p>But this was no .22.</p>
<p>500 HP is more than a stock 911 Turbo. Crazy for a kid to have, but you could probably do much the same thing in a souped up Honda if you are drunk and try hard enough. </p>
<p>Glad to hear the Boeing strike looks to be nearing an end. At least for this group. That $8000 signing bonus will do wonders for local Christmas sales.</p>
<p>I read that the boy’s father was supporting his son from behind when the accident happened. I know someone who knows the father. He is the director of an emergency room and the community has rallied behind the family. My friend said allowing kids to handle these weapons is quite common locally.</p>
<p>Regarding fast cars, I was never so glad my daughter was not interested in dating this boy in junior year when I saw him driving around in a Mercedes CLK 340 (?). I can’t remember the exact model now but I know it looked fast and dangerous for a 16/17 year old boy. The mere thought of my daughter sitting in a passenger seat in such a car gave me white hair. I wondered for days about the sense of parents who will let their 16/17 year hold drive such a car.</p>
<p>“Barbara, you might be a teacher, but you don’t sound like a mother of boys. Generally speaking, boys like anything that bites, barks, stings, bangs, or smells funny. WashDadJr didn’t have toy guns at first, but as a 2-year-old he used to “shoot” people with his imaginary fireman’s hose. I wonder if kids played with little tiny bows 400 years ago?”</p>
<p>Oh, no, I have 2 boys, and to my knowledge, neither has ever touched a gun. And the fact that they might have “liked” guns (I don’t recall them ever having much interest) would have no bearing on the fact that I would never, ever let them touch a real gun as 8 year olds.</p>
<p>Does anyone else find it amazing that American laws permit a citizen to sue McDonald’s for serving hot coffee, and also permit a child to operate a piece of machinery designed for killing?</p>
<p>munchkin - Local reports have the father reaching for a camera at the time of the shooting, rather than supporting the child. Do you have a link for your report?</p>