It seems some of the people involved in this were even more stupid and irresponsible than originally reported. Charges have been filed.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Dec04/0,4670,BoyShootsHimself,00.html

Sue

Interesting, very interesting...

Wow, What a mess. A crying shame.

'"A Micro Uzi is made by and for the Israeli Armed Forces and is intended to meet the operational needs of Israeli Special Forces," Bennett[the DA] said, noting that the weapon has a rate of fire of 20 to 25 rounds per second. "It is not a hunting weapon."'

What does that have to with it? Would he not be prosecuting had it been a "high powered" hunting rifle or "deadly" 12ga shotgun? Criminal negligence is criminal negligence; the instrument involved isn't really material.

Jeff

Heres the Link to .

Lee

I'm still trying to grasp how an 8 year old could get the muzzle up that high, and still be squeezing the grip safety on an UZI???

A horrible thing, but I don't see how charges are going to help.

that gun is not suitable for anyone who has never handled an automatic. it wants to pivot - rapidly - around your trigger finger.

My friend (not affiliated with those that let him fire it) saw the kid. He was jumping up and down asking his dad where the UZI was.

Evidentially, he really wanted to fire it.

Seeing how excited he was my friend even walked up to the kid and said "Be careful son, they aren't toys."

I'm not blaming the kid. My friend said he could see it coming and felt horrible when he found out. The father didn't do his job in this case. Neither did the person who gave him the gun.

My 2 cents...which in this economy isn't much.

-NIM

It's Friday night. How many 16 y/os are on the road in 'performance cars?'

That's what grand and trial juries are for. Personally, I consider the fact that those involved feel really bad about what happened is, at best, a mitigating factor in sentencing, not a defense as to their culpable negligence, if any.

Jeff

If nothing else, it should give one pause.
We are all capable of 'getting stupid'

+1

Exactly the point. Sixteen year olds shouldn't be in performance cars. Three year olds don't get to play with lighters. My dad and I watched a show essentially titled "what the **** were they thinking". One video was of a five year old getting a mini-motorcycle for his birthday. The parents put the kid on the bike, the kid roared off and ran into the tail gate of a near by parked pickup truck. Children and adolescents don't know how much physical control they have. They see things on TV or that adults do and they want to emulate them. To what extent are allowed to and at what point in their maturity is the responsibility of their parents and, failing that, the people with authority in the situation. Carnies don't let kids get on rides they aren't secure riding. Why should a person at a booth at a gun show get a pass because we have freedom of arms?

And lets face it, the authorities are doing the right thing here. They're not pushing for new laws, they're prosecuting under the laws we already have. There's already been a pretty egregious failure of parenting. There's also been a failure of responsible gun ownership. There was a failure of law enforcement personnel (since one of the people in charge of the situation was a police chief). Now its at the judicial system level.

"I'm not so sure anyone should be charged."

Why not? There were several people involved that apparently had the intelligence of roadkill. An 8-yr-old kid has had the top of his head blown off for no good reason. His father may have another kid or two he can kill off creatively, who knows?

"Gee, I'm sorry" just doesn't cut it.

There are people so stupid that they would do the same thing all over again! If nothing else, a court case may make other dolts who have the same idea realize that it may not be a good idea.

Maybe.

Sue