Don't mess with Hit Girl.
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 ...
There’s got to be a Darwin Award somewhere in this story.
If you watch the vid, he shows her how to shoot, then just gives her the gun. Not a good move...
I’m sure the gun-control crowd is pleased...
Are you forgetting Chris Kyle?
File it also under ‘irony’ (see prior posting).
Tragic, but preventable. On video, no less.
9 YO’s never should have an automatic weapon in their little hands!
A .22 semiauto loaded one round at a time or .22 wheel gun will do for a starter for sure!
“Last Stop” for sure!
Because of that idiot instructor, this little girl will live the rest of her life with the guilt and nightmares for helping him win a well deserved Darwin Award.
On the upside, the girl is still alive and was not killed due to the instructor’s stupidity.
It did say he had a great sense of humor.
Now the joke is on him.
Whoops. Still, that's two in maybe 100 years.
ok i have had guns my whole life and live in the ghetto i would not let a 9 year old girl or boy play with a fully loaded uzi…. flame away
Don't mess with Hit Girl.
Several have committed suicide at ranges and I remember one murder - suicide. There are some youtubes of people getting wounded at ranges too.
uh...no....
The great American sniper, not too long ago.
A couple of suicides at ranges in the last few years also.
Chris Kyle, but I think that was a murder case.
I’m not sure that’s true, I think I’ve read about accidents at ranges from time to time, but I would agree it’s quite rare.
when i took friends along and trained them to shoot. they only got one bullet. my one freind who was a good shot, could never shoot more than one in the mag. all giddy from the shooting, he would wave the gun around after.
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