Posted on 08/26/2014 6:50:05 PM PDT by Rennes Templar
A shooting range instructor in Arizona was accidentally shot and killed by a 9-year-old girl who was learning how to shoot an Uzi, authorities said on Tuesday.
Charles Vacca, 39, was teaching the girl how to use the automatic weapon on Monday morning at the Last Stop outdoor shooting range in White Hills, Arizona, when she pulled the trigger and the kickback caused the gun to lurch over her head, investigators said.
Vacca was hit by a stray bullet and airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead late Monday. The girl was at the range with her parents at the time, but their names were not released.
Sam Scarmardo, the manager for the Last Stop's shooting range, told NBC News that "the establish practice at most shooting ranges is 8 years old and up with parental supervision."
He said Vacca was a "great guy, with a great sense of humor" and called him "very conscientious and very professional."
Scarmardo said that the range has never had a similar incident in over a decade of being open — "not even a scratch."
"I just ask everybody to pray for Charlie, and pray for the client, she’s going to have a hard time," said Scarmardo.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety referred inquiries to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, which didn't return calls for comment.
Ronald Scott, a Phoenix-based firearms safety expert, said most instructors usually have their hands on guns when children are firing high-powered weapons. "You can't give a 9-year-old an Uzi and expect her to control it," Scott told the Associated Press.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
I think you raise a good point about first time shooters getting “giddy” immediately following shooting off a few rounds. I always stand right up against them ready to grab the gun if, in their excitement, they don’t keep it pointed down range at all times. I tell them in advance of shooting that no matter what keep the gun pointed DOWNRANGE! Even if you think it is empty, keep it pointed DOWNRANGE! Even when you have the safety on, keep it pointed DOWNRANGE!
Then, as I said, not trusting inexperienced shooters I stand right next to them ready to grab the gun and often do.
This happened here in the Seattle area at a range....if I remember correctly was a mother son combo and a large caliber handgun....recoil over head and pulled trigger again when pulling the gun back to the front.
Kennesaw, GA requires all households to have a working firearm and ammo.
A Kennesaw police officer was shot and killed about two years ago.
In the city of Marietta, GA.
By a Marietta police officer.
In the Marietta police gun range. 8<(
Since this gun law went into effect in the 1970’s, no other Kennesaw resident has been wounded by gunfire.
There is an awful lot of firearms FUD in this thread. People, it's just a 9mm machine gun. Sure, the little girl needed help, but it is possible for a child to control a pistol-caliber submachine gun.
With the reactions here on FR, it's no wonder we lose more rights every day.
Nope. I’m a firm 2A supporter.
I’m also female, with small hands and an iffy wrist. I use extra caution in handling a kettle full of boiling water or a casserole dish fresh from the oven, so why wouldn’t I be equally aware of the risks of handling a firearm?
Common sense would have been to be sure the girl was both strong enough and prepared.
Maybe the kid felt threatened by the instructor.
lets not confuse an accidental death with murder.
I think it's a combination of idiot instructor and idiot parents who thought it'd be a good idea to let their little darlin' loose with a full auto Uzi.
Not in this instance apparently.
A NINE YEAR OLD!!??
I don’t let my 9 yr old girl shoot a Daisy Buck without my hand on/near it.
But, smeone like that HAS to have his head in the game 100% at all times. It only takes one lapse to achieve disaster. The instructor was in the line of fire when the girl put her finger on the trigger. That means she was not properly supervised while holding a loaded and charged sub-machine gun.
I mean, "Keep you finger off the trigger until ready to fire" is ingrained in anyone who owns or uses firearms. In this instance she obviously wasn't completely clear on that rule. She should not have been left handling that weapon. A lapse that made it a bad day for everyone.
Was this guy actually a certified instructor or just some buffoon who handed a kid an Uzi set to full auto?
The NRA pistol instructor class teaches instructors where to stand (behind, slightly to the gun side) and the proper technique to quickly take control of the firearm if things go wrong. It’s straightforward to do this for a handgun, but I would think a similar technique would apply for long guns, or a short Uzi in this case.
Darwin Awards.
Well, he was very lucky to die doing something he loved in a place that he loved. He’s free now.
A 8 year old boy was killed in Massachusetts when he shot himself in the head with a FA UZI back in 2011, IIRC. Another act of stupidity by range owners.
Firearms can be appropriate for kids (with supervision) if the child is mentally and physically capable of handling that weapon.’
My daughter can fire my Glock 19 with supervision.
My daughter CAN NOT fire a Glock 18 (auto) under any circumstances.
I think that was the Massachusetts case.
The range owner was a cop, so of course he was found not guilty at trial.
My old range “The Firing Line” in Athens Georgia had a disturbed psyche major off himself about a decade ago.
It happens more than people think.
Remember the mother that was shooting with her son a few years ago?
The video caught her walking up behind him and calmly putting a gun to the back of his head before killing him, then killing herself.
That seems pretty obvious to everyone except the instructor.
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