Was that "cute" picture of your 8 year old shooting an uzi

[Kingfish]

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.

"This accident was truly a mystery to me," said Bizilj, director of emergency medicine at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford, Conn. "This is a horrible event, a horrible travesty, and I really don't know why it happened."

 

Truly a mystery?

 

http://news.aol.com/article/boy-8-killed-i...2858x1200720002

[Johnny Coli]

I really don't know why it happened

I can think of at least one reason.

[elegantelliotoffen]

"I don't know what happened-all I did was put a weapon that was created to kill as many humans as possible in the shortest amount of time without reloading into the hands of an unprepared 8 year old so that I can watch and get my rocks off and take an awesome picture to show to my buddies Gary and Floyd."

 

You think Mr Bizilj is sleeping on the couch this week?

[UConn James]

As I wrote in the Off the Wall thread last night:

 

When I first saw the story, I was a little stirred that it'd happened relatively close. And then, come to find out this afternoon that the child was actually from my town in northeast CT. My nephew was in the same class with him last year and played with him at recess on Friday. This is always the sort of thing that happens somewhere else... and then it hits closer to home than you could think. You have to wonder what this does to the kids to be exposed to death so early of someone they know.

 

This is a nephew who refused to say goodbye to my dog (whom he played with a lot) when we had to put him down earlier this summer. This is going to be a difficult and tenuous next few weeks.

 

I'm reading through some of the crap here and I'm just appalled at some of your comments.

 

But I guess this lack of decency, black humor, and flip attitudes are the times we live in. Doesn't seem that way here in town today, tho. It feels a lot like just after 9/11 when people were nice to each other (which lasted for about 4 days), said hello and asked how you're doing and really meant it.

 

Being a life member of the NRA (tho I haven't done target-shooting or hunting for quite a while) it hurts all the more to know that on top of the personal tragedy and loss, this is going to be used by gun-banners as a political argument.

 

Chris's father or an event allowing this is one of the all-time bonehead things I've heard of. But it's done and you can't take it back. First, I'd just say it reflects on a culture we now live in that children are being forced by adults into grown-up situations earlier and earlier --- this runs the gamut from suggestive clothing targeted to children and allowing 10-year-olds to dress like sluts on Halloween, children having so much influence on family purchasing, and here, using a !@#$ Uzi when even just 10 years ago, that was the age when you learned to safely handle and shoot a BB gun. Everything has to be more, faster, better, and bigger these days, and it needs to be pushed earlier --- that's the mindset. Someone said, "The most important question of our day is 'How much is enough?'" It's like a competition of who can push their kids to grow up fastest. And I think this stems from that oft-discussed break-down of the authoritative parenting style that would put a check on stupidity and providing guidance and smart family leadership, and its replacement to this thing of being your child's best buddy, as if you're still a child, only with car keys --- parents who grew older but didn't grow up. In some form, I think this is also connected in with the epidemic of child molestation. Diddlers thinking of themselves in a way as still being children, forming a connection and then taking advantage of that child-like situation and after it goes through some kind mental warp zone that I couldn't begin to describe, fulfill adult desires. Sorry if that paragraph might be a bit ambling, my thought process is working in tangents a little today.

 

Certainly, there needs to be new rules instituted for the safe handling of guns. At the few shows I've been to, there've been no-ammo-on-premises policies openly stated --- if you're interested in buying but want to test-fire, it's something you'd have to arrange with the vendor off-site. As for age when handling firearms and a proper progression, I don't know, that's something that'll be discussed, but for sure, something needs to happen there --- you'd hope this could be self-regulated, but reworking of laws is probably on its way, and probably deservedly so. Laws that allow for an 8-year-old to use an Uzi.... Laws aren't a substitute for common sense, tho, and we're living in an age when common sense is not common.

[Kingfish]

Charges?

 

http://www.courant.com/community/news/ec/h...0,6931009.story

[Bishop Hedd]

Gun clubs, fukin nutz! I hope this isnt used by radical groups like the nra to promote better uzi training for 8 yr olds. Christ wtf has happened to childhood?

[SD Jarhead]

As I wrote in the Off the Wall thread last night:

 

 

 

Being a life member of the NRA (tho I haven't done target-shooting or hunting for quite a while) it hurts all the more to know that on top of the personal tragedy and loss, this is going to be used by gun-banners as a political argument.

 

Chris's father or an event allowing this is one of the all-time bonehead things I've heard of. But it's done and you can't take it back. First, I'd just say it reflects on a culture we now live in that children are being forced by adults into grown-up situations earlier and earlier --- this runs the gamut from suggestive clothing targeted to children and allowing 10-year-olds to dress like sluts on Halloween, children having so much influence on family purchasing, and here, using a !@#$ Uzi when even just 10 years ago, that was the age when you learned to safely handle and shoot a BB gun. Everything has to be more, faster, better, and bigger these days, and it needs to be pushed earlier --- that's the mindset. Someone said, "The most important question of our day is 'How much is enough?'" It's like a competition of who can push their kids to grow up fastest. And I think this stems from that oft-discussed break-down of the authoritative parenting style that would put a check on stupidity and providing guidance and smart family leadership, and its replacement to this thing of being your child's best buddy, as if you're still a child, only with car keys --- parents who grew older but didn't grow up. In some form, I think this is also connected in with the epidemic of child molestation. Diddlers thinking of themselves in a way as still being children, forming a connection and then taking advantage of that child-like situation and after it goes through some kind mental warp zone that I couldn't begin to describe, fulfill adult desires. Sorry if that paragraph might be a bit ambling, my thought process is working in tangents a little today.

 

Certainly, there needs to be new rules instituted for the safe handling of guns. At the few shows I've been to, there've been no-ammo-on-premises policies openly stated --- if you're interested in buying but want to test-fire, it's something you'd have to arrange with the vendor off-site. As for age when handling firearms and a proper progression, I don't know, that's something that'll be discussed, but for sure, something needs to happen there --- you'd hope this could be self-regulated, but reworking of laws is probably on its way, and probably deservedly so. Laws that allow for an 8-year-old to use an Uzi.... Laws aren't a substitute for common sense, tho, and we're living in an age when common sense is not common.

 

Two things here...unfortunately this will probably be exploited by anti-gunners. This is truly a tragedy, but WTF is up with the Dad?

 

You could add 1000 more laws onto the books and that won't change poor judgment by a careless father.

[UConn James]

Two things here...unfortunately this will probably be exploited by anti-gunners. This is truly a tragedy, but WTF is up with the Dad?

 

You could add 1000 more laws onto the books and that won't change poor judgment by a careless father.

 

I would say, he's a gun enthusiast who pushed his son into sharing his hobby and it was way too much, way too soon. I'd also add that it was a pretty dipsh-- policy for the club/show to allow this. The DA is considering charges, which I think might be appropriate given the established facts.

 

I'd agree that they can/should only legislate so far and that laws already on the books are probably applicable, tho new ones will be proposed b/c that's what happens. At least set an age-limit for using like weaponry. Perhaps requiring a safety course for anyone who's going to handle firearms --- CT has a mandatory hunter safety course before you can get a permit, and a pistol safety course required for pistol permit applicants, both with tests students must score at least 90(?) to pass --- taught by qualified, licensed instructors. Also think it'd be a good time to introduce more education resources in schools, ala the Eddie Eagle program of "Stop. Don't touch! Leave the area. Tell an adult." Tho, this wouldn't have helped in this case, and schools at least in this area have been downright hostile letting anything created/funded by the NRA into the classroom, even if they fully agree with the message. My father tried to give the very same school you're seeing on the news a full kit back in the early 90s (Jason Priestley was the host) and they wouldn't take it b/c it had small NRA logos on the back page.

 

Nothing can make up for a rational estimation of danger on the part of a responsible adult, tho. Some people don't seem to get that life does not include an 'Edit-->Undo' option.

[Bishop Hedd]

It is a strange culture that would have middle age adults stand by while an 8 yr old is holding a loaded automatic weapon.