Westfield Gun Accident??!!!

[BigFish]

It was pretty stupid on the fathers behalf to allow his son to fire such a weapon but even more irresponsible for the instructors to allow it!

[Nebe]

Sad... truely sad.

[PI guy]

No reason for an 8 year old to even touch a gun like that. B.B gun. OK 22. OK. .410 OK. All under CLOSE supervision. No excuses.

[Swimmer]

When you go to these shoots to watch or actually fire a machine gun the bullets are purchased a clip at a time. So there was probably 32 rounds in the clip and when the child pulled the trigger even if he had both hands on the gun one probably slipped off and the gun just did a semi-circle rising perpendicular from the table in front of him and one the the shots probably the last one entered the boys head. 32 rounds, just think if the Uzi went sidesways and not up and down. Many more people could have been injured. I know the Hanson shoot people are lined up all morning at the .50 machine gun. I think its $200.00 for a clip of 50 rounds or maybe less. I have never gone and don't care too. I don't own any guns. But I live a mile or so away as the crow flies and can hear them all being fired. I was going to get my machine gun license years ago. Had the opportunity to buy these types of weapons. I was always mesmerized by Thompsons. Really unique gun. Doesn't rise that much. A one-hundred round drum disappeared in no time. Very expensive. One of my now deceased co-workers and I went to a nearby town closer to Boston where he purchased two fo them. His wife sold them for $15,000.00 a piece after he died. He paid $800.00 for them the day I was with him. Great invetsment.

[JH Beers]

Originally Posted by BigFish

It was pretty stupid on the fathers behalf to allow his son to fire such a weapon but even more irresponsible for the instructors to allow it!

This gets to the heart of the issue.

Most people don't know enough about firearms to make that call. I know that I wouldn't have known enough to make that call, personally.

FPP on the other hand immediately would have said "no way", and so should the instructor.

At some point, every parent needs to trust someone else's judgement on the best thing for their kid, who knows more than s/he does about a particular subject matter.

Kid goes on a fishing trip, falls into the prop wash because the captain took a wave wrong?

Kid's on a rollercoaster and the technician doesn't tighten the safety harness down enough?

The RSO should have said "Haeeeeeeeelll naw!" and told the father just what might happen.

[beamie]

Sad issue for sure......

But geeez, it's a "Sportmans" Club. There is nothing sporting about an assualt weapon meant to kill humans and not game. Wrong place to hold that venue.