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Boy, 8, shoots himself to death at Mass. gun show
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_re_us/boy_shoots_himself
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_re_us/boy_shoots_himself
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That is the first thought I had. An 8 year old should not be in a position to fire an automatic weapon like that (first time!) without an adult with hands nearby to catch it if it recoils - just like it did.Now gun safety experts — and some gun enthusiasts at the club where the shooting happened — are wondering why such a young child was allowed to fire a weapon used in war.
Christopher, a third-grader, was attending the show with his father and sixth-grade brother, Colin. Christopher had fired handguns and rifles before, but Sunday was his first time firing an automatic weapon, said his father, Charles Bizilj.
Bizilj told the Boston Globe he was about 10 feet behind his son and reaching for his camera when the weapon fired. He said his family avoided the larger weapons, but he let his son try the Uzi because it's a small weapon with little recoil.
Astronuc said:That is the first thought I had. An 8 year old should not be in a position to fire an automatic weapon like that (first time!) without an adult with hands nearby to catch it if it recoils - just like it did.
rootX said:Why should a 8 year old get hands on any weapon regardless of an adult presence?
rootX said:Why should a 8 year old get hands on any weapon regardless of an adult presence?
Integral said:Why not? I was about that age when I first shot a gun.
rootX said:You must be really old then.
Letting children play with guns is an indicator of bad society. If they grow up with weapons, they will be more dependent on those weapons which is unhealthy. Whenever there's a problem, they would think of guns and assume that every problem can be solved with them! It's just my opionion and I realize that I am going with the extreme cases ...
rootX said:You must be really old then.
Letting children play with guns is an indicator of bad society. If they grow up with weapons, they will be more dependent on those weapons which is unhealthy. Whenever there's a problem, they would think of guns and assume that every problem can be solved with them! It's just my opionion and I realize that I am going with the extreme cases ...
Proton Soup said:sorry, but this isn't quite right.
but don't understand some guys' fascination with blowing up pumpkins. not that i didn't go through such a destructive phase, but i was about 12.
rootX said:It's just my opionion and I realize that I am going with the extreme cases ...
rootX said:You must be really old then.
Letting children play with guns is an indicator of bad society. If they grow up with weapons, they will be more dependent on those weapons which is unhealthy. Whenever there's a problem, they would think of guns and assume that every problem can be solved with them! It's just my opionion and I realize that I am going with the extreme cases ...
Congratulations on having your prejudice confirmed.rootX said:When I saw the thread title, I thought he must be an American.
And yes, he was...
jimmysnyder said:Congratulations on having your prejudice confirmed.
rootX said:When I saw the thread title, I thought he must be an American.
And yes, he was...
That's just nonsense. I was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout and my family farmers and I grew up occasionally shooting guns. I'm not sure how old I was, when I started. That is a pretty normal thing.rootX said:You must be really old then.
Letting children play with guns is an indicator of bad society. If they grow up with weapons, they will be more dependent on those weapons which is unhealthy.
Yes, you are. Basing an opinion soley on an extreme case is not a reasonable way to generate an opinion.It's just my opionion and I realize that I am going with the extreme cases ...
russ_watters said:I wonder what fraction of people who use guns for murder started off firing guns in Cub Scouts.
What statistics are you referring to? On 8 year old boys shooting themselves to death? Where did you get this statistic. Or did you apply some other statistic?Borek said:I don't think it is a prejudice, I think it is statistics.
Integral said:I am sorry this is udder nonsense. A gun is NOT a toy, just because you teach a child to handle a gun does not mean it is a toy. Quite the opposite, children taught to safely handle and respect fire arms are not going treat them like toys. It is kids who are NOT taught proper firearms safety that get into trouble when they happen to get their hands on a weapon.
A persons approach to problem solving in completely independent of their familiarity or in familiarity with firearms.
The simple fact is, any house with a firearms and children, the children should be taught firearms safety and respect.
russ_watters said:That's just nonsense. I was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout and my family farmers and I grew up occasionally shooting guns. I'm not sure how old I was, when I started. That is a pretty normal thing.
There is significant virtue in learning proper respect for guns (giving an 8 year old an Uzi does not qualify imo).
This complete aversion to guns people have today is a relatively new thing and indicates more about the people who hold the opinion: they are overly sheltered and naive about guns.
Yes, you are. Basing an opinion soley on an extreme case is not a reasonable way to generate an opinion.
[edit] Fyi, I'm 32 and I probably started Cub Scouts around 3rd or 4th grade, so I would have been 8-10 the first time I shot a gun too. I don't imagine it is any different for Cub Scouts today.
I wonder what fraction of people who use guns for murder started off firing guns in Cub Scouts.
Certainly letting children 'play' with guns would be reckless and irresponsible. As far as I know, most adults with guns do not let children play with them. On the other hand, children do play with toy guns, water pistols, cap guns, and there is some theory that letting children play with toy weapons is not conducive to a more peaceful society.rootX said:Letting children play with guns is an indicator of bad society. If they grow up with weapons, they will be more dependent on those weapons which is unhealthy. Whenever there's a problem, they would think of guns and assume that every problem can be solved with them! It's just my opionion and I realize that I am going with the extreme cases ...
jimmysnyder said:What statistics are you referring to? On 8 year old boys shooting themselves to death? Where did you get this statistic. Or did you apply some other statistic?
The United States has the largest number of guns in private hands of any country in the world with 60 million people owning a combined arsenal of over 200 million firearms.
That's not stats, that applying common reason.Borek said:I am just applying common reason to numbers
Apparently the point of attending the show, according to advertisements, was the purpose to fire guns, particularly automatic weapons. The authorities are investigating to see if any laws were violated. The father was negligent and he paid the highest price than any parent could pay - the death of his son. There is no worse punishment for a parent.Claws said:why why WHY are there ammunition at a gun show?? I know that to some, Europe is considered a bit too conservative when it comes to gunlaws, but you would NEVER find ammunition at a gunshow here. Visitors are checked with metal-detectors at entry and exit.
That being said, this could also have happened at a gun-range since his parents are so irresponsible as to let an 8 year old use a fully automatic weapon. It completely blows my mind (and the 8yo kid, sorry).
/C
Proton Soup said:... the normal way of going about it is to give a kid a toy gun and teach him not to point even the toy at people. when he shows he can handle the toy responsibly, he can upgrade to a low-power BB gun. then a pellet gun, and eventually a .22, etc. raised properly, he doesn't think of it as a weapon, it's a powerful tool that demands responsibility.
Astronuc said:There is no worse punishment for a parent.