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 ...
Possible, but not practical.
NINE YEARS OLD.
Just because you saw one kid do it one time doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. This has happened before, as when the 8 year old shot himself with a mini-UZI in Massachusetts. He had “supervision”, but not enough supervision to keep the damn thing out of his hands in the first place.
But, hey, I’m sure there’s some 9 year old out there who can drive a car, so let’s put them on the freeway and see how they do.
This is how righs become priveleges.
Be interesting to see if the family sues the range for the trauma it caused her.
This is so sad... for the instructor, his family, and the young girl and her family.
>> Remember the mother that was shooting with her son a few years ago?
I think that was the one in Apopka, FL (Shoot Straight). For this reason, many of the public ranges no longer rent guns.
That's not correct. You're overstating your argument. Gun ranges are relatively safe, but there are still incidents and there are deaths. This isn't even the first child involved in a fatal accident with an uzi at a gun range! An 8 year old accidentally killed himself with an Uzi a few years back! I wouldn't let an 8 year old operate a table saw or a chain saw by themselves and I would be damned hesitant about giving them a submachine gun.
Stupid instructor..... He paid for his stupidity for letting her shoot it in the first place and for standing where he knew the gun would go on it’s own when fired FA.
Stupid parents.... It’s not cheap ($100+ or more) to shoot a FA firearm at these ranges. The parents should be charged with negligent homicide for creating the situation that lead to the the instructors death.
Who the hell but a total idiot lets a 9 year old fire a sub-machine gun?
That seems to be the consensus on this thread.
I was amazed at the outdoor club i used to belong to that had many bullet holes in the above the head wooden beams. there are stories there. also in pa we have gun ranges on some of the state game lands which are self supervised. it is amazing what people think they can do while you are walking down range checking your targets.
Yes. We now go to a friends ranch.
Public ranges are scary!
nice. wish there was a ranch here in philly.
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