Is this a case of Darwin strikes or is this simply stupid parents

[malaise]

and an even more stupid instructor.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/26/charles-vacca-shooting-instructor-dies-9-year-old_n_5717603.html
<snip>
An Arizona shooting instructor has died after a 9-year-old student accidentally shot him in the head.

Charles Vacca, 39, was pronounced dead on Monday, according to a press release from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. Vacca was an instructor at Bullets and Burgers, an outdoor shooting range about 25 miles away from Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Investigators say he was shot with an automatic Uzi around 10 a.m. Monday while teaching a 9-year-old to use the gun. When she pulled the trigger, recoil sent the weapon flying over her head.

Vacca was airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital where he died of his injuries.

[DontTreadOnMe]

1. Summer Camp for Kids... Uzi Class?

naw.. nothing will go wrong.

[malaise]

3. Can you effin' believe that?

I mean how dumb are these people.

[Warpy]

9. Bean dip dumb

"Can't start 'em on the right path young enough" dumb. "Protect the second clause of the second amendment while giving up all your other civil rights" dumb.

If the instructor didn't have any of his own kids, it's a Darwin Award.

ETA: At 9, it's perfectly appropriate to plink cans and bottles with an air gun. It's perfectly inappropriate to have them firing real ones, their bodies are just too small to handle much of a recoil.

[PeoViejo]

18. For an Adult the UZI recoil isn't bad

It's so heavy that most is absorbed by the mechanism. I had no problem using one. The issue is one of surprise. The child just wasn't ready for it to recoil at all and lost control of the weapon. Real guns don't behave like they do in a video game.

[Warpy]

26. The kid was TOO YOUNG.

A kid's body is not like your body.

[malaise]

29. Dumb dumb dumb

agreed

[hobbit709]

2. both.

[rock]

11. ditto

That's how Darwin and stupidity fit together.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Reminds me of that kid in Westfield, Mass. a few years ago.

He lost control, and wound up dead, after his ER doctor dad took him down a shooting range to blow away pumpkins.

[malaise]

5. Dad must have bought the medical license

WTF is wrong with adults today?

[delete_bush]

6. At least she didn't bring down a chopper...

I'd think twice about taking one of their helicopter tours. What a combo.

[link:|

[malaise]

7. Only because they didn't have

Bullets and burgers

[former9thward]

8. Instructor made a bad judgment.

And it cost him his life. So whatever category you want to put that in.

[malaise]

10. I actually wonder if the instructors can turn down requests from

parents. Remember these are for profit set ups.

[former9thward]

15. No request or job is worth your life.

It would be the equivalent of a parent asking a driving instructor to let their child take over the wheel even though they clearly should not be doing that.

[malaise]

19. That's my view too

but I wouldn't work where kids can shoot guns.

By the way I almost posted that next on the parents' list of stupid things for their nine year old was giving her an F150 to drive.

[pipoman]

12. what is the matter with these people?

Stop with the kids shooting uzis already.They require upper body strength and more advanced trigger control...they aren't meant for newbies or kids...especially newbie kids...oh, if one must let a kid shoot one, at least limit the rounds in the magazine. ..like no more than 2 or 3...duh

[rock]

13. What no hand grenade tossing

How these nine-year-olds gonna learn anything?

[delete_bush]

16. Does a Grenade Launcher count?

Shoot a .50 Cal Barrett, .50 Cal Ma Duce Machine Gun, Browning .50 Cal, and .50 Cal Desert Eagle. Shoot a wide variety of fully automatic machine and belt fed guns including the AK-47, Colt M-16, MP5/40, FN FAL, Bren, M4, M249, M60, PKM, and M203 Grenade Launcher.

http://bulletsandburgers.com/

[rock]

20. It does

But it's not as much fun as having a nine-year-old fumble with a dropped hand grenade while we play duck-an-cover! Incidentally that's an impressive list.

[PeoViejo]

22. The M203 is a single-shot weapon

so the recoil doesn't matter. It is substantial, especially when shooting at targets in excess of 600 meters. The muzzle is elevated quite a bit, so the shoulder takes a pretty good hit. I had a pretty good bruise afterwords.

[malaise]

30. Next year?

[Crunchy Frog]

14. Darwin.

[TheCowsCameHome]

17. Bullets and Burgers. Rated #1 of 575 LV attractions by TripAdvisor

http://bulletsandburgers.com/

What. The. Fuck.

Seriously??????

[malaise]

21. Well let me scratch them from my list of Trip Advisors

Seriously this planet is in deep trouble

[Renew Deal]

28. No matter what, don't order the lead sandwich

[mimi85]

43. Good one! And for further enjoyment...

[malaise]

33. That link is scary stupid

Good fuggin' grief - these people are crazy.

[malaise]

36. We've been unlocked

Free at last

[TheCowsCameHome]

38. Someone blasted the padlock off, evidently

[Kalidurga]

23. I bet that girl won't ever want to touch a gun again

the parents are extremely stupid. They should have had more instruction before taking their child to a shooting range. I have no problem with people teaching kids to shoot. I grew up in the country so teaching kids to shoot was pretty common. My brother could shoot a rifle before he was 9. But, the thing in the country kids are taught to be careful around guns, don't point them at living things unless you want to make them dead things. I can't imagine a parent in the country handing a 9 year old an Uzi.

[SheilaT]

31. I'll admit to knowing practically nothing about guns.

But I do know that some are heavier than others, and some have a recoil that must be dealt with. (I think I know a couple of other things, but those two seem to be the most pertinent here.)

But shouldn't a instructor know a whole lot more than that? Shouldn't an instructor be quite clear on what's appropriate for a nine-year old and what's not? Plus, there are two things at play: One is the age. NO nine-year old is particularly mature. Period. I am not saying that no nine-year old can be taught to handle a gun, but no matter what, the kid is still nine. The other thing is size. I very large for age nine-year old will be able to handle something my sons, who were very small for their ages, could not. Again, I'm astonished the instructor was so dumb.

[Kalidurga]

34. Yep there is a recoil issue

My brother was a very tall and stocky (not fat) 9 year old. He could handle a gun. I wouldn't say it's for all 9 year olds. This is common in the country and no I don't recall people letting their smallish children handle guns in fact the opposite, smaller ones were told it's not a thing they can handle til they are older and larger. I am astonished that the instructor was that inept as well. It makes no sense to me, but he paid for his ineptness with his life and now a girl is scared forever and her parents are probably still trying to figure out whaat went wrong.

[ManiacJoe]

24. Most likely a choice of the wrong model Uzi.

Similar to the story a year or so back. Probably used a "mini" uzi, which is very small and hard to hold on to. If they had used a full-size uzi, things would probably have worked out fine.

[GeorgeGist]

25. Freedumb™ Awards all around.

I say.

[840high]

27. Horrible.

[logosoco]

32. Wow. Poor girl. I would not want to grow up knowing I had done that,

even accidentally! I feel bad for the guys family, but I really hope the parents will get this girl some help.

I feel bad when I accidentally hit animals on the road!

[bluesbassman]

35. Locking. This is a local gun related story that falls outside of the GD SOP.

Consider re-posting in Gun Control group.

[hifiguy]

37. Darwin. Definitely.

And why the fuck does a private citizen not wearing an armed forces uniform have a fucking automatic Uzi in the first place? And why does a 9-year-old need to know how to use one?

The stupid goes even more than bone deep with some people.

[Matrosov]

39. Stupidity all around

The parents were stupid for thinking their little girl should shoot an automatic weapon.

The instructor was stupid for thinking she should shoot something with so much recoil.

The only positive in this whole matter is that the girl was not killed, like 8-year-old Christopher Bizilj in 2008, who died when he was also shooting a sub machinegun.

But she'll have to live with this for the rest of her life, and I'm afraid the guilt will affect her in a very hurtful and disruptive way.

[mimi85]

42. That's my fear as well.

Just talking with my husband that she'll be a perfect "guest" on Dr. Phil one of these days. I am beyond upset. I actually got sick to my stomach. Poor girl - idiot parents. WTF is wrong these days - it's worse than ever!?!

We've had two suicides from guns in our family, part of the reason for my avatar. Yes, if people want to kill themselves they'll find a way - Robin Williams comes to mind, but having loaded guns around is just asking for trouble.

[valerief]

40. One less moron adult who'll give a dangerous weapon to a child. nt

[mimi85]

41. That's a bit harsh. nt

[valerief]

44. That's a whole lot ridiculous. nt