WHY?

Grieving father says he gave son, 8, permission to fire Uzi
I sometimes wonder if fully (or even semi-) automatic weapons belong in the hands of the average person (generally I'd say no, certainly it's not necessary for hunting, after all, since that's better done with standard rifles, shotguns, and bows), but on the other hand, they are legal in many places and as far as I am concerned, if you have obtained them legally, know how to use them (even taken classes on them), are duly licensed, and are an adult with your full faculties, then I say, fine, go to the local shooting range and use your weapon in as safe an environment as can be made.

I've even shot guns myself, and at the age of 8 or 9--at 4-H camp, both rifles and shotguns (but neither automatics).

But why would anyone put an automatic UZI, with a decent recoil, in the hands of an 8-year-old, even if it met all the other parameters I stated above (legal gun, permits obtained, in a shooting range, under certified instructors' supervision--and in the state of Massachusetts, which has long been touted as a 'tough' state in gun laws)? What adults thought this was a good idea? Because although a fair amount of children shot such weapons this weekend at a gun expo in Westfield, Massachusetts, one little boy didn't come out alive. He lost control of the gun during the recoil and accidentally shot himself in the head. It's a miracle no one else was injured, either. And a lot of people are asking why.

The father says he gave permission because it was a small gun, with lower recoil than many, and his son already had experience in firing weapons. He doesn't think the instructor was holding the gun with his son, but doesn't see it as particularly relevant, according to the story. Oh, and his father's job? He's the medical director of the emergency department at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs, Connecticut--which you'd think would give him a perspective on the fact that kids and guns don't really mix well.

I'm not sure what I think about this story is particularly printable. I'm sure there are those out there who say, but you just don't like guns and want to keep them away from everybody. No, I don't like guns, although every now and then I consider buying one not for defence but for shooting at a range, increasing a skill. No, I question why a kid that age was given a weapon that more correctly would be in the hands of soldier than a child. I question why a gun club would advertise an event with discounts for children, lots of child activities, and drawing them in as just plain family fun. Does no one teach children about the dangers of guns anymore? Before I was allowed near one, I had to complete a hunter safety course in 4-H. And I KNEW not to go near the handgun my dad had (as a military person he had one in the home) at all, because that was made clear. I knew what guns could do without having to see if first hand. And then when I was older, I had a younger cousin killed by a gun when he was 18, which has been described as a freak accident but I suspect someone was clowning around with it. Guns aren't toys. Kids need to learn that early on. I knew the cap guns I played with as a child weren't real. I knew that real guns were deadly. And so should all of the adults and children at that expo.