Sad day for NFA...

[VN Vet]

I usually have something to say; an opinion, but this is too sad. My heart goes out to the Father who witnessed the whole event and to the family that must now live with the loss.

 

[MinuteManMike]

I'm having trouble even picturing how this is even possible. Aren't Uzi's like 2 feet long? How can a little kid shoot himself in the head?

 

[techres]

I'm having trouble even picturing how this is even possible. Aren't Uzi's like 2 feet long? How can a little kid shoot himself in the head?

Micro-Uzi. Very much like an auto-pistol.

 

[BloodEclipse]

Criminal Charges Possible in Boy's Gun Show Uzi Death

Tuesday , October 28, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. —
Authorities are considering whether criminal charges should be filed in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with an Uzi submachine gun at a gun show.

Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett said Tuesday he hasn't been able to find any law that would authorize a child to possess or fire a machine gun.
http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,5485,00.html
Christopher Bizilj was trying out one of the weapons at the Westfield Sportsman's Club on Sunday when he lost control, shooting himself in the head.
An instructor was watching the boy at a firing range and the youngster's father was a few feet away.
Bennett says he's looking into whether anyone committed a reckless or wanton act when they allowed the boy to fire the weapon.

Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett said Tuesday he hasn't been able to find any law that would authorize a child to possess or fire a machine gun.

Notice how this is being approached? There have been no laws broken but they can't find a law that would authorize.... One of the reasons I moved my family back here from Mass.

 

[MACHINEGUN]

I'm with USMC_0311 on this one...

Someone should have been right on top of this kid making sure the muzzle didn't jump in an unsafe direction or he shouldn't have been firing it at all. It's one thing letting a kid shoot a semi-automatic, but a fully automatic weapon without someone being on top of them is just asking for complete disaster.

I also think the prosecutor needs to let this one go.. these two men will be haunted by this the rest of their lives.

 

[MinuteManMike]

Yeah, this is terrible. And letting the kid use that gun was probably a very bad idea in the first place.

 

[40calPUNISHER]

Very sad indeed.

The news is having a hay-day with this. I just caught the tale end of the Today show, something about seeking child endangerment charges for the dad..... AND they where talking about how there are no laws regulating anyone actually pulling the trigger of a firearm. If anyone else saw this story this morning please chime in and fill us in on what I missed.

 

[JetGirl]

Horrible as the story is in its own right...they're turning it into a witch hunt.

 

[mconley]

Well sure they are, think about it... the news has gotten ahold of this, they are not in good understanding about guns and cant figure out how this happened. We have ( for the most part ) a good understanding about the guns and how they are used and what it takes to have safe recreational shooting. Even though we are well informed about saftey, and that accidents can still happen, we cant even explain why or how this happened. I believe the news in gerneral is ignorant about firearms and therefore will air the story from their point of view, no matter how F****D up their views are.

 

[Bill of Rights]

Update

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_re_us/boy_shoots_himself

Gun club, police chief indicted in boy's Uzi death


By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press Writer



SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Three men, including a small-town police chief, were indicted Thursday on involuntary manslaughter counts in the gun-fair death of an 8-year-old who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi that a prosecutor said he never should have been allowed to handle.
The club where the fair was held also was charged. The fair had promised shooters would have certified instructors in an advertisement, but District Attorney William Bennett said the child, Christopher Bizilj, was supervised by an uncertified 15-year-old boy.
Christopher, of Ashford, Conn., lost control of the 9mm micro submachine gun as it recoiled while he was firing at a pumpkin Oct. 26 at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club in western Massachusetts.
Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury was charged because he owns the sponsor of the gun fair, COP Firearms & Training. Two men who brought the automatic weapon to the show, Carl Guiffre of Hartford, Conn., and Domenico Spano, of New Milford, Conn., also were indicted.
An involuntary manslaughter conviction carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence and $1,000 fine. The term could be five years or less for someone with no prior convictions.
Fleury and the club also were indicted on four counts each of furnishing a machine gun to a minor. A conviction on each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, up to $10,000 in fines and the loss of a firearms license for at least 10 years.
Bennett said prosecutors know of at least four children, including Christopher, who fired automatic weapons at the fair. He added that Fleury had wrongly assured Guiffre and Spano that it was legal for children to use the Uzi under Massachusetts law.
"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 said, noting that the weapon has a rate of fire of 20 to 25 rounds per second. "It is not a hunting weapon."
Thomas Drechsler, an attorney for the club, said it continues to extend its "deepest sympathy" to the Bizilj family, but denies any wrongdoing. He said neither the club nor any member gave the Uzi to Christopher or any children, and weren't in the immediate area when the accident happened.
"The club is disappointed by the indictment," he said. "The club's intention is to plead not guilty and the club denies they participated in any criminal act."
Fleury, Guiffre and Spano did not immediately return calls for comment.
The machine gun shoot drew hundreds of people to the sporting club's 375-acre compound. An advertisement said it would include machine gun demonstrations and rentals and free handgun lessons.
"It's all legal & fun — No permits or licenses required!!!!" reads the ad, posted on the club's Web site.
"You will be accompanied to the firing line with a Certified Instructor to guide you. But You Are In Control — "FULL AUTO ROCK & ROLL," the ad said.
The ad also said children under 16 would be admitted free, and both adults and children were offered free .22-caliber pistol and rifle shooting.
Christopher's father was 10 feet behind him and reaching for his camera when the child fired the weapon.
Bennett said Charles Bizilj (pronounced bah-SEAL') had selected the compact weapon for his 4-foot-3, 66-pound son to fire after he was assured it was safe. He had thought the Uzi's small size made it safer, but the opposite was true, the prosecutor said.
"Although it might appear a heavier or longer weapon would be more dangerous, the small size of the weapon together with the rapid rate of fire made it more likely that an 8-year-old would lose control and the muzzle of the weapon would come close to his face, which is what happened here," he said.
The father was not charged because he was a layman and based his decision on information from others who should have known it was too dangerous, Bennett said. The 15-year-old boy who was supervising Christopher with the Uzi also will not be charged, he added.
Christopher's family did not immediately return a call seeking comment. His father has said his son had experience firing handguns and rifles but the gun show was his first time with an automatic weapon.
Fleury, the police chief, has been on sick leave since the boy's death, according to Kim Leahey, administrative aide for the Pelham Board of Selectmen. Leahey said the board would have no statement on the indictment until it consults its attorneys.
Fleury is one of two full time officers in Pelham. In a statement issued shortly after the accident, the board said Fleury's company was a "purely personal pursuit" and not subject to their approval.

 

[techres]

Bad on so many levels....

Beyond the family itself, we have firearms owners sharing their guns, trainers, etc. being criminally charged here.

CRIMINALLY CHARGED.

That should be something that catches all of our eyes. It sure catches mine.

 

[Bigum1969]

I had a feeling this was going to happen. All the antis are going to punish everyone they can. This unfortunate situation will also be used to create even more gun laws.

 

[Bill of Rights]

The club or the folks running this may indeed have been negligent if they promised that a certified instructor would accompany the shooter to the line and that did not happen. The father should have been with him, too, but the flyer supposedly made a claim that didn't pan out that day. I do agree with punishing anyone who truly is guilty of wrongdoing (which remains to be seen), but I disagree that more laws are needed.

Blessings,
B

 

[schwaky18]

Yes sue the crap out of them for being negligent, still don't know if they would win.

But there is no way they should be CRIMINALLY CHARGED.

 

[VUPDblue]

It's crazy that there are criminal charges being brought. When you read the article and they talk about "illegal furnishing of a machinegun to a minor" I have no idea what that means. Unless there is some obscure state law in play, it is not a federal-level offense as long as the owner of said weapon was present. Prosecuting the persons involved here will not stop this from happening again. Hell, can anyone else recall a similar incident, EVER? I can't. It was a freak accident and nothing more. Noone who attended that event will ever be the same emotionally. Prosecution here serves absolutely no purpose.

 

[BloodEclipse]

It's crazy that there are criminal charges being brought. When you read the article and they talk about "illegal furnishing of a machinegun to a minor" I have no idea what that means. Unless there is some obscure state law in play, it is not a federal-level offense as long as the owner of said weapon was present. Prosecuting the persons involved here will not stop this from happening again. Hell, can anyone else recall a similar incident, EVER? I can't. It was a freak accident and nothing more. Noone who attended that event will ever be the same emotionally. Prosecution here serves absolutely no purpose.

When I lived there I saw plenty of prosecutions that were uncalled for. You are more likely to be prosecuted as the victim than you would be as the bad guy. It's just that way in the People's Republic of Mass.

 

[JetGirl]

Two men who brought the automatic weapon to the show, Carl Guiffre of Hartford, Conn., and Domenico Spano, of New Milford, Conn., also were indicted. An involuntary manslaughter conviction carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence and $1,000 fine. The term could be five years or less for someone with no prior convictions.

Holy crap! Who among us hasn't let a noob try our stuff??
Somebody else has a negligent discharge that kills someone and YOU go to prison because you were sharing your guns/ammo?
Holy crap!

 

[Bhriindan82]

Before folks get ticked off...something to consider

Well sure they are, think about it... the news has gotten ahold of this, they are not in good understanding about guns and cant figure out how this happened. We have ( for the most part ) a good understanding about the guns and how they are used and what it takes to have safe recreational shooting. Even though we are well informed about saftey, and that accidents can still happen, we cant even explain why or how this happened. I believe the news in gerneral is ignorant about firearms and therefore will air the story from their point of view, no matter how F****D up their views are.

Rep'd.

This sort of ignorance on behalf of the general public is one of the biggest reasons for the hate and vitriol going around over gun-control issues. We as gun owners and/or enthusiasts understand the ownership, maintenance, and usage of firearms to be a fun, engaging, and challenging hobby; an inalienable right granted by the 2nd Amendment; and one of precious few truly viable home & self-defense options for those who find themselves in a potentially violent situation. The media isn't blameless in this situation...I'd wager that they are somewhat impartial, but there is a marked tendency in this country to only cover hot-button issues since that's what gets people to tune in. This is just the same ol' same ol' that we've always seen...the media saying something is scary to incite panic and interest in the issue be it lead content in toys or irresponsible gun handling.

And let's face it, guns are dangerous. So are kitchen knives, cars/vehicles of all types, stepladders, blunt objects, ropes, fists, feet, etc. etc. It's a little harder to accidentally bludgeon someone to death, or stab someone across the street when you slip while cutting vegetables than it is to wound/kill by accidentally/irresponsibly discharging a firearm. That being said, the majority of us gun-folk understand what a grave responsibility we have when owning, maintaining, and using a firearm and the public doesn't, nor do they care. Our problems stem from the inherent 'this is scary' factor that any weapon (but especially guns) hold in the public eye, and the media's desire to get people to pay attention to whatever they say, rather than presenting an informative and unbiased look at whatever 'news' event they deign to show us.

Just my , give or take a couple hundred extra pennies.

 

[Tinman]

It's crazy that there are criminal charges being brought. When you read the article and they talk about "illegal furnishing of a machinegun to a minor" I have no idea what that means. Unless there is some obscure state law in play, it is not a federal-level offense as long as the owner of said weapon was present. Prosecuting the persons involved here will not stop this from happening again. Hell, can anyone else recall a similar incident, EVER? I can't. It was a freak accident and nothing more. Noone who attended that event will ever be the same emotionally. Prosecution here serves absolutely no purpose.

I wouldn't put it past them to have some obscure state law in place no one knows about. Otherwise, they'll just make something up and run with it to see what happens.

I seem to recall there have been two incidents over the years down at Knob Creek resulting in deaths on the firing line. As I recall, neither were shootings, but both were weapon mounts that broke allowing the weapon system to dislodge during firing. The resulting machinery falling on or hitting the shooters resulted in fatal injuries. I don't remember all the details, but I'm sure it hit the news somewhere if someone has the time to search.

Tinman....

 

[dcbark01]

What about all these mini-vans I've see on I-65 doing 80+ mph dodging through traffic? When one of them wrecks (and I'm sure it's probably nearly a daily occurrence nationwide) and kids in the back are killed, does anyone press manslaughter or criminal endangerment on the driver? I think it's pretty much universally labeled as a tragic accident without any political ramifications. But as soon as a gun is involved, the machine becomes the menace instead of the operator, and and instantly a new gun bill is proposed in congress. Granted this IS a terrible accident, but I just don't understand the inconsistency sometimes...