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From the City & Region staff at The Boston Globe

Grieving father says he gave son, 8, permission to fire Uzi

October 27, 2008 02:18 PM Email| Comments (629)| Text size +

By David Abel and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff, and Matthew P. Collette, Globe Correspondent

Dr. Charles Bizilj stood 10 feet behind his son this weekend at a ""Machine Gun Shoot"" in Westfield, where the third grader aimed an Uzi at a pumpkin in the distance.


Flier from Westfield Sportsman?s Club

As Bizilj reached for his camera, the boy clutched the gun in his arms and squeezed the trigger. The Uzi flipped backwards and 8-year-old Christopher Bizilj fatally shot himself in the head.

?It was all a blur,? Dr. Charles Bizilj said this afternoon in a telephone interview. ?I?m still in the grieving process.?

Christopher was accompanied by a trained professional as he held the 9-mm Micro Uzi machine gun at the Westfield Sportsman's Club Sunday afternoon, but Bizilj said he doesn?t think the shooting guide was holding the weapon as his son pressed the trigger.

?This accident was truly a mystery to me,? he said. ?This is a horrible event, a horrible travesty, and I really don?t know why it happened. I don?t think it?s relevant that he wasn?t holding the weapon.?

He said his son, a third grader who loved to hike and bike, had experience firing handguns and rifles. But he said this was the first time he had fired an automatic weapon.

""I gave permission for him to fire the Uzi,? Bizilj said. ?I watched several other children and adults use it. It?s a small weapon, and Christopher was comfortable with guns. There were larger machine guns with much more recoil, and we avoided those.?

Bizilj, the medical director of the emergency department at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs, Conn., said that his son was ?very cautious, very well trained, and very much enjoyed firing.?

When his son pressed the trigger Sunday, it was the first gun he had fired all day. ?It took about an hour to get there, and it was something he was looking forward to for months,? Bizilj said.

The annual Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo is a two-day event. Police are investigating whether the Westfield Sportsman?s Club and the group running the event were licensed. ?We haven?t confirmed whether either have been licensed,? said Westfield Police Lieutenant Hipolito Nuņez.

The sportsman's club boasted in an advertisement for the event posted on its website that the $5 entry fee was waived for children under age 16 and there was ""no age limit or licenses required to shoot machine guns.""

""It?s all legal & fun,"" the advertisement says. ""You will be accompanied to the firing line with a Certified Instructor to guide you. But You Are In Control ? ""FULL AUTO ROCK & ROLL.""

Shooting targets for the event included vehicles, pumpkins, and ""other fun stuff we can?t print here,"" according to the advertisement.

Christopher Bizilj was firing the weapon at an outside firing range and was wounded once in the head when the recoil forced the gun to rotate upward and backward, Nuņez said. The boy was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. He was pronounced dead at the hospital with one gunshot wound to the head. No one else was injured.

State law requires anyone under age 18 to have parental consent and a licensed instructor to fire an automatic weapon. Otherwise, there?s no minimum age to fire such a gun, Nuņez said.

?We do not know at this time the full facts of this incident, and it's being investigated,"" Nuņez said.

The event at the club was organized by C.O.P. Firearms & Training, an Amherst company that, according to its website, organizes machine gun shoots throughout New England. Officials from that group also could not be reached.


(David Molnar / The Republican of Springfield)

Devin Connery of Lunenburg, Mass., fired a Heckler & Koch UMP on Sunday at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman?s Club. This photograph was taken before 8-year-old Christopher Bizilj apparently lost control of an Uzi and shot himself in the head.

629 comments so far...
  1. stupidity pure and simple.8 year old and uzi do not belong in the same sentence.

    Posted by trish October 27, 08 12:16 PM
  1. You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows.

    Posted by Gunsdontkillpeople October 27, 08 12:31 PM
  1. The father of that boy is responsible for his sons death. He will have to live with that kind of irresponsible behavior and the actions of that event for his entire life. That poor boy shouldn't have been using that gun or at an event like that.

    Posted by Elizabeth kinvig October 27, 08 12:34 PM
  1. Yeah, great idea, give an uzi to an 8 year old.
    This is very sad, but his Dad is an I-D-I-O-T.

    Posted by A Dad October 27, 08 12:39 PM

  1. If this isn't crazy- what is? Why do we want children firing machine guns under any circumstances whatsoever?

    What next, ""Rocket lanunchers, hand grenades, and bazookas- fun for the whole family! Grab the kids and come on down!""

    Posted by heyduke October 27, 08 12:47 PM
  1. Although it is my opinion that responsible age appropriate persons should
    be allowed to join a gun club, that's where it should end. No child should be
    allowed to shoot a weapon, especially one like the gun that killed that poor
    child. To me, common sense has gone out the window in the past 20 years.
    All the adults present at that tragedy to my mind, are in part responsible for
    his ""accident."" I teach children of that age.....it's impossible for me to even
    think about allowing a child to be around weapondry, much less allow a child
    to target practice....

    Posted by Betty Lautner October 27, 08 12:51 PM
  1. Sad. I understand the desire to shoot stuff, but this is why we need some rules and some restraint.

    Posted by Jeremy October 27, 08 12:52 PM
  1. Yes, we have stupid rednecks in MA too.

    Posted by Mike October 27, 08 12:57 PM
  1. my feelings are why would you let an 8 year old boy shoot an UZI Machine gun by his self . that is not very resposible for the father or the trainer.

    Posted by Sarah Lerchova October 27, 08 12:58 PM
  1. First ! BOOM !!

    Posted by Chad October 27, 08 12:58 PM
  1. What the hell kind of sportsman needs a machine gun?

    Posted by Onaeb October 27, 08 01:00 PM
  1. It should be interesting to see how the gun lobby spins this one.
    As much as they like to talk about responsible gun ownership and safety practices, when it comes right down to it, most of them are right on board with the ""FULL AUTO ROCK & ROLL"" mindset. Talk about your senseless tragedies. Raise your hand, who out there is wired to respond ""No"" immediately when asked by your eight year old if he can fire the Uzi? That kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong parent.

    Posted by AJ October 27, 08 01:02 PM
  1. 8 years old.

    Posted by joe blow October 27, 08 01:02 PM
  1. this is sickening ... to heart ... quit teaching kids to ""handle"" automatic weapons ... AK47's, etc. Or just let them have a 44 mag? Stricter controls over semiauto, auto weapons and large bore handguns are needed. What do you take when you go hunting for deer? A Uzi or autoweapon. No, you take a deer rifle, which makes sense. These ""street sweeper"" weapons have got to have SOME control. Condolences to the parents ...

    Posted by VS October 27, 08 01:05 PM
  1. NRA Heads! Read this article and try to explain why the ordinary Joe six-pack needs to have an assault rifle. Talk about the waste of a human life because NRA led gun heads want no bans on any sort of gun. Assault weapons? This is insane. What are you afraid of that an assault weapon would be needed in your house or community? Are you really that paranoid? Have you no common sense?

    Posted by mark October 27, 08 01:06 PM
  1. As big a tragedy as this is, I have to fault the parents. I'm sorry, but there is no way, no matter how much you love guns, that you allow a 8 year old to handle an Uzi.
    But, of course, guns don't kill.

    Posted by SpoxLogic October 27, 08 01:07 PM
  1. Organizers, the licenced instructor and the father should all be charged with child neglect. This should not be allowed to happen in a ""civilized"" country. I am so ashamed.

    Posted by Ron Anderson October 27, 08 01:08 PM
  1. STUPID STUPID STUPID, SHOULD NEVER OF HAPPEND!!

    Posted by ERICA October 27, 08 01:12 PM
  1. The father is an M.D.! How would you like him working on you? Some judgment, huh? He should be charged at least with child endangerment.

    Posted by RetPoliceChief October 27, 08 01:12 PM
  1. No one without a valid gun license should be handling a gun, least of all a child. What if the child had injured or killed someone else? Think of the guilt the child would live with.

    Posted by Keepourchildrensafe October 27, 08 01:12 PM
  1. I agree ...an 8 year old and any kind of gun do not belong together! I don't care who you are or where you are from! Poor parenting...bottom line!

    Posted by sg2008 October 27, 08 01:13 PM
  1. ""State law requires anyone under age 18 to have parental consent and a licensed instructor to fire an automatic weapon""

    Seriously? This is the law? Someone actually sat down, wrote that out and figured it made sense for someone as young as 8 to be able to fire an automatic weapon? God bless the NRA.

    Posted by 2young4guns October 27, 08 01:13 PM
  1. We need uzi's and automatic weapons though.......I mean really they are SO important to our livelihood, and the 2nd Amendment says we can have muskets...oops I mean full autos with cop killer bullets.......and the IQ and safety of gun fanatics is so good that we have nothing to worry about....and hey you never see criminals with those types of weapons....

    ""[The Second Amendment] has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word 'fraud,' on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime.""
    --- Former Chief Justice Warren Burger

    Posted by Simple Johnson October 27, 08 01:13 PM
  1. An 8 year-old-boy with permission to shoot a UZI machine gun? This is absurd. This is unbelievable. This is warped. Maybe a 21-year-old can shoot with supervision. But not an 8-year-old. For God's sakes, what are they trying to prove by holding these shoot outs? I think we have training in the armed services if people really need to shoot something and kids can wait until their 18 to join. Other than that, keep weapons out of the kids' hands, and give them something creative to do with their hands other than pulling a trigger.

    Posted by Art [hadenough] October 27, 08 01:13 PM
  1. 'gunsdont'killpeople'!!!

    That is the most insipid, insensitive, non-sensical post i have ever read....swimming pools are not WEAPONS designed to kill people, as against UZIS whose only purpose is to kill and maim as many people as possible in the shortest time possible. Defintiely something you need for your 8 year old's next birthday.

    As for you 'evidence' regardin swimming pool shows #!#...you probably mean ""drowning"" rather than a temporary exhibition of state of the art swimming pools.

    Posted by Ben October 27, 08 01:14 PM
  1. you know how many millions of kids will die of preventable disease this year?

    Posted by captain obvious October 27, 08 01:15 PM
  1. As someone who grew up with guns around and learned how to shoot at a young age (and learned gun safety and respect above all else) this is disturbing. It is a tragic accident no doubt, but anyone who lets an 8 year old fire full auto is going beyond negligence into an area that can only be described as criminal stupidity. At 8 years old you should be just stepping up to a .22, fired one shot at a time. This will be turned into an anti-gun crusade for sure, but that is totally missing the real issue. It's like giving a kid with a learner's permit the keys to a Ferarri and wondering how they got into an accident. My heart goes out to the family, and the Dad who has to live with this forever.

    -M

    Posted by M October 27, 08 01:15 PM
  1. Gunsdontkillpeople:

    Nice moniker, try telling that to the parents of the deceased kid.

    *Note the sarcasm here*

    Posted by anotherman October 27, 08 01:15 PM
  1. The father is an idiot. Automatic weapons do not belong in the hands of children. I believe in enjoying the shooting range with your children, but let's use some common sense. The father should be punished, on top of his grief. Not only did he endanger his child...he endangered others.

    Posted by John Brown October 27, 08 01:15 PM
  1. As someone who grew up with guns around and learned how to shoot at a young age (and learned gun safety and respect above all else) this is disturbing. It is a tragic accident no doubt, but anyone who lets an 8 year old fire full auto is going beyond negligence into an area that can only be described as criminal stupidity. At 8 years old you should be just stepping up to a .22, fired one shot at a time. This will be turned into an anti-gun crusade for sure, but that is totally missing the real issue. It's like giving a kid with a learner's permit the keys to a Ferarri and wondering how they got into an accident. My heart goes out to the family, and the Dad who has to live with this forever.

    -M

    Posted by M October 27, 08 01:15 PM
  1. tell me again why we need fully or semi-automatic weapons in the hands of the public?

    and i agree, uzi plus an 8 year old is just radiantly stupid.

    Posted by jgodsey October 27, 08 01:15 PM
  1. The organizers, the licenced instructor and the father should all be held accountable for this childs death. This should never happen in a ""civilized"" country. I am so ashamed.

    Posted by Ron Anderson October 27, 08 01:15 PM
  1. Just another sad note about todays society. What ever would possess a parent to let an 8 year old hold an Uzi let alone pull the trigger. The gun has only one purpose and that is to kill and maim PEOPLE!. There isn't even an argument that the child was there because he hunts game like Daddy. Stupid, irresponsible parent, what other adjective can you find for such a parent.

    Posted by joe October 27, 08 01:16 PM
  1. I have no doubt the gun nuts out there will find some way to put a spin on this, but the fact is that there is no sane reason that an 8 year old should be shooting any type of gun. The father will live with his stupidity for the rest of his life and I can only hope that other parents will now think twice before letting their kids shoot guns.

    Posted by Lee October 27, 08 01:16 PM
  1. Have 100 children drowned at ""swimming pool shows"" ? If someone did, would someone from the swimming pool lobby (if such a thing exists) try to argue against more safety and control?

    And, that name ""Gunsdontkillpeople"" contradicts the story here where, in fact, a gun did kill a person.

    Posted by Mark O October 27, 08 01:17 PM
  1. Reply to gunsdon'tkillpeople ..... it appears that guns do kill people and dumb a.... fathers that allow an 8 yr old child to operate a fully automatic weapon. Where did you get your data on drownings of children at swimming pool ""shows""? Myself, I had never even heard of a swimming pool ""show""

    Posted by eyore October 27, 08 01:17 PM
  1. I would hazard a response, along with everything else said and surely thought, that fully-automatic weapons should *never* be placed in the hands of *anyone* that cannot physically dominate them. I would compare it to a inexperienced fireman trying to hold on to the end of a high-pressure hose. Its going to be messy, especially if you don't have the ability to shut it off immediately. This was a tragedy that surely would have been prevented with some common sense. My heart goes out to the family for their loss.

    Posted by Micheal Espinola Jr October 27, 08 01:18 PM
  1. Gun nuts. I grew up with these people, own a (single) gun myself, and STILL can't for the life of me understand their brains.

    I think the writer of the grammatically incorrect, logically suspect second response in these comments provides a clue, however - they're MORONS.

    Posted by Unamused October 27, 08 01:18 PM
  1. I have a 7 yr old & a 14 yr old. I would NEVER let either of them fire a machine gun at a sportsman's club or anywhere else !!!
    An absolutely ridiculous situation, this should never have happened, that poor boy's life was cut short simply due to the irresponsibility of other adults !!

    Posted by missy October 27, 08 01:19 PM
  1. It's not irresponsible for young children to learn how to use a gun. I used to work at an overnight summer camp ages 6-15, and riflery was one of the activities all campers got to enjoy. Parents had the option of opting their children out of the activity if they so chose, but none did. Being taught gun safety and usage is a lot better than kids finding a gun and not knowing what it can do and shooting somebody or themselves with it.

    However, a child should only be given a firearm that matches their size. an Uzi is by far too powerful a weapon for a beginner gun user to be handling. Shame on the father and shame on the instructor for allowing something like this to happen.

    Posted by JML02118 October 27, 08 01:20 PM
  1. Ok, so after reading this, we can't blame the father. He probably went thinking this was a family friendly, safely controlled event and he himself probably had no clue about guns, just trying to have a day out with his kid. What a shame, I would sue the crap out of the expo and do whatever I could to make sure these type of events aren't allowed. They even took credit cards, just trying to make money regardless of safety.

    Posted by Sue Butts October 27, 08 01:21 PM
  1. Hey there ""gunsdon'tkillpeople"" - Show me a link of someone dying at a swimming pool show. Pool shows - at least the couple I've seen.... you don't actually SWIM.

    Yes people die in swimming pools. About 2000 a year. You get almost TWICE that number of people die from guns each year.... in just the 0-19 years old range.
    Of course, swimming pools aren't designed to kill people, guns are, so I can understand that discrepancy. What a horrible tragedy to this family. My heart breaks for them.

    Posted by veggirl October 27, 08 01:21 PM
  1. I have to agree - firing an automatic weapon, even for adults, requires some training. An 8 year old boy is certainly not capable of the proper method of control when firing any automatic weapon. The ""certified instructor"" should not have even allowed this. This is exactly the kind of reckless behavior that the anti-gun crowd loves to use in order to justify gun control policies.

    Posted by JB October 27, 08 01:21 PM
  1. I've a comment on the comments. Just how many kids die from being shot at gun shows?

    Posted by Lyn October 27, 08 01:22 PM
  1. The stupidity belongs entirely on the father, no eight year old is responsible or capable to be able to control any type of mchine gun. Then again what do you expect from someone who has a middle eastern type name. (no gun LAWS)

    Posted by Gerry October 27, 08 01:22 PM
  1. ""You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows.""

    Swimming pool shows? What is that?

    And the gun DID kill the 8 year old. NOT a person. The gun got out of control in the 8 year old's hands, and shot him in the head.
    Guns DO kill people!

    Posted by TJATL October 27, 08 01:23 PM
  1. Unreal. Owning a gun for protection is one issue that should not be compromised by idiots like these who always, always have tragic endings: hence why they are in the news. A life lost to ignorance.

    Posted by REL October 27, 08 01:23 PM
  1. Guns like anything take responsibility and proper usage. An 8 year old doesn't have the physical ability to control something like that full auto or the knowledge/training on how to do so.

    Sadly this will be spun into an anti-gun argument. Rather than seeing the negligence involved.

    Posted by CPB October 27, 08 01:24 PM
  1. this is tragedy!

    how many kids are killed on thier bycicles each year? are we going to call for a ""ban"" on all kids bikes too?

    how about falls from windows?

    typical liberals blaming the guns!

    lets let the family grieve and pray for them.

    Posted by war_vet October 27, 08 01:24 PM
  1. I work at a gun club 2 days a week where we have banned the use of full auto for numerous reasons. Safety is always first (we actually closed our ranges recently after storms left some limbs on just one of the ranges). Let's put the argument of this is the guns fault to rest - there was clearly poor supervision of an extreme minor handling a firearm that needs a GOVERNMENT BACKGROUND CHECK to own. The saftey officers and the gaurdian of the child should be sent to jail.

    Posted by Tru October 27, 08 01:24 PM
  1. tell me again why we need fully or semi-automatic weapons in the hands of the public?

    and i agree, uzi plus an 8 year old is just radiantly stupid.

    Posted by jgodsey October 27, 08 01:24 PM
  1. This has got to be the dumbest country on earth.

    Posted by J October 27, 08 01:25 PM
  1. The fact that the father of this child consented to let his 8 year old son fire an Uzi is incomprehensible to me. This is a senseless tragedy, and the saddest part is that it was totally avoidable if those involved had simply used better judgment. Rest in peace, Christopher.

    Posted by Elizabeth October 27, 08 01:25 PM
  1. hey hey NRA/ how many kids did you kill today?

    Posted by honestman October 27, 08 01:25 PM
  1. 8 years old is just too young!!!!--At our shoots--
    we are so careful--- the range officers call the rules--im so sorry for the man's loss--but--weapons are capable of fast and deadly mistakes-and unless a owner has his hands at the ready--to grab and halt such a mishap --we do not allow the very young to handle full auto sub-guns.


    Posted by idahofullauto-ffl07,sot October 27, 08 01:25 PM
  1. How horrible and senseless. Why are children allowed at a gun show? Toy guns are bad enough. But real guns? What was that parent thinking?

    Posted by jan October 27, 08 01:26 PM
  1. Comment number two is either a terrible joke or seriously and tragically misguided.

    Having experience with such firearms, I can confidently state that no civilian, regardless of age, has any business firing a fully automatic weapon. Although each of the parties involved, the host, the father, and the safety instructor, is to blame, we should not forget the Assault Weapons Ban that our current President inexplicably tore up.

    How much innocent blood will be shed before this problem is addressed?

    Posted by Anthony D. October 27, 08 01:26 PM
  1. Wow, it's SUCH a good idea to invite families out to play with lethal weapons! I can totally understand why they say that guns don't kill people! It must have been the ""certified instructor"" that killed that kid, right? Or did he kill himself?

    Why on earth does a child EVER need to know what it feels like to fire an UZI!!!???

    Posted by Mo October 27, 08 01:27 PM
  1. ...here's a good reason why atomatic weapons have no business being owned by private citizens...

    Posted by Nicholas Novello October 27, 08 01:28 PM
  1. Shouldn't the father have been able to assume that the instructor would be able to ensure the safety of his son, considering the advertisments? How could any responsible adult allow a child to handle that kind of loaded weapon without such an assurance?

    Posted by John October 27, 08 01:29 PM
  1. This is a truly sad story about a father and his stupidity. This guy needs a license to own a gun, but not one to be a bad parent? Why would you ever let an 8 year old handle a gun, much less a FULLY AUTOMATIC gun? Of course, the democrats will now use this as their poster child for more gun control laws. I hate to politicize this tragic event, but you know the politicians will. Making guns illegal will only take them away from law-abiding citizens, not criminals. Most criminals don't buy their guns legally.

    Posted by j73alb October 27, 08 01:29 PM
  1. My father started teaching me about guns when I was 4. I can assure you that he would never have put a full-auto uzi pistol in my hands before I was prepared to handle such a weapon. The organizers should have known not to give a gun like that to a kid as well. They're tiny, lightweight and full auto, it's a no brainer. It's a shame and a great story for shock value, but lets face it, as a society, we've murdered an uncountable number of children in the middle east during our lust for oil, just for money and power.

    Posted by Jim October 27, 08 01:29 PM
  1. To Gunsdon'tkillpeople: ""GUNS don't kill people??!!"" Well, this one apparently did! STUPID!!

    Posted by GunsDOkillpeopleEVERYday! October 27, 08 01:30 PM
  1. That's because most people are not stupid enough to let an 8 year old fire a gun period, never mind a fully automatic machine gun. Guns do kill people and so do swimming pools....

    Posted by alibaba October 27, 08 01:30 PM
  1. I think your ratio is backwards there, Gunsdontkillpeople. This is insane. There are lots of things eight year old shouln't be doing and firing Uzis is one of them.

    Posted by GripeBoy October 27, 08 01:30 PM
  1. hey guns dont kill people... swimming pool shows? really?

    Posted by kb October 27, 08 01:31 PM
  1. I was there, about a foot or so behind the boy talking with my friend that was a range safety officer and looking at the boy when it happened. It was so unfortunate that people had to witness such a thing. It all happened so fast, I just keep thinking I'm glad it wasn't me who got hit with that bullet, being that I was less than 3 feet behind him. I agree that the range officers hands should have been on the gun. Now a child's life is gone, a family in pain and countless witnesses that saw what happened. Why wasn't there an ambulance present? Why was the 911 operator clueless as to the event even going on when I called? Those are questions I would like to see answered.

    Posted by Daryl October 27, 08 01:31 PM
  1. ""Gunsdontkillpeople"", please cite your source for this statistic.

    Posted by Rynn October 27, 08 01:32 PM
  1. Terribly irresponsible of the organizers and the dad. I'd be really hesitant to put a semi-auto in the hands of an 8yo just in case they accidentally double tap but full auto? Stories like this give responsible gun owners a bad name.

    Posted by gunowner October 27, 08 01:33 PM
  1. Liz,
    Nobody, especially a father that just watched his son die, needs someone like you replying to a news article like this one with such negativity... Things happen to this degree all over the world and somebody rubbing it in to try to sound like a smarty pants, well... it just isn't cool..;


    Posted by Jay Mney October 27, 08 01:34 PM
  1. Who lets a third grader handle a weapon?

    Folks need to know how to respect the weapons they are handling, no third grader is going to understand that. Sad and pathetic across the board in CT.

    Posted by KN October 27, 08 01:34 PM
  1. Gunsdontkillpeople

    can you back up that 'fact'? I doubt it. Sounds like you just made it up.

    Though there are a lot of things I do like about here, depending on the election results, I may have to move back to Canada. Best country in the world.

    Posted by kristah October 27, 08 01:34 PM
  1. ""You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows.

    Posted by Gunsdontkillpeople October 27, 08 12:31 PM""

    What adult would give an eight year old a loaded Uzi to fire? You're an idiot.

    Posted by berniemac October 27, 08 01:34 PM
  1. Guns don't kill people.

    People... with guns... kill people.

    Posted by Milo Blankenstern October 27, 08 01:34 PM
  1. Many more kids die from drowning accidents, but probably millions of kids are using pools, lakes, etc. I doubt that more than a handful of kids are firing machine guns. There ought to be a law against kids using any guns until they are around 15 or so. Hopefully, some common sense laws will come out of this needless tragedy.

    Posted by Rich October 27, 08 01:35 PM
  1. As for the comment about guns don't kill people and swimming pool victims ... just plain stupid and callous! There is just no baseline for human stupidity. What is the beneficial learning experience of having an 8-year-old fire a machine gun...potential military career in 13 years, local varmint and deer hunting, armed community militia? Please, crawl back into your cave!

    Posted by Concerned October 27, 08 01:35 PM
  1. Letting kid fire Uzi is as dangerous as letting monkeys fly airplanes - ""We do not do this anymore since the 2001 Astana Air crash""

    Posted by Borat October 27, 08 01:35 PM
  1. RU kidding GUNSDON'TKILLPEOPLE???? You have the nerve to write that stupid statistic after an eight year old is killed shooting off a FULLY AUTOMATED WEAPON? There is no excuse for a child of any age to be handling any type of weapon - let alone an UZI.

    This is a tragedy that did not have to happen. It is wrong on so many levels.

    Posted by Nancy October 27, 08 01:35 PM
  1. If you have ever fired a firearm of any kind you know how powerful a recoil can be if you are not expecting it.

    I think 8 years old is too young to be able to control the recoil of any firearm.

    It's not like what you see in the movies where the weapon does not move in between shots.

    I am not against firearms in any way, but I think there should be an age limit to fire a weapon.
    One reason is to make sure the shooter has the strength to control the recoil and also to be old enough to understand that this is a real weapon and not a movie or TV prop.

    Posted by Bill October 27, 08 01:36 PM
  1. Are you actually trying to make a joke about this? The misleading statistic you are trying to cite is that for every child murdered by a gun, there are 100 incidents of accidental drowning. I guess we'll have to worry about that as soon as people start carrying swimming pools around in their pockets.

    Posted by John October 27, 08 01:36 PM
  1. Unfortunately, its incidents like this that give firearms a bad name. Firearms are safe if used by responsible citizens and by that I mean law abiding and trained individuals. Many kids die every day through the stupid actions of their parents.

    Posted by Bm October 27, 08 01:36 PM
  1. swimming pool shows? not sure what you're trying to defend here. kids should not be playing with automatic weapons. it seems ridiculous that i would event have to write that. seems like common sense to me.

    Posted by Common Sense October 27, 08 01:36 PM
  1. To gunsdontkillpeople:
    swimming pool shows? So there is such a thing as swimming pool shows? where 100 kids have drowned? I know there is at least one gun advocate that attends gun shows that wishes he didn't. How does that poor father call the boy's mother? The supreme court will never take away your right to have a gun so why can't you stow your NRA rights and recognize this for the tragedy that it is... a young boy has died because NRA members cared more about the gun than the person pulling the trigger.

    Posted by Shockedandoutraged October 27, 08 01:37 PM
  1. The usual NRA-bozo specious comparison....

    Guns are killers, they kill thousands and thousands each year, and no amount of ignorance will change that fact. You can compare as much as you like. The fgun-obsession in the USA has already dented our democracy, because the gun-loving bozos (who needs a machine-gun at home, for god's sake) always vote for nazis for fear of losing their guns.

    Here is a greater comprisn.... Bush has killed more people with his hallucinatory invasion of Iraq than guns kill in the USA.

    Posted by Talleyrand October 27, 08 01:37 PM
  1. WHY ???????????

    Posted by ERIC October 27, 08 01:40 PM
  1. #2. What a ridiculous analogy?.why?because maybe guns do kill people. The event has no redeeeming qualities to it what so ever

    Posted by John October 27, 08 01:41 PM
  1. The Boy Scouts of America didn't let me shoot until I was twelve, and that was a single shot, bolt-action .22 rifle (almost no recoil), and a single shot, breech loaded .20 gauge shotgun (light recoil). A micro UZI, fully auto? The recoil of that gun will cause it to climb in the hands of an adult! They are lucky the kid didn't hit anyone else as the weapon kept firing. I am a gun owner, and I have one question: Where the hell is common sense? This is the stuff that drives me crazy. Complete stupidty by adults who should know better. The father and the club are both to blame and should face sanctions. This ignorance is inexcusable - most eight year olds can barely ride a bike...

    Posted by Sean October 27, 08 01:41 PM
  1. ""Police identify boy, 8, killed by Uzi at sportsmen's club "" The Globe wants to warn all of us parents about those Uzi-toting sportsmen clubs. But, seriously, after reading the article, Even if the event was as advertised, there was no excuse for such irresponsibility by the parent and the show organizers.. Speaking as a responsible gun-owner myself, what parent in his right mind would allow his child to handle such a powerful firearm?

    Posted by BOB October 27, 08 01:42 PM
  1. I'm as pro-gun as you can get. I've spent years defending the constitution and joined the military, becoming an expert in several weapons. This is disgustingly irresponsible. That boy shouldn't have been firing that gun, at all, the father should have known better, and the staff should have known better. Gun safety doesn't just mean knowing how to handle a weapon, it's also about being physically able to do it. You work your way up the skill level, and supervision is critical with children. There is a huge difference between a single shot weapon and a fully automatic.

    This is a terrible thing. That boy died for nothing. But it hurts me that even this article tried to go out of its way to villify the guns, and the concept of gun shows rather than to objectively report the news.


    rather than to objectively report on the inci

    Posted by Joshua Wise October 27, 08 01:42 PM
  1. Cold and simple. Guns are made with one intention. To kill. Guns do kill people. I see it and read it every day in the pages of this paper. To say that guns don't kill people is not only stupid, but irresponsible as well. If we called guns what they are (killing machines), and stripped away this bogus and archaic belief that we somehow make a tough situation ""safer"" by adding more guns we would all be better off. An 8 year old with an Uzi???? Unreal. Nice parenting. I would bet my life that this guy voted Bush twice.

    Posted by Jesse October 27, 08 01:42 PM
  1. I smell LAWSUIT.

    Posted by Joe The Plumber October 27, 08 01:42 PM
  1. You're right ""Guns don't kill people"", stupidity does and giving an eight year old a fully automatic weapon to shoot is just shear stupidity. Unfortunatily, it's impossible to legislate against stupidity directly. That's why there are laws to limit what you can do. Like erecting a fence around a swimming pool. Also, I don't know where you are from but I've never heard of a swimming pool show were these 100 kids are preported to have drowned. But I'm sure your made up statistic would be very comforting to the kids mother.

    Posted by Brad October 27, 08 01:43 PM
  1. At NO POINT should a CHILD be able to use an automatic weapon, with or without parental approval or certified supervision. There is no reason a child needs to shoot an automatic weapon.

    Posted by Appalled October 27, 08 01:43 PM
  1. In response to the comment by 'Gunsdontkillpeople', perhaps you should read the article, guns do kill people.

    Posted by Jimmy October 27, 08 01:44 PM
  1. Our legislators may not have the fortitude to stand up to the NRA, but they could at least make this sort of reckless child endangerment a punishable crime... this type of event should have a bit more control than an elementary school field trip to a museum... if allowed at all.
    I've actually deleted most of my own post because in re-reading it, I realized the anger I felt was beyond rational expression and the limits of my vocabulary.

    Posted by NRA Foe October 27, 08 01:44 PM
  1. This sounds like a good advertisment for the NRA!!!!

    Posted by fishman1234 October 27, 08 01:46 PM
  1. This is unreal. I would NEVER let my son hold a gun at that age. Furthermore, while I respect the right to bear arms, there are no guns in my household and will never be unless we have a REAL threat. You hear that, W.?

    Posted by Jeff C in Nashville via Providence October 27, 08 01:46 PM
  1. what you want to bet that the father files a lawsuit? just like the gun show, it's the American way!

    Posted by claire October 27, 08 01:47 PM
  1. This is a sad day for both the family and the sportsman's club.. It is true, guns don't kill, people do. Unfortunetly this child accidently took his own life because he was givin too much responsibilty at this young of an age. There are plenty of children that are skilled shooters at 8 years old. 8 Year olds hunt and target shoot with supervision all over the country. I support all gun rights but with those rights comes responsibility. If a parent wants his/her child to try something as extreme as fully automatic weapons the parent should have never taken his hands off the weapon. Regardless of who is at fault, no parent should have to bury a child and I am so sorry to hear about this.

    Posted by Michael October 27, 08 01:51 PM
  1. How irresponsible to allow an 8 year old to shot a gun. Can't father think of things to do with their chidren that are not dangerous. The father did not shoot the kid, but he used poor judgment.

    Posted by Helen Howard October 27, 08 01:52 PM
  1. Both parents and gun show need to be held accountable for their reckless behavior. I'm all for teaching young people gun safety, but uzi's for 8 year old is beyond the pale. Really, there is no viable excuse here.

    Posted by jackie October 27, 08 01:52 PM
  1. Elizabeth: As tragic as the boys death is, the reality is that people die from all sorts of mishaps. The leading cause of death for children 5 - 9 yrs old is auto accidents. Playing sports, riding bikes to include motorcycles, hunting, fishing, swimming, etc are all fun and healthy activities. Despite safeguards and warnings, however, a few are seriously or fatally injured. Firearms training is a good thing. But, as in this case, bad things can happen. While I am sure the father will second guess the events of that day for the rest of his life, I think we should wait to judge the value and overall safety of such events until all the facts are disclosed.

    Posted by life is not for wimps October 27, 08 01:52 PM
  1. I've never heard of a child drowning at a swimming pool show. I hope that comment was meant to be an ironic reference to an old NRA saw. . .

    Before any other gun people jump in with uncited statistics about the number of kids who die annually from drowning in the bathtub, I would like to point out that bathtubs are used by far more children than are uzis or are other firearms, and more importantly, bathtubs are not implements solely designed to murder people.

    Posted by uzis should be illegal October 27, 08 01:53 PM
  1. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to Christopher's wonderful, caring, responsible family. Their son was accompanied to the firing line by a Certified Instructor to guide him. Accidents, unfortunately, happen.

    Posted by Nancy Cook, Eastham, MA October 27, 08 01:54 PM
  1. Hey ""gunsdontkillpeople"", do you have any statistics to prove your idiotic statement. I cannot believe how stupid you are. I've never even heard of a ""swimming pool show"" you moron. That's like saying plane crashes don't kill people, the ground does. What a dope. I'm willing to bet that last week the kid's father would have had no problem making the same ""Gun's don't kill people"" statement. You think he's saying it today?! This is a clear cut case of negligent manslaughter in my book. Everyone in the gun club that arranged this event is responsible, as is the boy's father, and they should pay the price.

    Posted by 2ndAmendmentKillsPeople October 27, 08 01:54 PM
  1. It was BB guns for me at that age, then 22s when I hit about 12. There is no way my dad would have let me near an uzi as a kid and my dad is a very avid gun collector. It seems like both the dad and the people ""supervising"" are at fault here, a gun that powerful should not have been in the hands of an 8 year old. Lesson learned, the hard way.

    Posted by Dan October 27, 08 01:56 PM
  1. Another life lost to senseless gunfire. Good job, NRA. Never understood the draw to shooting a gun - of all things. What's the big excitement? I went shooting once or twice and the first 5 minutes are fun, then what...

    Posted by jeff higgins October 27, 08 01:58 PM
  1. The gun club should never have put minors in a position to handle such a weapon. This is not ""weekend warrior"" type of armament.
    I am a law enforcemnet officer in the state of MA, and can tell you that it takes many, many hours to master proper handling and technique for such complex, high-powered devices. Shame on all those who gave that boy the option to ultimately stand at the firing line. And God bless the boy - he didn't deserve such stupidity and negligence.

    Posted by Michael October 27, 08 01:58 PM
  1. To Gunsdontkillpeople:
    I would like to see proof of your statement that there have been 100 children drowned at swimming pools shows. (Or even proof one has this year.) A quick internet search turned up no references to any accidental drowning at swimming pool shows. However, a quick search did turn up several other accidental shootings at gun shows including one as recent as October 14. (A man shot another man in the foot.)

    As for the sensibility of allowing an 8 year old to shoot an Uzi, how dumb can people get? Legal or not it sounds like a bad idea to me. If a person wants to join a gun club and be trained to shoot properly, power to them. But to allow untrained children to fire powerful Uzi submachine gun is just asking for problems. The father will have to live with his poor choice and so will EVERYONE else involved. Imagine if that child had shot someone else as well?

    There are gun control laws for a reason, and just because it was a show does not excuse anyone. If I took my kid to a Scotch tasting show I certainly would not allow them to drink just to see what it tastes like. If the laws allow children to shoot Uzis, then the law needs to be changed.

    Posted by GunsDOKillPeople October 27, 08 01:59 PM
  1. Being the father of three my heart goes out to the family of the boy. His dad will have to live with that the rest of his life. It's the circumstances of the boy's death that will spur debate and most likely vitriol from both sides. Kids die everyday; swimming, on athletic fields, on bikes, walking on railroad tracks but in the majority of those cases its kids being kids. I don't have guns in my house and would like to keep them from my youngest. I don't however believe it is my place to tell someone else how to raise their kids. Learning to shoot safely is one thing but a SMG only has one purpose, to kill other humans.

    Posted by Old Dude October 27, 08 01:59 PM
  1. Hey, #2. Pools dont kill people -- water does. Did the kid actually need bullets in the gun? Would giving an 8 year old blanks have damaged the Second Amendment? We know, its more important to protect gun rights than it is to protect children.

    Posted by CFM October 27, 08 02:01 PM
  1. And by the way ""gunsdontkillpeople"" I think its the other way around. For every 100 innocent bystanders on the street or at a school or gun show that get killed BY GUNS, one might drown in a pool accidentally.

    Posted by jeff higgins October 27, 08 02:01 PM
  1. How is shooting an Uzi a sport?

    Posted by Irv October 27, 08 02:03 PM
  1. Not only will this father live with this the rest of his life, but the range instructor and all those who witnessed it. All for the thrill of firing a machine gun...and don't give me any lines about this child dying doing what he loved either...he was doing something to please the adults he was with...may they remember this forever.

    Posted by Suzanne October 27, 08 02:03 PM
  1. Ah, land of the brave and home of the free, or whatever. Motherhood, apple pie, children and automatic weapons. Thank God we're a free* people.

    Posted by Bud October 27, 08 02:04 PM
  1. An 8 year old was allowed to handle and shoot a defective SMG and it killed him. So much for the ""guns don't kill people"" argument.

    Posted by Old Dude October 27, 08 02:04 PM
  1. I played catch in the yard with my son this weekend. As a result he'll be attending school this week. Unfortunately Christopher will not. Was his father to blame, not really. He was an idiot for giving permission but had he known what the outcome would be he wouldn't have. This is the saddest of all stories and his father will punish himself to the grave. Can you imagine making that call to the mom afterward.

    Please don't insult us with these phony stats about children drowning in bathtubs. He was firing a weapon that was designed only to kill humans. Only a cretin would suggest this is somehow acceptable by comparison.

    Posted by Palaver October 27, 08 02:06 PM
  1. Guns protect people from the NRA

    Posted by Joe the Plumber October 27, 08 02:07 PM
  1. mark,

    For the same reason we have sports cars. The number of accidents from firearms are a fraction of the accidents from cars.

    I guess having a fun day on the range isn't in your vocabulary?

    I also look at it as an investment. The last 'assault weapon ban' saw prices sky rocket. The idea that the next president might come up with another gun control law might come up in the future is my reason I bought 100 ""assault rifles"" this year and will possibly buy more in November/December. Prices should shoot up once a ban is on the horizon then I can sell them and make a mighty profit (probably on the order of $50,000). If a ban doesn't come up in a few years, I should still be able to sell them on the market for about what I paid for them now.

    Jacob

    Posted by Jacob October 27, 08 02:10 PM
  1. The father should be charged.

    Posted by sean October 27, 08 02:12 PM
  1. If this is the real deal, then the father and the licensed instructor are to blame. To those who look to an incident as a reason for increased gun control, consider that there are many ways young children can accidentally maim or kill themselves, and that the underlying issue here isn't about the means, it's about responsible child supervision. It's irresponsible to blame guns. With a parent like this, it's not hard to imagine, had this not occurred, that the child would have gone home and stuck a paperclip in an electrical outlet the following day (note: children reading this - do not stick a paperclip in an electrical socket!!!) Just use your head!

    Posted by I.agree.guns.don't.kill.people October 27, 08 02:12 PM
  1. I'm not sure the lot of you should feel good about yourselves commenting on this as if your opinion in a public forum is meaningful in any way in respect to a young boy losing his life in a tragic accident. You all should get a life and the Globe should, for its part, not allow comments on columns such as these.

    Posted by R October 27, 08 02:12 PM
  1. I hope this sheds some negative light on Sarah Palin being part of the NRA

    Posted by alischka October 27, 08 02:13 PM
  1. It's about time for parents to be parents and not their kids' best friends. My heart goes out to that father, and also to the mom who wasn't there. And never should automatic weapons be given to kids under the age of 18. Sorry.

    I shot a .22 with my Dad when I was in Jr. High. Single shot at a target. I respect people who enjoy hunting and the sport of it. But an Uzi? Come on, folks, get a grip. This isn't a video game.

    Posted by Phil in CO October 27, 08 02:13 PM
  1. SPORTMANS CLUB................................................WHAT SPORT?

    Posted by jack bevelaqua October 27, 08 02:13 PM
  1. ""The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.""
    --- Current Justice Antonin Scalia (Current Chief Justice John Roberts, Current Justice Anthony Kennedy, Current Justice Clarence Thomas, and Current Justice Samuel Alito concurring.)

    Posted by David Chesler October 27, 08 02:13 PM
  1. Gun control arguments aside, what does an eight year old weigh, 60 pounds? I've fired SEMI-automatic weapons as an adult and it took all my strength to stand my ground. Did anyone think, gee, he's a bit small for this?

    Posted by Shieldmaiden1196 October 27, 08 02:15 PM
  1. I'm guessing gunsdontkillpeople was being sarcastic, otherwise, wow.

    Posted by ben October 27, 08 02:15 PM
  1. I thought these banned under the Brady Act. Am I wrong?

    Posted by GunsDoKillPeople October 27, 08 02:16 PM
  1. Whatever happened to BB guns and Daisy air rifles?

    Posted by Bambi October 27, 08 02:17 PM
  1. I'd like to know where ""Gunsdontkillpeople"" got his swimming pool statistic. This is so sad! These accidents should never happen! These shows obviously need to be regulated.

    Posted by Bob October 27, 08 02:18 PM
  1. Fortunately, his father, will have to live with what he did to his son, every day of his remaining life.

    There wasn't anything else to do that day? Maybe go pumpkin picking, for example.
    When will these gun loving idiots realize, that GUNS KILL PEOPLE???

    Posted by LYNDA in CT October 27, 08 02:19 PM
  1. Words cant even describe what a mistake what a terrible way to find out a loss of a little boy guns do kill!! wake up people

    Posted by anne October 27, 08 02:19 PM
  1. ""It?s all legal & fun,"" the advertisement says. ""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 says it all - what did you expect? Now watch the spin, finger-pointing when there's an outcry for some kind of reasonable controls placed on the madness.

    Posted by Phil October 27, 08 02:21 PM
  1. This is nothing more than the case of a fatal lack of proper parental supervision.
    This has absolutely nothing to do with gun control or questioning why anyone wants to have a full automatic firearm. Nothing. Had the parent paid attention, and had the common sense to realize that his child was incapable of handling a firearm far out of his capability to control, this never would have happened. Do we blame the vehicle when a teenager drives faster than they're capable of and kills an innocent person on the road? No.

    Posted by Casual Observer October 27, 08 02:22 PM
  1. The guy runs an emergency room in a hospital? He's going to have to find other employment. ""First, do no harm"".

    Posted by aging cynic October 27, 08 02:23 PM
  1. Accidents happen and this is a tragedy.

    Uzi does not have ""that"" much recoil. Not sure what may've happened.

    My condolences to the family.

    Posted by Brighton Corgi October 27, 08 02:25 PM
  1. This is just too sad. 8 years old and an uzi.........Who would go to jail if the child had shot another person when this gun went out of his control??? If I were the Mother, I would want both the instructor and the Dad to serve time if only so that others know they will serve time if they allow a child to use a gun and then there is a problem......no matter what.

    Posted by jodi October 27, 08 02:26 PM
  1. You could argue that it's not his fault by reasoning: If the boy died at an amusement park after falling off of a ride, would the father be at fault? What if he died in a car accident on the way to Chuck E Cheese?

    Counterpoint: Yeah, it is his fault if he let his son drive. An 8-year-old should not be handling an actual uzi with live ammo. A paint gun or bb gun would probably have been real enough for him and considerably less fatal.

    Posted by Matt October 27, 08 02:27 PM
  1. This is what BB guns are for. Stupid parents.

    Posted by Raf October 27, 08 02:28 PM
  1. At what point in that boy's (now ended) life would he have needed the skill to shoot a mini-sub? What, again, was he being trained toward?

    And what were the un-printable targets they mentioned? Watermelons in tire swings? Obama posters?

    Posted by sad October 27, 08 02:29 PM
  1. This unfortunate tragedy is just more ammunition for the anti-gun folks. To allow an 8 year old to handle such a weapon is just plain nuts!! Not only is the father responsible for this, but the instructor (range officer) handing over this weapon to this kid should be charged with criminally negligent homicide. You NEVER put a child in that position with a loaded weapon, especially an automatic with a 9mm rounds.

    Posted by Les October 27, 08 02:30 PM
  1. HOW SICK IS THIS??? TED NEUGENT, AND THE FREAKS AT THE NRA............no one has ever wanted to take the guns you cretins use to hunt with...........AK47's and UZIS are MURDER WEAPONS.

    WHAT PART OF THAT DO YOU NRA FREAKAZOIDS NOT UNDERSTAND??????? PARENTS WHO ATTEND THESE NEED TO UNDER SUPERVISION, NOT THE KIDS. PATHETIC, IGNORANT, DOLTS. Now, get going and start planning a funeral.........I loathe you idiots.

    Posted by becca October 27, 08 02:31 PM
  1. this saddens me so much to hear about a 8 year old boy with a gun what is this world comming to isnt there any thing good happen in this world today .

    Posted by Patti October 27, 08 02:33 PM
  1. One shot at a University near here last week. Two killed and another shot
    on Sunday at another University (and thats where the smart people are
    supposed to be). 80,000 people take a bullet in the USA every year. I've
    read there are 10,000 NRA lobbiest in the USA. We're talking some big
    money.

    Posted by Sherrod October 27, 08 02:33 PM
  1. O.K. regardless of what all of you say, here is the bottom line.
    My son began shooting when he was 4 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I taught him about safety (eye protection, ear protection, when to load, unload, use of the gun safety, etc.) before the ammunition was even removed from the box. He started with a Marlin 22 rifle, and now has a Winchester Model 70 bolt action .308(he is 12 years old now). Here is now safer than I am when we hunt or shoot, as he will constantly remind me about making sure ""my"" safety is on.

    Posted by Jack October 27, 08 02:34 PM
  1. It's unfortunate that people blame inanimate objects when tragic events happen. According to that logic, we should ban swimming pools, cars, landscaping tools, etc. This boy wasn't chased and gunned down by a malicious machine gun. Guns don't fire themselves.

    Posted by Marko October 27, 08 02:34 PM
  1. Why are you not putting the camera in the boys hands instead of an Uzi? You don't hunt with an Uzi, You don't target practice with an Uzi unless you are law enforcement or military (and then we know what the purpose is). Why would any father muchless and MD let a child shoot and Uzi.
    This is not showing a child how to fire a gun for sport or for hunting(which should only be for food and not as a sport). I use to shoot skeet and loved it, but I guess I forgot my Uzi when I did that. I guess that would have made it more of a challenge. Why are we not trying to teach peace and respect of human life than using a very lethal weapon which only purpose is to shoot people. Shame on the father, shame on the instructer. They will both have to live with this and all for what? Fun? It truly is a sad day....


    fat

    Posted by Ellen Arnold October 27, 08 02:35 PM
  1. This is so sad, pathetic, and preventable. There is not place in civil society for Uzi and other assault weapons. Do we really think the 'Framers' had this type of weaponry in mind (despite the technology differences between then and now). Back when the 2nd amendment was written, guns were a neccessary part of life. I suspect the majority of people who support the 2nd amendment, don't use guns for sustenance or self-protection. We don't live in a society that needs to hunt any more, even for sport and how many times per year is a weapon used for self-defense as opposed to accidental death. People should examine very deep inside their souls, why is it, I feel good about shooting a gun. I think it is a bit sicker than it even seems on the surface. And I am not feeling too bad for the Dad or any of the other yahoos at that gun club. My saddness goes to the boy who had his precious life cut short, his brothers and/or sisters and his Mom. Guns, Jennifer Hudson lost three people, two people at the University of Arkansas, all because weapons are so freely available to all in our county

    Posted by DMG October 27, 08 02:36 PM
  1. No no, people. Don't you see? If it had been a knife show, the boy would've picked up the knife and stabbed himself in the head with it over and over again until he died. And if it had been a swimming pool show, the boy would have jumped in the pool and everyone would've sat around and watched him drown. And if it had been a mouthwash show, he would've swigged mouthwash until he got sick and died.

    Guns don't kill people. People WITH guns kill people! Why can't you grasp this incredibly meaningless distinction?

    Posted by tinisoli October 27, 08 02:37 PM
  1. Guns and children don't make an equation. What the hell is wrong with this country!! God rest is little soul

    Posted by for the love of god October 27, 08 02:39 PM
  1. John McCain - Voted NO on background checks at gun shows.
    John McCain - Opposes restrictions on so-called ""assault rifles"" and voted consistently against such bans.
    John McCain - Voted NO on an amendment to make it unlawful for gun dealers to sell handguns without providing trigger locks. Violation of the law would result in civil penalties, such as suspension or revocation of the dealer's license, or a fine.

    Posted by Frankie Brimsek October 27, 08 02:40 PM
  1. As a gun owner, I'm appalled by this. I have nothing against teaching and introducing shooters to the sport at a young age. In fact, it's a good way to engrain respect and sound safety habits in regards firearms. HOWEVER, sticking a fully automatic weapon (one that a typical MA LTC holder can't even buy, by the way) into the hands of an 8 year is absurd. I hope calmer heads prevail here to realize that this is a simple case of neglience and poor judgement, rather than some failure of any existing gun law. God knows we have enough of them in this state muddying up the law books as it is.

    Posted by Brian48 October 27, 08 02:41 PM
  1. goob - an 8 yr old should not even be in the same room as an Uzi, for shame.

    Posted by a October 27, 08 02:42 PM
  1. I agree with others that this is a tragic and sad event that never should have happened.

    I am also amazed that, even if you do think it is OK for a kid to shoot an automatic weapon, the Micro Uzi is ever allowed to be in this kid's hands. If you have seen a pic of this weapon (easy to find on Google), you can see the inherent danger. Having the barrel creep up on your as you shoot is natural, and when you have a weapon that small it is easy to see how a kid could lose control, have the weapon pivot toward him, and and then it is too late. If this had been a longer gun, and had the ""supervisor"" had some hold on the barrel, this it likely not to happen. I know friends in the military who had an MP-5 (a bigger gun) rise up on them when they first used them, and they were trained adults. That this happened it pure negligence on someone's part.


    Posted by Jason October 27, 08 02:43 PM
  1. Our society as a whole failed this child. From the child's father, to everyone who profit from the manufacture and sale of guns, to the NRA who are in complete denial about the original intent behind the 2nd amendment, to our lawmakers who are influenced by the NRA lobby power, to hunters who feel their hobby is acceptable for kids because 'I grew up that way', to US citizens who aren't outraged enough to speak up and insist on stricter gun laws every time a child is killed by a gun. That child was a victim of our society's cowardice and apathy. I detest guns, but I can't help feeling like there is blood on my hands too. I have never once written my representative regarding gun control, despite reading day after day of children in Boston being killed by guns. Sure, it's easy to blame the father, but we are all guilty for allowing guns to flourish in the US.

    Posted by Jaylward October 27, 08 02:45 PM
  1. Now that 8 year olds can fire machine guns George Bush will be sending them to Iraq

    Posted by John G October 27, 08 02:46 PM
  1. Did not get to finish my comment.
    Anyway, would you rather have a kid who has respect and responsibility with a firearm, or some kid that is totally green to guns as this kid probably was?
    And no, an 8 year old has no business with an automatic weapon.
    Also on a seperate note, think about why the crime rate is higher in cities where guns are banned. The criminals know the home/car owner that tries to abide by the law will not be able to defend themselves. Do you think if guns are banned nationwide, that the criminals will turn theirs in??????????
    Good luck defending yourself when Obama gets elected!!!

    Posted by Jack October 27, 08 02:46 PM
  1. We as a society are responsible for this boy's death. Only our cowardice in failing to challenge the gun culture of death is the culprit. Take the message to heart and ban assault guns before they kill another innocent.

    Posted by Greg October 27, 08 02:48 PM
  1. Sounds like this kid was a fairly frequent shooter, but the first time with an uzi should probably begin with a few rounds on semi-auto - dontcha think?

    Posted by Rob October 27, 08 02:50 PM
  1. I knew this would turn into a politicized event. SAD.

    Posted by john October 27, 08 02:51 PM
  1. Tell me where in the 2nd Amendment it lists an age restriction, that?s right it doesn?t!!!! With what little information has been made available, I?d say the Range Officer failed to properly supervise this child. He had experience firing a handgun and was accompanied by an adult. Stop complaining that people don?t need an ?assault rifle? or ?street sweeper?. If you are willing to regulate that, then be prepared to take Mustangs and Corvette?s off car lots??

    Posted by ShockNAwe October 27, 08 02:52 PM
  1. What a senseless tragedy. I really don't understand this father at all.

    Posted by Lovingmom October 27, 08 02:53 PM
  1. JML02118, I think your response is the most rational and balanced of all of them. I feel the same way. I learned to fire a rifle in Boy Scouts when I was 11 or 12, and the things I learned taught me respect for firearms, not blood lust. I think the father's lapse of good judgement will haunt him forever, but the real idiocy and irresponsibility here is that the instructor didn't do his job, didn't respect the weapon he showed and didn't realize the importance of doing his job right. What good does it do to demand supervision if the instructor is as sloppy and careless as the supervised? What was the instructor doing?? If he had a license to begin with, (and that's a big IF) I sure hope it's revoked now. As a father of two young girls, I send hearfelt condolences to the family.

    Posted by Johnny Beisbol October 27, 08 02:53 PM
  1. ""It?s all legal & fun,"" the advertisement says. ""You will be accompanied to the firing line with a Certified Instructor to guide you. But You Are In Control ? ""FULL AUTO ROCK & ROLL.""
    Shooting targets for the event included vehicles, pumpkins, and ""other fun stuff we can?t print here,""

    Times have changed. I'm 37, but when I was 8, I got enough excitement out of shooting cap guns and playing sports with my Dad. I simply cannot fathom a father / 8 year old son fully automatic rock n' roll fun of this type.

    America truly needs a strict parent. We've all become too careless and self-absorbed.

    Posted by Saddened October 27, 08 02:54 PM
  1. For all the people that claim that they need guns to protect themselves, I would love to see a list of people who have been unnecessarily injured/killed by guns from an accident and compare that to a list of civilians who can honestly say that they are alive today because they had a gun.

    I don't support an all out ban on guns but we most definately need stronger regulation and yes giving an uzi to an 8yo kid is a very stupid and careless mistake. The ""certified instructor"" should be ashamed of himself and his lack of common sense, you don't just hand the gun to an 8yo, you watch him carefully and guide him through the process.

    The average 8yo is in no way an expert in guns and should not be expected to be ""safe"" when handed one without proper instruction and supervision.

    Posted by tony October 27, 08 02:55 PM
  1. Forgive me, but I haven't heard of a ""swimming pool show."" Where do they have those? The bottom line is that a gun is a weapon that is designed to kill. Of course parents should be watching kids in a swimming pool, but according to the facts of this story, there were TWO adults actively watching this kid, and that was not enough to avoid this tragedy.

    Posted by Sharon Baker October 27, 08 02:55 PM
  1. For all the people that claim that they need guns to protect themselves, I would love to see a list of people who have been unnecessarily injured/killed by guns from an accident and compare that to a list of civilians who can honestly say that they are alive today because they had a gun.

    I don't support an all out ban on guns but we most definately need stronger regulation and yes giving an uzi to an 8yo kid is a very stupid and careless mistake. The ""certified instructor"" should be ashamed of himself and his lack of common sense, you don't just hand the gun to an 8yo, you watch him carefully and guide him through the process.

    The average 8yo is in no way an expert in guns and should not be expected to be ""safe"" when handed one without proper instruction and supervision.

    Posted by tony October 27, 08 02:55 PM
  1. The poor boy....I don't fully blame the father. It was a freak accident. The event where this took place had no age limit required to shoot machine guns- so you'd think it'd be somewhat safe and there were other kids with their parents firing Uzis too and the kid had had experience. In communities where firing guns is considered a well-accepted sport- some kids would have probably been given similarly heavy guns. But I do think that with parents and children- it's better to take extra precautions to be safe than sorry. I wouldn't let kids near guns unless they were plastic toy or water guns.

    Posted by Elsie October 27, 08 02:55 PM
  1. I just have to believe that the response by ""Gunsdontkillpeople"" is a spoof of the expected gun-nut's response to this. No one can seriously claim that 100 kids have ever drowned at ""swimming pool shows,"" whatever those are. Moving on...I just want to agree with all the people here saying that an eight-year-old should never, under any circumstances, be allowed to use such a weapon. I am personally uncomfortable with the idea of anyone using an Uzi for entertainment - it's a little over the top - but ok, it takes all kinds, and I sure as hell don't know anything about guns. But not kids, never.

    Posted by ggp October 27, 08 02:56 PM
  1. This man just lost his son. The child shot himself in the head right in front of him. This guy has to be suffering worse than any of us have ever suffered before.

    Are you all sending condolences? Prayers? Messages that might comfort him through this incredible tragedy?

    Nope. Not a positive word in the lot. Instead, you're making the most hateful, vicious, evil, horrific statements without any firsthand knowledge of what really happened. Some of you are playing politics. Some of you are playing Monday morning quarterback.
    You could choose to keep these comments to yourself. Instead, you're all going out of your way to make this man feel even more pain that he already has.
    Have you no compassion? Have you given any thought to the fact that you too could lose a child over a mistake or an accident? How would you feel in this situation? Do you even have the ability to express empathy?
    You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves. The behavior on this comment page is an absolute disgrace.

    Posted by Liz October 27, 08 02:56 PM
  1. Am I the only one who thinks this is just a freak accident? No I don?t think the parent, the instructor or anyone else should be charged with anything. According to the article, they broke no laws and obeyed the rules of the gun expo. I think it's just and accident.

    Posted by Mike October 27, 08 02:57 PM
  1. Though I am a lawful gun owner and demand that the second amendment be protected, I have to agree...this is the father's fault.

    Full-auto guns DO climb. It's their nature, it's basic physics. Adults have enough trouble controlling them. You do not give one to an eight-year-old without the physical strength to keep the muzzle down. That's like letting an eight-year-old try to drive a 1200CC motorcycle. They will lose control.

    Posted by Mike R. October 27, 08 02:58 PM
  1. Legaly the boys family has a civil action against the producers of the show , the property owner and the vendor who exhibited the weapon. I have little doubt that they parent signed a release form for the vender who granted the boy the use of the firearm. The word that we are looking for here is prudent and it comes in various forms as to liability. In this case the vendor was under a strict liability 1 .because the exhibit was open to the public , prudent vs knowledgeable 2 .The vendor and producer by promoting the exhibit entertained the knowledge that firearms for all intense purpose are designed invoking a deadly characteristic. 3. That the inducement of a minor child to partake in the exhibits creates the most extreme form of strict liability to provide for a safe envirnment and means for participation4. Additional punitive damages are in accordance regardless of the law that permits such exhibits. It says you may it doesnt say it excludes or reduces the strict liability that would be associated with such dangerous exhibits. ...It happened ..it shouldnt have ..and an eight year old boy can not be sited as to causation

    Posted by John Morrison October 27, 08 02:59 PM
  1. guns that are owned by responsible adults who understand the pain they can inflict do not kill people, guns owned by irresponsible adults who think that guns are toys that 8 year olds can play with kill people.

    ""As Bizilj reached for his camera, the boy clutched the gun in his arms, squeezed the trigger, and lost control of the weapon, which flipped backwards and fatally shot his son, Christopher, in the head. ""

    won't it be cute if i get a picture of my 8 yr old son firing an uzi

    Posted by sull October 27, 08 03:01 PM
  1. Gunsdon'tkillpeople -- where is your sympathy? Are you telling me you are okay that an 8 year old -- !!!!!! -- is dead??? I understand that there is a gun lobby, but for God's sake, at least say what terrible idea it was for this father to let his son use an Uzi. That is just crazy.

    But I also feel terrible for the family, and most especially for the father.

    Plus, how will his wife ever forgive him?

    Posted by Bostonmama October 27, 08 03:05 PM
  1. I guess I'm a ""gun nut"". I hunted with my father starting at age 5, without a weapon. I cleaned the guns and animals. At age 9 I received a BB gun that I was allowed to carry while hunting to learn the proper form and formations of the line of hunters. At age 11 I received a single-shot .410... and so on. The point is for me, and most other hunters I know, there was a looooong period of apprenticeship and safety training- years of it. I got far more gun training than I did drivers ed. For those ""anti-gun"" I suggest you watch Morgan Spurlocks episode of ""30 days"" where a voracious anti-gun activist moves in with a ""gun nut"" and after a month sees that things are not as the media portrays us.

    Posted by deusXmchna October 27, 08 03:05 PM
  1. I do not understand why anyone, and I mean anyone, would have to know how to shot an Uzi properly. I also have no idea why any 8 year old would have to know how to use any type of gun.
    Where was the mother? Did she approve? I can't understand why any parent would think this would be a good idea. Take the child out for a bike ride or a hike.

    Posted by MK October 27, 08 03:08 PM
  1. This NEVER should have happened! 8 year olds should not be around any wepons never mind an UZI!!!! The father is irresponsible and the CHILDS death is tragic! We need strict gun control! Children have no buisness around weapons- what is the point of teaching a child to fire a gun???!!!???

    Posted by Naknowsthenews October 27, 08 03:09 PM
  1. I'd no sooner allow an eight-year-old, supervised or not, to fire a submachine gun than I'd let him operate a chainsaw. Youngsters should stick with .22 rifles, with barrels long enough that can't accidentally be turned on themselves and recoil low enough for a person of small body mass to manage. The boy's death was caused by foolishness.

    Posted by Andrew P. in San Jose, California October 27, 08 03:09 PM
  1. Most of you people have no idea what you are talking about. This was an accident! At most, the instructor is to blame for not keeping a hand on the weapon in case it ran away like it did. Most here blame the gun which is misguided. It's like Rosie O'Donnell blaming a spoon for being fat. I left MA in part because was sick of MA trying to protect me from myself. No doubt some knee jerk law will pass.

    Posted by Evan October 27, 08 03:09 PM
  1. Common sense and personal responsibility are not something the government should be in the business of regulating. Hate on the father, or the instructor, or the range officer, or whoever all you want for their perceived parts in this tragic accident, but don't call for the government to step in and start trying to make laws to protect people from random bouts of stupidity.

    People will be stupid, laws or no laws. I'd rather be free and responsible for my own actions than locked in a cage, and taken care of by someone else who thinks they know what is best for me.

    Posted by John Beauchemin October 27, 08 03:09 PM
  1. Captain Oblivious,

    True, sadly children die of preventable diseases but that doesn't make this ok! The fact in this case (and the subject of this comment trail) is that indeed Guns DO kill Kids!

    Posted by Dismayed October 27, 08 03:10 PM
  1. I simply cannot believe I am reading this...

    The father is not only generic MD, but an Emergency Physician, and more than that is the Director of his ER. Just how many gunshot wounds does this man have to deal with a year, and how many of those are children?

    The thought of a 3rd grader handling a loaded, unlocked automatic weapon, even under the closest of supervision is the height of insanity. The proof of this is all to obvious.

    Posted by qudrcps October 27, 08 03:11 PM
  1. the father is a doctor?!?!

    Posted by Scott October 27, 08 03:12 PM
  1. 1. Uzis were designed for military use. So nobody--child or adult-- should shoot them off without proper training and protective gear like helmets, flak jackets etc. Was this guy being a father, or was he trying to be his kid's best friend?

    2. I wonder what the ""other fun stuff we can?t print here"" was being used for target practice. Why do I suspect there might have been scarecrows made up to resemble certain Democratic presidential candidates?

    Posted by Madra October 27, 08 03:13 PM
  1. It's horrible that an 8 year old was killed.

    It's also unfortunate that people here are mistaking fully automatic weapons with what you or I could buy at a gunshop. Fully automatic weapons, like that UZI, have been banned for over 60 years without a Class 3 license. And believe me, they are not easy to obtain.

    So while this child was taken from his family and friends, don't blame pro-gun advocates and the NRA. they aren't promoting fully automatic weapons.

    Posted by Ed Figarskt October 27, 08 03:14 PM
  1. Each one of you that posted negative stuff about this kid's dad are complete idiots. It's pretty easy to sit behind your computer and be the self-righteous people that you are. If only all people were just like you, nobody would ever die by accident.....ever! Would'nt that be something.

    Posted by You're all idiots October 27, 08 03:15 PM
  1. Although I have not ever heard of a child drowning at a swimming pool show, you cannot compare a swimming pool accident to something like this. Turning away from a child, and something happening, although still irresponsible, is just an accident. Allowing an 8 year old CHILD to hold and fire a gun, let alone an UZI, a powerful machine gun, is not only irresponsible but just plain STUPID! That poor child. I know that father will have to live with this for the rest of his life. Hopefully this will be a powerful lesson to other ""so called"" responsible gun owners. Guns are not toys and should NEVER be handled by children!

    Posted by Mel October 27, 08 03:15 PM
  1. People, please remember while venting your political rage that one of our neighbors has lost his son.

    I find nothing to fault in the father's behavior, the poor guy. There were licensed instructors in charge of this organized event and he had no reason to think that they would expose his son to unreasonable danger. This sounds like a freak accident, plain and simple. Maybe the gun was simply too much for the boy to handle, but how would the father have known that? Until I read this story, I would have had no compunction about letting my 11-year old son fire this gun in this setting. Blessed with this hindsight, of course, I would probably give it a pass.

    Everytime we let our kids get on a ride at an amusement park, or ride their bikes, or climb a tree, or go swimming, some unropedictable thing can happen.

    Instead of screeching at this guy from your computers, you should go hug your children.

    Posted by landnsdad October 27, 08 03:16 PM
  1. poor kid. shame on you dad. may you live the rest of your life wondering what could have become of your son had you not decided to waste him with a machine gun.

    well done. really, well done.

    Posted by Tim October 27, 08 03:17 PM
  1. This was a horrible, tragic accident. Calling the parent stupid is cruel, don't you think he will relive that moment every day of his life. I agree that I, as an indiviual, would never have allowed an 8 year old to shoot an Uzi but it's to even discuss that. The child is dead and the father is grieving. If you all are so sure that you have never done anything that may have put your child in jeopardy then you might have the right to criticize. Leave the man alone with his grief and stop pointing fingers and calling him names. Just be thankful it wasn't your child.

    Posted by PJ October 27, 08 03:18 PM
  1. It's hard to comment on a story that ""tells the whole story"" so to speak. Some people grow up and never own a gun. Other people just don't grow up. I know a few gun nuts and they are truly nuts.

    Posted by Sam Sharp October 27, 08 03:18 PM
  1. Children need to meet height requirements to take certain amusement rides...but nothing to restrict firing a machine gun with live ammo. Damn. Ain't America grand.

    Posted by Pamela Beall October 27, 08 03:19 PM
  1. Yes accidents happen every day, but this could have been avoided. I am all for the right to bear arms and hunting, but giving an 8 year old an Uzi to fire is beyond my comprehension, whether he was supervised or not. Better laws need to be put into place regarding children handling any type of weapon.

    Posted by Vera October 27, 08 03:20 PM
  1. Charges should be brought up on these parents for negligence. I somehow had the feeling he wouldn't blame himself: He ""can't figure out what happened in this horrible accident"". Just disgusting.

    Posted by mc October 27, 08 03:21 PM
  1. highly irresponsible adults in this incident; I think a high percentage of adults are irresponsible, its like the age of 20 is the age when you can do what you want without thinking. Why on earth was this 8 yr old so experienced with guns? Is he American? Did he come from some country at war? Why did the mother allow this ""hobby""? Of course our government does not always protect us from ourselves and in this case may not even assess punishment for those responsible - the father, the instructor, etc.

    Posted by Charlene Knight October 27, 08 03:21 PM
  1. Let me get this straight. You wouldn't let an eight year old handle the very sharp carving knife for Thanksgiving Turkey but there are people out there who think it's O.K. for the same kid to handle a fully automatic weapon whose only purpose is to kill and maim people. Condolences to the family. The only thing that makes sense about the ""why"". If it was advertised and done for years then some clueless people might think that automatic assault weapons are somehow safe to shoot at pumpkins and cars.

    Posted by A Gun owner. October 27, 08 03:22 PM
  1. Yeah, gunsdontkillpeople, those ""swimming pool shows"" are real blood baths ...

    Except for one thing.

    Swimming pools are designed to cool people off, guns are designed to kill. I feel terrible for this Dad, but there is NO EFFING WAY an 8 year old should be handling a fully automatic weapon

    Posted by eireanch October 27, 08 03:23 PM
  1. Jay you are naive to think this is a case of ""things happen"". There was no reason for this to happen at all. It may hurt, but it's the damn truth. This wasn't a gun found by a kid, it was a loaded gun handed to him. Crazy.

    Posted by mc October 27, 08 03:24 PM
  1. My condolences to all involved.

    A couple of things to keep in mind about the incident. The type of weapon involved is already banned and is an example of a ""grandfathered"" item. It was legal when it was bought long ago but (for good reason) you can't get any more of them. Also, I get the impression that the father thought he was being responsible about it by having the child try a much smaller weapon; unfortunately this was probably more of a mistake than the simple decision to allow him to fire an automatic weapon.

    As the father was not the owner of the weapon (rather this was an event that was held by the club in question) frankly, it should be on the head of the organizers. They are the ones who should have known that such a small but powerful weapon is very likely to be difficult to control and they should not have let him use it. The ""licenced instructor"" should have steered them away from that particular weapon and suggested that he try something full size that is easier to hold on to. If the idea of making a law about there needing to be a qualified individual present is to ensure saftey, then it ought be the instructor and his/her employer who bears the liability.

    While I have never owned a firearm of any kind myself, I trained with automatic weapons in service way back when and am familiar with the Micro Uzi. I wouldn't want to be on the same range as a lot of the 18 year old kids who passed basic if they had a Micro Uzi. Heck, I would not feel particularly safe myself firing it. It's small, has considerable flip (the barrel is very high relative to the handle) and fires much faster even than most automatic weapons. The bullets themselves are heavier than (for example) assault rifles and impart much more momentum to the weapon even though its only a ""handgun"" round. There is no shoulder stock on the weapon and no place to use your second hand to hold it steady. It fires from an open bolt and as such the first reaction of the weapon is actually lurch forward as it chambers the first round. Surely the ""instructor"" knew all this.

    I don't blame the father for not knowing these things, but the organizers should have known better and I suspect it would not be too difficult to convince a jury that they ought to have known.

    Posted by Leu-R October 27, 08 03:25 PM
  1. Sad

    Posted by JP October 27, 08 03:26 PM
  1. If ""Guns don't kill people; people kill people"" then who killed this poor boy? The fact is that guns make it MUCH EASIER for people to kill people, either by accident or on purpose. Guns are not toys, and shouldn't be treated as such. I hope that gun enthusiasts everywhere will learn from this tragedy and eliminate this kind of irresponsible use of military weapons for family entertainment.

    Posted by very very sad October 27, 08 03:26 PM
  1. This country was founded by citizenry with weapons essentially as powerful as those fielded by the armed forces of their legitimate (c.f. magna carta) monarch.

    Posted by simpleobserver October 27, 08 03:26 PM
  1. btw- no one hunts with automatic weapons. automatic weapons (class3) are insanely expensive. an automatic m16 / m4 can cost between $10,000-15,000 dollars. when you apply for a class 3 permit (in the places where you can own one), you go through a rigorous background check, including often needing the signatures of the local sheriff/chief of police. You also sign away your rights to privacy & illegal search/seizure to the BATF- meaning you give the BATF the right to enter your home at any time, day or night, any day, and look for anything they want to. Owning a class 3 is a collectors thing. The weapon increases in value, you don't go hunting with it, and you dare not commit a crime with it- because law enforcement knows you have it. It's not something you just walk into a gun show and purchase. And for all other gun show purchases, from vendors, you must go through the same FBI background check that you'd go through in a gun store. In the cases of states with waiting times, you still have to go through the waiting period. You put a deposit down at the gun show to hold the item, and complete the transaction after all legalities and waiting periods are gone through

    Posted by deusXmchna October 27, 08 03:27 PM
  1. Gloria: Do you realize how many people were killed by guns last year?
    Archie: Would it make you feel any better if they was pushed outta windows?
    Gloria: Wow... that's convoluted logic...
    Archie: YES!!! And that's exactly the kind of straight thinkin' i'm tryin' to put across here!

    thanks ""All in the Family"", c. 1972


    Posted by bk669 October 27, 08 03:27 PM
  1. Unbelievably heartbreaking. There is absolutely no reason a minor should even be let in the gate at a shoot-out like this. Period. Age limit. Not allowed. This is not a trip to Disney to be looked-forward to.

    I am firmly in the aforementioned ""anti-gun"" crowd, at least the semi-automatic kind. Hunting rifles are one thing -- this is entirely another, and our civilized country should be ashamed of how this poor child died. Shame on the father, shame on the show organizers, shame on the NRA, shame on its members for sending money to an organization that thinks this is acceptable.

    Posted by CH October 27, 08 03:27 PM
  1. Unbelievably heartbreaking. There is absolutely no reason a minor should even be let in the gate at a shoot-out like this. Period. Age limit. Not allowed. This is not a trip to Disney to be looked-forward to.

    I am firmly in the aforementioned ""anti-gun"" crowd, at least the semi-automatic kind. Hunting rifles are one thing -- this is entirely another, and our civilized country should be ashamed of how this poor child died. Shame on the father, shame on the show organizers, shame on the NRA, shame on its members for sending money to an organization that thinks this is acceptable.

    Posted by CH October 27, 08 03:27 PM
  1. Those of us who are sick of the gun nuts need to do something to stop the senseless killing by guns. Bringing up drowning in swiming pools is just one example of how stupid gun advocates are. There is no other country in the world that has as many people killed by guns as occurs as in the U.S. Enough is enough.

    Posted by Cary Friedman October 27, 08 03:29 PM
  1. You know who use Uzi's? Soldiers and drug dealers. Why? Because Uzi's are for killing people. There is no legitimate, non-military related purpose for this weapon....and hey NRA - you can't hunt with it either. I'm so sick of everything associated with this conservative, right-wing, republican, NRA-loving, gun-toting, ""hide behind the bible"", bullcrap. I swear, I wish we could ship them all someplace else, like Mars.

    Posted by Badkitty October 27, 08 03:29 PM
  1. the fact that children can and do die from other things such as drowning or preventable disease has no bearing on this incident. i don't allow my children to play on the roof just because there's a chance they could get hit by a car crossing the street. such logic dooms society, culture, and our country.

    Posted by jonathan October 27, 08 03:30 PM
  1. M's post is the most sensible and least knee-jerk emotional on here. Good work. A ban on guns isn't called for.

    By the way, how many minors have been wounded or killed by gunfire in Roxbury or Dorchester this year in Boston...? Somehow when it's a mistake we can moan about what a tragedy it is, but when it's on purpose and confined to a few neighborhoods most of us don't go to, we just sit back and let Menino and his oh-so-effective anti-violence crusaders deal with it.

    Posted by FJ October 27, 08 03:31 PM
  1. You're all self-righteous cowards!!! It's really easy to critize the grieving father because you have never done anything to endanger a child, right? No way, you would never do that. Hypocrits! When a parent is in a controlled environment with trained professionals, he or she feels like there is no danger. How many of you have let your children ride a roller coaster (more people die on roller coaster rides than shooting themselves at a gun show). You are all a bunch of self-righteous losers.

    Posted by Larry October 27, 08 03:31 PM
  1. Whatever... You can't say anything bad about weapons to gun-lovers anyway...don't even waste your breath..

    Posted by Rambo October 27, 08 03:31 PM
  1. Over testeroned ... I see the Taliban and their Madrasas ... what's the difference of them and this ... just adults teaching kids the proper way of handling a uzi? What BS for the gun lobby. We need to take every one of the automatic weapons and provide a fingerprint capable locking device.

    And don't give me the same old: ""Guns don't kill people"" or ""Criminals will get guns anyway, so we need them"" ... since when do I need a muzzle velocity that can pierce body armor for home protection. A shot gun will do as well and makes a wonderful sound on the other side of the door ... loading into the magazine. klick, schuk ...

    Besides, if you are taught right, you will WARN first, and then actually shoot to kill.

    But, most of us don't have the guts to kill anyone and only end up killing a family member or other loved one.

    Guns do need more regulation ... along with confirmation of the 2nd ammendment ""the right to bear arms"" ... but really, do we need uzi's as our arms ... unless your planning a drive by ...

    Posted by vs October 27, 08 03:32 PM
  1. well i guess guns DO kill people. recoil pushes the gun upward and if you cant pull your finger off the trigger it will keep firing pushing up and back until you are staring down the barrel. it takes control to operate a gun like that. an 8 y/o has no business even looking at that thing. i love it though. gun advocates are so shallow they refuse to see anything wrong with guns at all. like the a hole who said for every 1 death at a gun show. i remember when the NRA came to denver right after the comlumbine shootings. the city asked them to cancel the show but did they? nope. charlton heston said""its our right to be here and no one can make us leave"" what a fucking asshole. just like most gun advocates

    Posted by gabe October 27, 08 03:32 PM
  1. In response to war_vet's comment #49...

    Are you kidding me? Typical liberals? Get a grip. No way would we ever attempt to ban bicycles or windows. That's because generally speaking people use common sense when using them. Sure, accidents still happen. But, it's not like parents send their kids onto major highways to ride their bikes. Pretty sure if they did, others would question that parenting decision. Parents don't sit their children on the sill of an open window and take their chances to see if they fall or not. What a ridiculous comparison.

    Sure, guns don't kill. People do. But, some people are clearly too stupid and reckless to be trusted with these weapons, as can be seen by this story. These types of weapons have no place in the hands of everyday citizens, nevermind children.

    I do agree that we should leave the family to grieve. There were many parents allowing the very same thing that day that got away without having to live with the guilt that this father will carry the rest of his life. My heart really doesbreak for him. But, they all should be ashamed.

    This story is truly an example of people needing to be protected from themselves.

    Posted by Jessica October 27, 08 03:32 PM
  1. JML...I agree that it is safer to know how to operate a weapon than not. My father taught me how to shoot a rifle and a handgun when I was 14. I was old enough to handle the weapons he chose as they were the right size for me, and he held them as I shot until I learned what to expect.
    I do not know why an Uzi was allowed in the hands of a child. If the decision WERE made to allow it to happen, the instructor's hands or the fathers should have been ON the gun.
    But I guess all that is obvious now that the poor child is in the morgue.


    Posted by Sidda October 27, 08 03:32 PM
  1. I am a NRA and Mass State police certified LTC instructor.
    I am an instructor for boy scouts rifle shooting merit badge.
    I have a 15 and 16 year old whom both are very safe and responsible, I would never let shoot a machine gun.
    Shooting is a safe and fun sport, however, when you put something in a child?s hand that he/she in no way could control, this was irresponsible and
    ruins it for those who are using common sense.

    Posted by Concerned gun owner October 27, 08 03:33 PM
  1. According to the CDC, drowning is the second leading cause of death (after motor vehicle traffic) for children under 14 but most affects children age under 4 years old. The number one risk factor is a lack of barriers and/or supervision. Children under one year most often drown in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets. Among children ages 1 to 4 years, most drownings occur in residential swimming pools.

    This is why supervision is critical, as well as teaching kids to swim. I recognize that those precautions were taken here but the argument that endangering a child's life with firearms is okay because children die all the time doing other things seems like a careless excuse for reckless behavior. Giving a child a gun increases their chances of injury, period.

    Posted by Rachel October 27, 08 03:33 PM
  1. Did anyone watch the interview with the father on NECN? He mentions that his son was great at tree skiing, another dangerous sport (if you can call shooting Uzis a sport). The kid was 8. Which means last winter, he was likely 7! Seven year olds should not be tree skiing. This father should go to jail for child neglect.

    Posted by amy October 27, 08 03:33 PM
  1. Gun control or No Gun control.

    UZI IS NOT VIDEO GAME.

    Does that father be reminded that Army spends Billions on training small arms.

    Posted by ARMY NAVY October 27, 08 03:33 PM
  1. So sad. I oppose guns. Young kids and machine guns don't mix.

    Posted by Dina October 27, 08 03:34 PM
  1. When will charges be pressed against the father, the instructor and the gun show owners who allowed this to happen? If the father has more children at home DCFS should be involved already.

    Posted by cbsmba October 27, 08 03:35 PM
  1. What a wonderful idea to let a child to shoot guns!!!

    Posted by givemeabreak October 27, 08 03:36 PM
  1. This was not an accident. This is reckless negligence & child endagerment. There is no reason any 8 yo needs to fire a UZI. Why can't parents learn to say no. It is a sorry sign when parents cannot make proper judgement and say no.

    I'll bet this child has fired guns like this before. What are their parents thinking?

    We may feel bad for the family but I believe that if a parent allows any child along with any of the show's organizers to do this they all need prosecution under criminal child endangerment.

    This was a crime, not an accident.

    Posted by Rick October 27, 08 03:36 PM
  1. Ok. I was not there, but I am a MG owner in MA. I let my 6 y/o shoot ""some"" of my machineguns, but he mostly shoots the 22 at tin cans. I ALWAY kneel down next to him and hold the gun so there is no loss of control.

    The Micro UZI is not something I would let my kid shoot. I don't like shooting them and I'm experienced. Too small, too fast. I feel sorry for the parents. I can't imaging having to live with that.

    Posted by Matt October 27, 08 03:36 PM
  1. Yes.. the father was not thinking and got lured into sharing a thrilling day with his kid. But this is why we have safety, rules and protection laws. Guns are unsafe and there should have been extra instructions on safety as the these guns swing after being used and thats how this accidfent happened. There are some srious issues with the regulatory functions here. It is obvious that the safety procedures were not applied or carelessly compromised. Heavy Compensation. Yes..


    Posted by Raji Rab October 27, 08 03:36 PM
  1. This is just another argument in the making that there needs to be stricter gun laws. The 2nd amendment is a joke in today's day and age. This is why we have police and armed forces.

    Posted by DI$CO October 27, 08 03:38 PM
  1. 8 YEARS OLD AND AN UZI! What is the matter with parents these days? Just because the kid was looking forward to it? Can ya say, ""No""? It's the group mentality of what is normal. It was normal that day to have children shoot weapons that should be off the streets, never mind in the hands of anyone at that gun show, especially a child as young as 8 years old. First off, take away the guns of the parents, for the safety sake of the father. Second, way to go NRA, keep up with introducing our children to deadly weapons earlier and earlier, some of them will make it into adulthood to buy into your crazy nutjob group.

    Posted by Twinklee October 27, 08 03:38 PM
  1. and they ban cap guns & water pistols?...what was the next father & 8 yr old activity? beers & a lap dance? oh mercy if i'm ever under that drs care...

    Posted by sad commentary October 27, 08 03:39 PM
  1. i can't believe anyone would even consider allowing an 8 year old to fire an Uzi. I don't even like my kids using the Wii controller for fear that they will hurt themselves. Sometimes kids need to be taught a better lesson, one that teaches them that everything isn't ok. If we read that the Taliban was showing 8 year olds how to fire a weapon we would be beside ourselves and berate them for their stupidity and in-humane child care. Yet this show was advertised as a sportsmen's event fun for the whole family, kids get in free!!

    Posted by Rick October 27, 08 03:39 PM
  1. This is why even ADULTS are trained with just two or three rounds at the most when learning how to handle fully automatic weapons. What the hell else did they expect to happen with an 8 year old boy??

    Stupid things like this destroy ALL of our 2nd Amendment Rights.

    Posted by Scrap5000 October 27, 08 03:39 PM
  1. Wow, everything about this is so wrong. Even the picture of the child in the red sweatshirt makes me cringe. Whoever is taking the picture of him (with the camera phone) is an idiot. I can't believe that people promote the use of guns to such young children. I am shocked and incredibly saddened for the 8 year-old and these other children.

    Posted by commuter October 27, 08 03:39 PM
  1. There is no way an 8 year old could handle the recoil of an UZI. What was that parent thinking? I would be hard pressed to explain to the wife what happened. I pray that the family finds peace.

    Posted by Chaz D October 27, 08 03:40 PM
  1. Almost everything's been said that needs to be said here. Almost.

    The father should be tried as accessory to murder; his medical license should be permanently revoked just in case a jury fails to convict him on the murder charge. This guy shouldn't be allowed near anybody in need of medical care. This story is utterly nauseating -- almost beyond belief -- but this is the land of the 2nd Amendment.

    Posted by j0646 October 27, 08 03:41 PM
  1. Couldn't he have just taken his son bowling instead? When did firing automatic weapons become entertainment for 8 year olds? How do you live with yourself after something like this? How awful. What a waste. No tomorrows for that young man, and a devastated family left behind.

    Posted by Mike October 27, 08 03:42 PM
  1. This is a sad day for this society. When a parent allows... never mind, it really need not be said to anyone with a brain.

    The father should be charged with some form of homicide. Negligent manslaughter on some level. Any parent who acclimates their children to firearms needs to never have procreated in the first place. This poor child never had a chance with parenting like this. Why not leave the fully automatic assault weaponry for those lovely teenage years? Promoting death and destruction amongst youth should really be a more gradual process...

    Please list ""Stupidity"" as the cause of death. And by the way, please stop bastardizing the definition of ""accident"". This was negligence, not accident. Unintentional is not synonymous with accidental. A gun show is a pretty likely place to get shot. The kid didn't drown at a gun show... that would have been an accident. This was utter negligence, with a side order of idiocy.

    Posted by DJMcG October 27, 08 03:43 PM
  1. I shoot UZI's all the time at my local range. The Micro is a little too dangerous for an 8 year old though. Its a small full auto rapid-fire handgun that could spray everywhere without the proper grip. Noone should ever let a little kid shoot one. This is not the father's fault, it's the event organizer's fault.

    Posted by Adam October 27, 08 03:44 PM
  1. i hope the father sues himself for wrongful death.

    Posted by weirdworld October 27, 08 03:47 PM
  1. Hey Gunsdon'tkillpeople. What do you think of my moniker?

    Posted by Swimmingpoolsdon'tkillpeople October 27, 08 03:48 PM
  1. It all starts with the Medical Director at the Hospital in Connecticut.
    NRA, Age and Stupidity do NOT mix.

    Posted by Kemper October 27, 08 03:48 PM
  1. Cop Killer bullets?

    Most commonly worn police armor will stop 9mm bullets from a pistol like a micro UZI
    It will NOT stop most rifle bullets for bagging bambi

    Posted by R October 27, 08 03:49 PM
  1. In this case a father deliberately endangered his child and killed him.

    Jail.

    Posted by Rick October 27, 08 03:49 PM
  1. what the hell does Palin have to do with this? a child died and you are talking politics. this is a tragedy...an 8 year old doesn't belong near a an uzi. period!!!

    Posted by Jules October 27, 08 03:49 PM
  1. As terrible as this is, bottom line is the only person to blame is the father. This is not the fault of anyone else. You can't be foolish and allow your 8 year old to handle anything like that. Perhaps the gun club should have made the age 12 or older.....This is not the fault of guns, this is the fault of a foolish father...You wouldn't let your 8 year old operate a chain saw or light off fireworks would you? Same with the gun.....GUNS ARE NOT AT FAULT, STUPID PEOPLE WHO DON'T USE THEIR HEADS ARE AT FAULT.

    Posted by G-Man October 27, 08 03:49 PM
  1. Tha Anit-Gun crowd are some of he most ignorant people around. They use the death of an 8 year old boy to push their agenda.

    Posted by creeper October 27, 08 03:50 PM
  1. ""...Christopher was comfortable with guns. "" - father's words. An 8 year old. COMFORTABLE with guns. Incredible.

    Posted by Barbara October 27, 08 03:50 PM
  1. Tragic accident, and the father will have to live with it his whole life, and rightly so. This was a judgement call on his part. If the boy was highly skilled and experienced with a diverse range of firearms, I can see letting him have a shot at it, but 8 is too young in my opinion. I personally would not let my daughters under 18 handle such a weapon. But I do let them handle semi-automatic (one-at-a-time shot) rifles and train them in every facet of gun handling and safety.

    As sad as this is, every person has a right to make his or her own mistakes, so please don't take any more of my rights away, I have few left as it is.
    Education is the answer to this type of situation.

    Here's a novel idea. Instead of more laws that turn law abiding citizens into potential criminals just for owning firearms, how about the educational system take on educating our young people on the constitution and proper safe handling of firearms? An elective course, of course. You can opt out your own child if you disagree

    Posted by Highly Skilled with Daughters October 27, 08 03:51 PM
  1. Anyone who equates children swimming to this tragedy is dumb beyond description.

    Criminal negligence charges should be filed on the father, the ""certified instructor"", the person(s) in charge of this event.

    Posted by Jason October 27, 08 03:51 PM
  1. Hey: 2ndAmendmentKillsPeople. You found it pretty easy to say how stupid that other poster was. Yet, you do not realize what an inhumane person you are. You self-righteously boast your abhorrence to guns while pretending to be some protector of human rights, and in the same sentence show your own inhumanity....in stating that the ""father should pay the price"". He already has, you bozo, and will for the rest of his life. Don't fool yourself - you aren't as kindhearted as you think.

    Posted by try again October 27, 08 03:52 PM
  1. Sarah Palin is obviously responsible for this child's death.

    Gunsdontkillpeople - good job trolling the bottom of the swimming pools for bait.

    Posted by Bob October 27, 08 03:52 PM
  1. An 8 year old with an Uzi? Or with any gun! What are some parents thinking? If this isn't a form of child abuse I don't know what is. PARENTS are the ones who make the decisions for their kids and this idiot decided to put an Uzi in his sons hands? In addition to a life of grief he needs to spend time in jail for making the decision that led to killing his son.

    Posted by Drew October 27, 08 03:52 PM
  1. 'gunsdont'killpeople', your comments were dead on.
    For everyone who think the NRA is a powerful group you should read about the NSPA (National Swimming Pool Association). They have caused countless deaths from drowning, skull fractures, and cramps yet you never hear about this do you? The liberal media (all swimers mind you) gloss over the deaths at the Swimming Pool Shows and only focus on the gun show deaths. Take action people, tell your Senator to stop the NSPA before it is too late!!!!!!

    Posted by Peter Terry October 27, 08 03:53 PM
  1. Right...It's not guns that kill people...It's people's stupidity that kills people

    Posted by Rex October 27, 08 03:54 PM
  1. This guy is a doctor???? There are SO MANY quesitons that need to be asked of this man. What a sad story... this poor kid. He never got to live his life. All for what? So his macho dad could tell his buddies that his 8 yr old kid shot an Uzi over the weekend?

    This guy should be charged and put in jail.

    Posted by Bones October 27, 08 03:54 PM
  1. Hey Lynda, are you related to a captain named obvious? Guns kill? Wow thanks for heads up. Cars, knifes, motorcycles, wind, dogs, prescription pills, etc they kill too. You must of loved reading this story so you could get on your soapbox and rant about guns.

    Posted by creeper October 27, 08 03:54 PM
  1. I own guns. I am appropriately licensed. I teach people (12 and older) to shoot shotgun sports. An 8 year old shooting an auto weapon and dying is a direct result of the individuals and entities involved: the father, the instructor, the club, the sponsoring company.

    This incident will flame passions on all sides. This is a question of common sense and sound judgement. Shame of the responsible parties.

    Posted by A, Massa October 27, 08 03:56 PM
  1. I am speechless...

    Posted by Rodrigo October 27, 08 03:56 PM
  1. To all the self-righteous, paranoid, liberal gun addicts. Neither Democrats, or Republicans are going to take away your right to bear arms. The Dems are just a little more sane about the topic because they know they don't have your vote anyway. Besides, I do believe the Brady law was championed by a republican (Brady himself).

    Posted by Jake October 27, 08 03:56 PM
  1. A terrible accident. Sadly, the anti-gun crowd will pounce on and politicize this tragedy.
    Firearms are involved in 0.6% of accidental deaths nationally. Most accidental deaths involve, or are due to, motor vehicles (39%), poisoning (18%), falls (16%), suffocation (5%), drowning (2.9%), fires (2.8%), medical mistakes (2.2%), environmental factors (1.2%), and bicycles and tricycles (0.7%).

    Posted by NickChuck October 27, 08 04:02 PM
  1. I guarantee if someone tried to get a law enacted banning 8 year olds from firing Uzis, the IRA would oppose it.

    Posted by splinter October 27, 08 04:03 PM
  1. I am a licensed owner of machine guns in MA. I had a shooting position reserved for me at this shoot. In my opinion, no child under the age of 16 should be shooting these guns. I certainly don't allow it. I don't believe from my experience that an 8 year old can maintain positive control of one of these weapons. I have never allowed anyone under 16 to shoot one of my guns. Just my opinion.

    Posted by Anthony October 27, 08 04:04 PM
  1. ""Have you no compassion? Have you given any thought to the fact that you too could lose a child over a mistake or an accident? How would you feel in this situation? Do you even have the ability to express empathy?
    You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves. The behavior on this comment page is an absolute disgrace. ""

    this is one of the reasons why this country is getting ""wussified"". it's like, let's not keep score because some kids might be unhappy if they lose. this is a grown man who knowingly took his child to a gun show, which he is allowed to, but he should be well aware of the dangers of firearms. so any criticism that he gets, he deserves. you're saying that we should express empathy to him, but he is the one that allowed a child to senselessly die. if everyone started coddling those who make mistakes, who will ever learn from them?

    Posted by dt October 27, 08 04:04 PM
  1. I support parents choice to do these types of things with their children if they choose. However, as a parent, I steer my children away from guns of any kind.

    I don't think it's for me to comment on this fathers decision, but I know that personally, no child of mine would be involved with guns at such a young age. That being said...I know of many friends that learned to hunt at an early age, although these were not high power weapons.

    This is an absolute tragedy and perhaps a lesson of caution for such events in the future.

    Posted by Marc October 27, 08 04:05 PM
  1. I am replying to earlier posting
    >...lets let the family grieve and pray for them.
    The parents of the boy should not be allowed to reproduce at the first place. Planet Earth gene pool does not need this material.
    The father talking matter-of-factly of his crime... He probably values his ""freedom to bear arms"" more than kids life. Now he won't be distracted from bonding with guns by little kid.
    He and whoever supervised him at the show should be charged with negligent murder.

    Posted by Michael October 27, 08 04:06 PM
  1. Jacob (@119):
    Please be sure to sell your guns only to people who will keep them and use them responsibly (preferably in YOUR neighborhood). Please do not sell them to anyone who will pass them on to gangbangers in New York City, Boston, Chicago, or other places where there is already far too much heavy firepower on the streets. It is a tragedy that a young boy died at a gun show, but what about all the school children that have been gunned down on our city streets? I hope the guns you sell will not end up being responsible for any more such tragedies.

    Posted by city dweller October 27, 08 04:06 PM
  1. ""how many kids are killed on thier bycicles each year? are we going to call for a ""ban"" on all kids bikes too?""

    Hey, war_vet, since when is an Uzi a KID'S gun????

    Nice mastery of the conventions of the English language, by the way.

    Posted by Missy October 27, 08 04:07 PM
  1. I'm a shooter. My son (14) is a shooter. He took it up in Scouts. I had to take a shooting safety course, and I realized I enjoyed it. Shooting has been a sport that my son and I can participate in together. Competition shooting (like they have in the Olympics) is challenging and satisfying...like any other sport. That being said, I can also tell you that I was at a shooting event and was invited to shoot a REALLY BIG fully-automatic rifle. I couldn't control it...two range officers had to grab by shoulders and arms so I wouldn't flail about (I'm a 112 pound female). My point is that the range officers were standing directly behind me to immediately control the situation. Should have happend here.

    Posted by lincolngirl October 27, 08 04:11 PM
  1. When i was in boot camp in 1979, the range instructor would not allow us to use full auto on the m-16s because of exactly the effect the child had with firing the weapon. I put the guilt on C.O.P.S.. They should be hung and the NRA Should stand behind that. If the NRA terms it an accident, then all the training i went through was for nothing - because they obviously don't believe in their own rules.

    Posted by pop October 27, 08 04:12 PM
  1. Wow - ""You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows"" That may be the stupidest thing I've ever read. I think if as many kids shot uzi's as they do swim in pools we'd be looking at a national tragedy of epic numbers.

    It was a tragic accident and I feel bad for the family, but under NO circumstances should anyone be playing with an uzi, especially an 8-year-old!


    Posted by RL October 27, 08 04:12 PM
  1. I see in this story a young life ending tragically. I can't be satisfied with ""his father will have to deal with this the rest of his life"" comments. A young boy is dead. Gone. His is the greatest loss and sacrifice. For what? The thrill of handling a weapon? Why is this so appealing? Why is this ""fun""? My family spent our day together walking, on a hayride, and selecting our Halloween pumpkins. Our entertainment was tame, to be sure, but more appropriate for an eight year old. Could we focus on the real tragedy? An eight year old is dead.

    Posted by portiaperu October 27, 08 04:15 PM
  1. This is stupidity at the highest level. The father, a director at an emergency room facility, must be the idiot of all fathers. How could you possible determine that a child could hold to a UZI, while being fired? I know that children are killed in other activities such as swimming, etc, but this is a situation when the parent assisted. The instructor and the Father should be charged with criminal negilgence. What in hell, was the father thinking, this was a video game? The prosecutor must step up to the plate and charge the father and the instructor with criminal negilgence.

    Posted by M Knight October 27, 08 04:15 PM
  1. ""Whatever... You can't say anything bad about weapons to gun-lovers anyway...don't even waste your breath..""

    Well, ""Rambo,"" it's the same with trying to explain to an anti- what the fun in shooting is. You don't have our perspective on it.

    Firearms, in and of themselves, are harmless. They're a tool. One that must be operated by a person. Guns do not kill on their own. It's a physical impossibility. Just like a car cannot drive itself, nor a pool fill itself with water. It requires human intervention and control. This situation is simply a tragic accident that could have easily been avoided.

    Posted by Casual Observer October 27, 08 04:16 PM
  1. Sad... Sad... Sad... & very very very stupid!

    Posted by Hugo October 27, 08 04:16 PM
  1. I AM A TWENTY EIGHT YEAR OLD MAN AND I HAVE ONLY BEEN CERTIFIED TO SHOOT HAND GUNS AS OF THIS YEAR TAKING THE NRA COURSE. I DO NOT AGREE THAT THIS CHILD SHOULD HAVE DIED THE WAY HE HAS BUT TO SAY HE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FIRING THE WEAPON JUST SHOWS HOW DIVIDED WE ARE AND HOW SOCIETY IN A WHOLE HAS NO CONCEPT OF HOW OUR DIFFERENT POCKETS LIVE. IM FROM A MAJOR CITY SO THIS TYPE OF FAIR SEEMS PUZZLING TO ME...WOULD I GO ""HELL TO THE YES""... BUT ITS NOT HOW WE LIVE... THIS WAS A NORMAL EVENT FOR THIS AREA AND NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR DIFFERENCES AND PUT THEM TO THE SIDE..HELL I WENT CAMPING AS A KID AND SHOT BOW AND ARROWS WHAT IF I POKED MY EYE OUT... I SHOULD HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE?

    Posted by ROOSTER October 27, 08 04:17 PM
  1. I've been to this event before. It is well run and supervised for adults. But I saw a 4-6 year old firing a tripod mounted RPD Russian heavy machine gun, the kind that could stop a small car. That is one thing, the recoil will not cause the gun to climb. These weapons require arm and shoulder strength that an 8 year old does not possess. Foolish to let them shoot one of the guns like that. Shame that a fun event for adults was ruined cause some idiot dad didn't use his head.

    Posted by Bdoug October 27, 08 04:17 PM
  1. So Sad for the child, the dad and all the readers that are sickened by this story.
    My condolences to the family. To all the perfect people out there, hope nothing tragic ever happens to you all and the world finds out about it.

    Posted by Too Tac October 27, 08 04:17 PM
  1. He put his son in a dangerous situation. He ought to be charged with manslaugher, or at the very least, child endangement. What an incredibly stupid parent.

    Posted by REB October 27, 08 04:18 PM
  1. Unbelievable...no wait!... believable. Definately, believable.

    Posted by Red banstrom October 27, 08 04:20 PM
  1. Why is it that every time some one is killed by a gun that serves absolutely no purpose, such as an Uzi, the gun advocates immediately try to direct the conversation away from the stupidity of the act to a totally irrelevant subject. Example #1: The comment that more children drown than that are killed by guns. Brillant response to a tragedy.

    Posted by thomas hohl October 27, 08 04:20 PM
  1. My condolences to the family. . . . as a parent, it makes me sick to my stomach.

    Posted by Sympathy October 27, 08 04:20 PM
  1. Tragic.

    Now the comments are flying with one side saying one thing, the other side saying another.

    It's still tragic.

    Everyone involved will have the memory of a young boy shooting himself in the head for the rest of their lives.

    Tragic, indeed.

    Posted by Case October 27, 08 04:21 PM
  1. Gosh, an Uzi doing what an uzi is designed to do...kill people. I love the people on here who say this could NEVER happen to THEIR responsible young shooter! That dad thought HIS kid was a safe little shooter too! Eddie the Eagle my eye.
    If you NRA nuts think your kid is safe, read up, your trained little kid is no more responsible than any other kid, and just as likely to play with a gun....check it out.

    Posted by Tim October 27, 08 04:23 PM
  1. Ummmmm, people,

    I may be giving ""gunsdontkillpeople"" too much credit, but, I think his was a sarcastic comment skewering what the ridiculous response might be from the gun lobby. People don't die in or at swimming pool shows/home shows. Think about it. Otherwise, it is just plain nonsense.

    Posted by Flex Tuning October 27, 08 04:24 PM
  1. I hope this ""family event"" raised lots of $$$....(sarcasm)....Putting a terrorist weapon in the hands of a child..... I am sick...What is our society coming to? I greive for the family and only hope that something good comes out of this like people seeing how little gun control we have and the need for more.

    Posted by gd October 27, 08 04:24 PM
  1. This is outrageous. Why would an 8 year (or any person) have access to an uzi? The parents and gunshow people should all be thrown in jail. This is complete lunacy.

    Posted by KGH October 27, 08 04:27 PM
  1. Whatever... You can't say anything good about weapons to gun-haters anyway...don't even waste your breath..

    See how that goes both ways?

    Posted by J October 27, 08 04:28 PM
  1. You know, these gun nuts want young kids firing automatic weapons and getting all excited about it. Then when they grow up and vote about restricting certain types of guns, there is no way they would vote for a restriction.

    It just a way of keeping the gun movement going and in the wrong direction!

    Posted by Kevin October 27, 08 04:28 PM
  1. I feel sad for the boy and the family. Hwoever, no matter what type of pedigree you possess, this doctor is still stupid!! Wouldn't want thim as my doctor. Go donly knows what other stupidity is there.

    That's today's parents for you. Lack of accountability and responsibility towards their own children. How many times have we heard that "" my hcildren are the best, my children are the greatest, wah wah wah)....Education starts from home, honey.

    Posted by Sick of studpi parents October 27, 08 04:29 PM
  1. This is borderline hilarious. Giving an 8-old-an Uzi? And he shoots himself in the head???? And the dad doesn't seem at all emotional in the video!

    Posted by S. Murray October 27, 08 04:29 PM
  1. This is a tragedy but it could have been avoided. I expect that we will find the kid was not told what to expect or the ""supervisor"" was not doing his job.

    I have fired a 9mm auto and they are easy to control if you know what is coming and do it right. My bet is instead of short bursts the kid pulled and held the trigger, and panicked when the gun jumped up.

    There is nothing wrong with folks using these guns, but they need to be trained on them first, you don't just hand it to anyone, child or adult and say ""here you go, go nuts. . . ""

    I am sure the Antis will be all over this without understanding any of it. . .

    Posted by JD October 27, 08 04:29 PM
  1. I have a comment on the comment below from Lyn:

    I've a comment on the comments. Just how many kids die from being shot at gun shows?

    My answer is one too many

    Posted by acmebun October 27, 08 04:33 PM
  1. PROVE ME WRONG ON THIS!!! All of you people who say gun control is the answer are fooling yourselves. You are in denial. You think the government can control gun killings and accidents? How about birth control? If the govt requires everyone who has sex to wear a condom, will that stop ""accidents""? How about wreckless driving? Can the govt ban vehicles? There is nothing wrong with guns - there is something wrong with a gun in the hand of a criminal or 8 year old.

    Posted by done October 27, 08 04:33 PM
  1. I live in Brookline. I have a 4 yo boy. He has a little bike with training wheels that he loves. He rides it every chance he gets. On Saturday mornings in the summer we get up early - before 7 am and both ride to Dunkin Donuts for my coffee and his donut. No traffic at Coolidge Corner. He is getting to be very fast on his bike. I ride mine.

    Yesterday we walked to the corner in the afternoon. He begged me to ride. I said no. I explained that there is too much traffic on the street during the day and by slightest chance he stray into the street he could be killed. He begged.

    It wasn't worth the risk.

    I suppose ""Dr."" Bizilj would have let his 8 yo son drive his neighbor's motorcycle. Because he couldn't say NO.

    As a parent you are not a friend. You are a parent. YOU are responsible.


    Posted by Rick October 27, 08 04:34 PM
  1. Whatta suck up/meathead that NECN reporter is. ""Oh and a camper - He musta been in heaven living here."" Pretty brilliant reply given the circumstance.

    Posted by turd McGee October 27, 08 04:34 PM
  1. You stated ""The assault Weapons Ban that our current President inexplicably tore up"" The assault weapons ban has nothing to do with fully automatic weapons. Ownership of full automatic weapons has been restricted since the passage of the firearm owners protection act of 1986. The Clinton assault weapons ban did nothing to restrict sales or ownership of fully automatic weapons. While I?m sure the assault weapons ban made you sleep better at night it restricted cosmetic features and nothing else. I?m sure if weapons ?look? safe they actually are.

    Posted by Jared October 27, 08 04:34 PM
  1. In response to the following:

    ""Liz,
    Nobody, especially a father that just watched his son die, needs someone like you replying to a news article like this one with such negativity... Things happen to this degree all over the world and somebody rubbing it in to try to sound like a smarty pants, well... it just isn't cool..;
    Posted by Jay Mney October 27, 08 01:34 PM""

    I assume that this post addressed to ""Liz"" refers to mine, as I don't see a ""Liz"" out there, only an Elizabeth. So, assuming that is the case, let me clarify for you. My intention in posting my message was not to ""rub it in"" or sound like a ""smarty pants"" as you say but simply to express my utter disbelief that something like this could occur. I fully believe that this boy's father never intended, nor anticipated, that his son would be injured by this weapon, however, I just don't see the need to allow an 8 year old child to shoot an Uzi. I also agree that gun training is a good idea if your child is being raised in a household where guns are kept, but again, I doubt that this father has an Uzi stashed in his home, so I don't understand why his son would need to know how to handle such a powerful and dangerous weapon. As the parent of a young child myself, I would be utterly devastated over such a profound loss, and I cannot imagine the pain they are going through. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Christopher's father and family.

    Posted by Elizabeth October 27, 08 04:35 PM
  1. well there's 50 people who watched this boy kill himself who'll maybe change their minds about playing rambo! I'm thinking that guntoting dad might just hold a gun one more time in his life. Maybe that ""licensed range officer"" might pick up a gun one more time himself.
    I wonder if the NRA will cover this event in their monthly magazine?

    Posted by Tim October 27, 08 04:35 PM
  1. No age limit or licenses required to shoot machine guns, handguns, rifles or shotguns!!!? This was the quote/way the gun shoot was promoted. Some conduct while not illegal per se, I would think could still rise to the level of negligence/negligent homicide under certain statutes. I will leave that to the lawyers/authorities to decide, but personally even if not illegal I think it defies common sense to allow such unrestricted access to machine guns to a child who was so young. I hope a thorough investigation into the club/promoter is undertaken.

    Posted by ZAK October 27, 08 04:37 PM
  1. How very sad this has happened. A child has lost his life. A parent has to live with a decision he has made and all you fools can do is criticize him. You have hate in you. an accident has happened. It doesn't matter how. Show some compassion for this family.

    Posted by deb October 27, 08 04:37 PM
  1. ""I gave permission for him to fire the Uzi,? Bizilj said. ?I watched several other children and adults use it. It?s a small weapon, and Christopher was comfortable with guns. There were larger machine guns with much more recoil, and we avoided those.?

    Great decision to avoid those larger machine guns, doc!!

    Posted by JS October 27, 08 04:38 PM
  1. I would fire guns at a shooting range with my Dad when I was a little kid, and I never had an accident. I'm totally gay now, but whatevz.

    Posted by JoyDivision October 27, 08 04:39 PM
  1. Kevin, actually, if you're reading ANY of this, the responsible gun owners are advocating AGAINST this child having used a firearm that was out of his ability to control. Not the other way around. They're defending shooting as a sport and hobby, not saying that every child should be firing FA.

    There's nothing wrong with the gun movement going in the right direction - removing baseless and ineffective rules and regulations. Show me concrete proof that the concept of gun control has done any factual good and I'll concede. To date, the gun control act of 10/98 has been an abject failure.

    Posted by Casual Observer October 27, 08 04:40 PM
  1. What was the objective this parent was seeking to accomplish in allowing his 8-yr CHILD, use of an automatic weapon? Senseless, completely lacking any concern for safety. The bonus feature to this situation, he should not have been reaching for a camera, a soda, turn his back, never-the-less been there with his BABY in the first place. This is full and flagrant disregard for safetly. That's all I have to say about that.

    Posted by DanceEnthuz October 27, 08 04:42 PM
  1. Let's ban cars. More children die in cars every year in the U.S. alone than any other reason. The right to drive a motor vehicle (which the Framers could never imagine) is not specified in the Constitution.
    How about sports? Many, many more children die in sports accidents each year (in the U.S. only) than dies from tragic gun accidents in 10 years. There is no right to play sports specified in the Constitution either.

    More children die from falls in one year (U.S. only) than have died from firearm accidents in the last ten years. Should we ban falling?

    I don't believe any father should allow an 8 year old to fire an Uzi. But I also don't believe have a right to tell that parent how to raise their child. This is a nanny state, socialistic point of view. It's a free country, isn't it?

    Posted by Highly Skilled with Daughters October 27, 08 04:43 PM
  1. WOW!! there are alot of posting here from alot of different types of people. However, if you have never fired a gun than you are guided by your shear ignorance of firearms and have no buisness passing judgement on this family or those who take part in such events. While this is a terrible event that has impacted many lives in ways I can not comprehend, it was an accident. These types of event are GOOD FOR CHILDREN. They show them responsible firearm handling and what actually happens when you shoot things,reality is not like what they see on TV. This is an accident, and only that, an accident. my prayers are with this young boys family in this unimaginably hard time.

    Posted by peter October 27, 08 04:43 PM
  1. I'm sure this dad feels bad, but I can't help but wonder what happened to good ole traditional weekend past-times like movies, playing in the park, play dates with class mates, bowling, the list goes on...

    I'm also not understanding the mechanics of how he actually got shot. If he was pointing away, and the gun jumped from the recoil, wouldn't the bullet have gone elsewhere? I would assume that the bullet would travel faster than his hand would be able to jerk back, so just trying to figure out what exactly happened. Did the bullet go up in the air and then hit him on the way down...or was the gun not pointing away from him?

    In any event, a truly tragic incident. Poor boy didn't know that was his last day.

    I really wish all guns could just be melted down and discarded. Yes, I know there will always be violent people, but I'm just sick of reading about gun-related deaths.head.

    Posted by bklynmom October 27, 08 04:44 PM
  1. The lesson, as always, is that money rules this country. If we were to take a poll of all the posts here to find out what percentage of you would like some sort of more stringent gun control, I'd estimate 90% of you would. The fact is, 70% of the country (when polled) would, but the FACT is, Americans are lazy.

    You all berate this father, and the gun club, and the government for allowing such a thing and then you'll go on your merry way and not do a damn thing about it. How many of you chose to write to your Senator today about gun control as well as posting on this useless board? I'm guessing 1, maybe 2?

    The fact is, the NRA will continue to purchase our politicians and no new laws will be passed because of the typical apathetic American citizen. Although you all seem to express here that you'd like more gun control, none of you will actually act to insure it passes. The people who will act belong to the NRA, pay their annual dues (which are used to purchase the politicians votes), and laugh at the rest of you all the way to next weeks gun show.

    We live in a country where no one is to blame for anything anymore. There is no sense of responsibility because you know what, we're all a little responsible for this childs death today because we didn't have the time to get off our butts and motivate OUR GOVERNMENT to enact legislation that 70% of Americans want enacted.

    No wonder our country is going down the tubes....

    Posted by Jeff October 27, 08 04:48 PM
  1. My 8-year-old daughter has been around pairing knifes for some of her life. That doesn't mean I feel comfortable handing her a meat clever.

    Posted by johna October 27, 08 04:48 PM
  1. As an UZI owner let me say a few things here.

    The full size UZI is just about as tame as machine guns come, with possibly a few exceptions. The micro UZI gives up a lot of mass and that could make it harder to handle.

    The UZI has a grip safety that won't allow the weapon to fire if not properly gripped. I'm not sure if the micro UZI has one, but if it does that feature clearly didn't help here.

    When I allow new people to fire my weapon I always have them fire a few rounds in semi-auto first to make sure they get a feel for it, but there is no substitute for full auto.

    The biggest mistake rookies make is holding on to the trigger and firing more rounds than they want.

    All this being said. I wouldn't let an 8 year old fire my UZI in full auto. Semi... maybe. A 22. sure.

    Posted by va_uzi October 27, 08 04:50 PM
  1. You can go to most firing ranges and with just a drivers license rent the most powerful handgun in the world, get a 5 min explanation of how to load it, and get pointed the the range with other inexperienced shooters. Nothing preventing you from shooting yourself or anyone else. And as long as your with a parent you don't even need a drivers license. I was blown away by this even though I enjoy going. Gun rights is one thing, but come on, not even a safety video?

    Posted by CFZ October 27, 08 04:51 PM
  1. I wonder what the boy's mother thinks of all this?

    Posted by MaryO October 27, 08 04:52 PM
  1. I wouldn't let my 8 year old child handle a circular saw either. No matter what your pov on firearms, letting your 8 year old fire a sub machine gun is insane and a massive exercise in poor judgment. Wow, your guilt and the boy's mother will slowly destroy you for doing this. Way to go, you killed your child.

    Posted by fools October 27, 08 04:53 PM
  1. ""anyone under 18""..does that mean if my 4-year old neice wanted to do this and her parents consented, nobody would have stopped it?? I just think this is a bizarre twist on the right to bear arms.

    Posted by amazed October 27, 08 04:55 PM
  1. No justification for this period. Just watch the NRA folks try to spin this one!!!!

    Posted by KC October 27, 08 04:56 PM
  1. For anyone who says that guns don't kill people or make a stupid comments like more kids die drowning than by gunshot obviously don't have kids and are clearly delusional.

    Does any of that matter? What a truly ridiculous and idotic statement to make. In this situation someone put a gun, that was designed purely for the military to kill or injure other people, in the hands of an 8 year old boy. Why would anyone do that? Because it's cool and fun?

    This was a tragic mistake and my heart goes out to this boys family.

    Posted by Dave S October 27, 08 04:58 PM
  1. STUPID

    Posted by kieve October 27, 08 04:59 PM
  1. Poor Judgment, pure and simple. JML02118 and others had it right that the show organizers were at fault. I just don't get the father, however. What possessed him to let his son do that? How does one live with oneself as a parent after that?

    Posted by Steve October 27, 08 05:00 PM
  1. Only in America.

    Posted by jessitron October 27, 08 05:02 PM
  1. It is completely legal for any citizen to own an automatic weapon under certain circumstances.

    The licensing officer in each town has the ability to issue a machine gun license to individuals if they pass the commensurate state/federal background checks.

    Only certain automatic weapons can legally be transferred amongst the civilian population; specifically those that were registered prior the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986.

    Since there is such a limited pool of available weapons, collection/ownership of automatic weapons is an extremely expensive hobby; with the lowest cost examples starting at approximately $3500 increasing to over $50,000 for belt-fed or rare First and Second World War artifacts.

    The newer models that are exhibited in Westfield and similar shoots can only be owned by federally licensed manufactures or dealers of class III weapons.

    Posted by jgosse01 October 27, 08 05:03 PM
  1. Guns don't kill people.

    Stupid people with guns kill people.

    Since we cannot control stupid people, let's control guns.

    Posted by Edward October 27, 08 05:04 PM
  1. I've never seen a parent so calm and collected talking about losing a boy with a bullet in the head. Nothing like going on TV after a family tragedy.

    Posted by Johneel October 27, 08 05:05 PM
  1. When I was 8 years old, I was first allowed to target shoot with my mother's .22 rifle. I foolishly held it such that it slammed into my shoulder and gave me a bruise. When I was 17 and in Basic Training, I saw a 6' tall fellow plebe make the same mistake with an automatic and he paid with a broken clavicle. We survived because we were using weapons that were appropriately sized. Our injuries healed. An eight year old cannot reliably control an automatic weapon because an eight year old lacks the physical size and power of an adult. The Uzi is deceptively small given its power - that compact power is its claim to fame. I have shot one before and it isn't an easy weapon to contain and direct. One small mistake and a good kid doesn't break his shoulder or get his cheekbone busted, he dies horribly in front of his family. The father made a mistake in thinking it was an easy weapon, but he wasn't the expert in the situation - the instructor should have known better.

    Posted by Infoferret October 27, 08 05:06 PM
  1. Swimming pools!? Bicycles!? There's something seriously wrong here -- the child should never have been anywhere near that weapon. The fact that adults -- parents, gun show owners/managers -- permitted this to happen is beyond despicable.

    Posted by forechek October 27, 08 05:12 PM
  1. ""The stupidity belongs entirely on the father, no eight year old is responsible or capable to be able to control any type of mchine gun. Then again what do you expect from someone who has a middle eastern type name. (no gun LAWS)

    Posted by Gerry October 27, 08 01:22 PM""

    Nice bit of bigotry there, Gerry. Bizilj is a Slovenian name, not Middle Eastern.

    Posted by Finnan Haddie October 27, 08 05:13 PM
  1. To HighlySkilledwithDaughters
    Why on earth would you think this is a ""free country""? I suspect its because you've never actually done any diligence and just spouted off whatever you were taught in grammar school.
    You are not free to do whatever you want on ""your"" land, are you? You need to get permits from the government, right? Hell, if you don't pay your taxes they even take ""your"" land, right?
    You are not free to avail yourself of the oldest service in the world, or to bet on a football game with your friends, or to smoke a cigarette in a business you may own. You are not free to smoke marijuana or tobacco thats from a certain nation in your own home.
    You are not even free enough to travel to other countries (Cuba) unless your government gives you permission to do so beforehand (and if you go through another country, plan on being interrogated when you get back with the stamp on your passport).

    And so you know, the Constitution of this country provides the ""right to bear arms"", although for some reason, the founders didn't just write it that way. For some strange reason, they framed it with language that spoke to having a militia. I wonder why that was? The exact amendment states ""A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.""

    I'm sure the framers, being the extremely intelligent people that they were, would have simply written ""the peoples right to bear arms shall not be infringed"" if that's what they truly intended, but for some strange reason, they didn't. If you'd like to use your ""argument"" about the right to drive not being a Constitutional right, thus infusing this debate with the intricascies and literal usage of the Constitution itself, I think you should consider that the Constitution clearly states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed for the militia. To ignore this would be ignorant at best.

    So you know, I am all for the second amendment, but I believe we've taken it out of context, like virtually everything else in the document (and in the BoR). Laywers and lawmakers get paid to interpret the laws, so of course there is a prevailing interpretation that we all have the ""right to bear arms"" and there is an interpretation that unless in the ""militia"", we don't. I would just warn you that if you are going to utilize the literal Constitution and BoR in your insanely simplistic argument for cars and falling, do so at your own peril, because there are people out there like me just waiting to expose you for the under-educated person that you appear to be.

    Posted by Jeff October 27, 08 05:15 PM
  1. Highly Skilled with Daughters -- highly skilled at what -- saying foolish things? There are laws to protect children -- you can't physically or sexually abuse them; you can't withold needed medical treatment; you can't prevent a child from hgetting an education. But you can take an 8 yr old to a gun show where the child dies. So you're saying preventing that would have been socialism, eh? Wow.

    Posted by forechek October 27, 08 05:16 PM
  1. Correct me if I am wrong but the only way I can physically picture that occurring is with the whole firing procedure being done in a totally improper way - specifically, the kid holding the weapon at about his waist level and allowing the weapon to kick up and shoot him in the head. Of course, I would not want a 8-year old handling an automatic weapon in the first place, but even if - this particular accident could hardly happen any other way, in my opinion.

    Posted by Boris October 27, 08 05:17 PM
  1. Its NOT an accident. Machine guns and children do not go together, period.
    Charge the dad and the instructor for allowing this situation.

    Posted by Zig October 27, 08 05:18 PM
  1. The father should be held responsible. He clearly does not even feel any guilt. At the very least the rest of the kids should be removed

    Posted by Against fools with guns October 27, 08 05:22 PM
  1. The father should be held responsible. He clearly does not even feel any guilt. At the very least the rest of the kids should be removed

    Posted by Against fools with guns October 27, 08 05:22 PM
  1. This is so incredibly stupid. No age limits to fire fully automatic guns?
    I'm 15. I've shot .22 caliber bolt-action rifles at a summer camp. There, the age limit is 12 years old, there is no tolerance for carelessness?one warning is given for very minor safety issues, and another mistake or a serious disregard for safety and proper procedure gets you immediately thrown out of the class, if not out of the camp. For 2 full weeks the class deals only with safety issues and practice firing with low-velocity BB guns. That is how it should be. For an 8 year old to be able to fire a machine gun at all is irresponsible at best, and for him to be able to do so with minimal safety knowledge and clearly inadequate supervision is insanely stupid. I defend shooting as a sport, yet I also support gun control laws, with waiting periods and bans on automatic weapons. No matter what side of that particular debate you are on, I think it is possible for us all to agree that to allow minors to fire automatics?to allow 8 year olds to use any firearms at all in such a lax environment?is clearly wrong.

    Posted by Dan Franc October 27, 08 05:24 PM
  1. The most ridiculous aspect of this story is that the father was an ER doc. They should know better, as they see the results of guns and gun violence almost daily. As a physician, I am embarrassed.

    Posted by jdl21 October 27, 08 05:25 PM
  1. Why is the NRA being bashed for this person?s behavior? This kid?s parent(s) let him do this. If you must blame someone (as we must for everything that happens in this country) then blame the kid?s parent(s). There is such a thing as saying NO to your child. No the average sportsman does not need an UZI, but should a law abiding American citizen have one all of the drug dealers and criminals have them. Do you People honestly think that outlawing guns for law-abiding American citizens is going to stop gun violence in this country...How many acts of gun violence are performed by law-abiding American citizens VS. the criminals. More often than not, it is just shear stupidity that kills people.

    Posted by Robin D. October 27, 08 05:25 PM
  1. It is official, common sense is dead! And thanks NRA for supporting not just gun ownership, but the right of almost any citizen to own guns of mass destruction. Morons were firing machine guns last weekend, and somewhere at a shoot in this country, they will be firing machine guns next weekend and the weekend after that. While history would suggest that there have always been stupid people, perhaps never before have they taken such a prominent role or controlling interest in society.

    Posted by Bucky Hunter October 27, 08 05:29 PM
  1. It is official, common sense is dead! And thanks NRA for supporting not just gun ownership, but the right of almost any citizen to own guns of mass destruction. Morons were firing machine guns last weekend, and somewhere at a shoot in this country, they will be firing machine guns next weekend and the weekend after that. While history would suggest that there have always been stupid people, perhaps never before have they taken such a prominent role or controlling interest in society.

    Posted by Bucky Hunter October 27, 08 05:29 PM
  1. scarey to think this father is a Doctor! Unbelievable! No words to explain but that guy and the club and instructor should all be held accountable!

    Posted by clara hill October 27, 08 05:33 PM
  1. The father is so bizarrely detached you can't believe his son's death happened just 24 hours before. He displays absolutely no grief, takes no responsibility and is just trying to move on with ""family hugs"" and a park named for his slaughtered son. It's so horrible and narcissistic and sick. He'll probably sue the firearms show. He ought to have his other children taken away from him lest they also fall prey to his heinous negligence.

    Posted by shashi October 27, 08 05:34 PM
  1. What ever happened to lincoln logs and teddy-bears? Legos? Remote control cars? Why is it that parents need to entertain their young children with firearms? I don't understand. I feel awful for this family, and truly saddened by the boy's death. This should have never happened. I do believe that it was a mistake, but the price to pay was way too great. Someone should have been watching or guiding. I understand that to some, guns are interesting. They aren't to me, but whatever. The father could have just let the kid watch, he didn't have to participate. Should Coulda Woulda. It still happened and its awful, and people need to learn from it.

    My first thought when I started reading is that guns should not be sensationalized. Their description should be plain and simple and say exactly what they are. They should not be marketed as toys or ""something fun to do with the family."" I don't care how fun it is. I think when kids are misguided (as they sometimes are, and their personalities and outside influences are to blame for that), kids will think that guns are OK, that they are toys, or that they are a means to prove something. Kids like to rebel. Perhaps not always 8 yr olds, but as they get older, they can become angry and can try to use guns to scare, hurt, or kill those they are upset with. Look at all the school shootings!

    Its not in every case, of course. I can't say that kids who are exposed to guns will always end up killing people. Some of those kids will end up being even more responsible, its true. But its the potential of that handful of kids that I worry about. It only takes one to destroy so many people's lives, and you never know who that ""one"" will be. I don't think its safe to teach kids that guns are OK. They should be educated on the realities of guns, absolutely--but they should not be led to believe that guns are OK to use as a toy. Guns are not playthings. Again, what happened to regular toys?

    Posted by Jessi October 27, 08 05:37 PM
  1. If you think a gun ( *see ""inanimate object"") killed this poor boy on its own, I weep for you. You should probably throw away your stapler before it comes looking for payback for all those times you slammed it with your hand. Take a deep breath, change your diaper, and get your irrational fear and lack of understanding under control.

    Posted by Topper October 27, 08 05:38 PM
  1. Dad seems like a pretty cool cucumber in the video given that this just happened a day or two ago and his level of personal responsibility. Sounds like he he believes this was just a tragic accident, not the direct result of his horribly bad judgment.

    Posted by Jason October 27, 08 05:40 PM
  1. What a tragedy. It makes me ashamed to be an American. What kind of country even allows an 8 year old, under any circumstance, to fire an Uzi?

    Posted by Steve S. October 27, 08 05:41 PM
  1. Peter - this was good for children? Seeing another child blow his head off - what exactly is good about that? What has it taught them?

    Maybe it's the shock but the father seems too detached - maybe that's how people get through these events they've caused by not thinking.

    Posted by Carolyn October 27, 08 05:41 PM
  1. Idiotic...... anybody who thinks it is necessary for sport or otherwise to shoot an automatic weapon as a civilian adult and any adult who allows their child to handle an automatic weapon is plain and simply a moron!!

    There is NO WAY anybody can make this event acceptable..... for a parent to allow their child to hold and/or shoot an automatic weapon is the biggest form of stupidity yet.

    The parents of this child and the shooting range need to held responsible for this senseless act.

    If you are stupid enough to let child hold or shoot a gun like this..... you shouldn't turn your back....

    I'm in absolute shock over the stupidity of ""smart"" well educated people!!

    Posted by Karen October 27, 08 05:43 PM
  1. I'm not 100% positive, but I suspect that gunsdon'tkillpeople's comment was meant to be SARCASTIC.

    Posted by elle October 27, 08 05:46 PM
  1. plain and simple, the instructor screwed up...

    Posted by chris October 27, 08 05:50 PM
  1. So you have to be 21 to drink, 18 to smoke, but can fire machine guns at 8? this country is amazing!

    Posted by kp October 27, 08 05:51 PM
  1. This is nuts. 8 years old??? Automatic weapons are not for civilian use. A tragic accident that should not have happened. I am a gun owner and this is what hurts lawful legitimate use of firearms.

    Posted by DMS74 October 27, 08 05:52 PM
  1. Well One good thing to come from this is at least this will help thin the gene pool of this Dads obviously faulty genetic code. Dawnism at it's best

    Posted by genejock October 27, 08 05:53 PM
  1. Maybe it's just me, but the father plainly stated in the interview that this all happened just about 24 hours ago, right? So, I mean this guy is cool as a cucumber, what gives? If this was my little 8 year old I'd be a basket case for who knows how long, certainly not over it in 24 hours and talking like the paparrazi was at my door. Tell me what you think:
    ericdrucker1959@yahoo.com

    Posted by Eric Drucker October 27, 08 05:57 PM
  1. tsk tsk - live by the gun, die by the gun...

    Posted by Mike October 27, 08 06:00 PM
  1. The father of this child will suffer for the rest of his life for this tragic accident, no question here. There are very obvious reasons why we have laws regarding age in this country (driving, voting). It's an issue of responsibility. If gun lobbyist organizations and individuals allow the use a deadly weapon, (and yes guns DO kill people), at any age, then THEY are being irresponsible. Lets be frank here; the NRA allows, encourages, and justifies these activities (gun shows and the ""full auto rock&roll"" mentality) by distorting our constitution.

    You can blame the father of the child for being negligent without argument. But the NRA and their supporters are responsible for creating a landscape where this type of activity (8 year old's with Uzi's) is ""OK"". You have to be 16 years old to drive in most states, and 21 to drink, but there is no age limit for using an automatic weapon. Who is responsible here ? WE NEED MUCH MORE STRINGENT LAWS REGARDING FIREARMS.

    Posted by Paul October 27, 08 06:05 PM
  1. I don't know. The Arab kids seem to handle uzis just fine.

    Posted by Joe October 27, 08 06:12 PM
  1. This is perhaps the poorest case of parental bad judgement that I have ever heard of. The father is a doctor? Are you kidding me? He should be charged with Child Endangerment and should have his parental rights (if he has other kids) re-considered by a court. How can this be legal??

    Posted by debbie October 27, 08 06:13 PM
  1. @gunsdontkillpeople: Yes, you're right, but when people try to create regulations for pool safety, we don't hear people complaining about that ""taking away their freedoms"". And I have yet to hear of mass school drownings on high school and college campuses. Your line is the one gun nuts (I use this term as an extremist group, not as another word for gun owners/NRA members. The vast majority are very reasonable) use whenever reasonable restrictions are attempted. I don't want to infringe on anyone's rights, but the simple fact is this could have been prevented. Stopping another Columbine or Virginia Tech is not the same as just taking away people's guns. Keeping this little boy from such a tragic death would not mean an offense to gun owners everywhere. Many of these types are also in the groups (and I appologize for generalizing) that call themselves ""pro-life"". Any attempt at abortion is horrible and murderous, no matter what the circumstances. But try to regulate gun use, to any extent, when guns take the lives of so many living, breathing, children and adults, and you're attacking liberty. I don't blame the father. I don't blame the event. I don't blame the professional. They all had a part in this to some extent, but we won't be able to avoid these tragedies until society changes. Guns have a place in our world. But not in the hands of an 8-year-old boy.

    Posted by Caitlin October 27, 08 06:15 PM
  1. If I run into the store for 20 seconds to buy some milk but leave my kid in the car, I can be arrested for child neglect or child endangerement.
    What's the penalty for this?
    The father should be brought up on charges

    Posted by james October 27, 08 06:18 PM
  1. Did anyone notice what the father-who gave permission to let his 8-year-old shoot a machine gun-does for a living?
    Yep-He's an emergency room doc...I kid you not.

    Posted by George P. October 27, 08 06:19 PM
  1. All of the anti-gun folks need to get a grip and assess the circumstances. Was there poor decision making involved? Obviously, in my opinion. You don't give the keys to a Rolls to a kid not old enough to have his permit, or let an 8 year old use an adult sized chainsaw, do you? That being said, using this tragedy as an opportunity to attack people's civil rights is downright despicable. Like it or not gun ownership is a right afforded us by the Constitution. I don't like that Massachusetts law doesn't enforce jaywalking even though that kills more people every year than firearms accidents, but I don't use every incident about it as a platform from which to spew my opinions as so many anti-gun people do. The only thing that should come from this is a sense of awareness by ALL parents that even the most well-trained, responsible child is still a child. There are many adults that couldn't handle the recoil of an automatic firearm not equipped with a shoulder stock. Putting one into the hands of a child that age was a poor decision.

    Posted by Pro2Ademocrat October 27, 08 06:20 PM
  1. Assumptions
    1) we are not a third word country training child warriors.
    2) There are no usual defensive or hunting usage of these weapons
    3) Minimum ages at firing ranges

    Geezus... lets look at simple rules... how about starting with a resonable limit of age 16 for automatic or semi automatic weapons at firing ranges? Hmm... you cannot have a beer until your 21, but you can have a semi automatic weapon at 8 years of age?

    Posted by bkk October 27, 08 06:20 PM
  1. All the people criticizing this father and firearms are driving me nuts because it?s obvious you don?t know what you?re talking about: 9 mm is NOT a high-powered round. Uzi is the manufacturer so saying that ?no one should own an Uzi? is like saying no one should own a Ford because one car had an accident. The firearm in question is not an assault weapon so when you say that all assault weapons should be banned, it?s obvious you don?t even know what an assault weapon is or that they ARE banned in Mass. ?Nobody needs a machine gun,? and nobody needs to voice their opinion either but you have the right to exercise free speech--that?s the first amendment. Read the 2nd!

    Posted by A_David October 27, 08 06:20 PM
  1. ""I'm still in the grieving process.""

    Are you kidding me? The fact that a) he brought his son to the range and b) he is able to give an interview so soon after his son's death simply amazes me.

    Posted by BB October 27, 08 06:21 PM
  1. I have so many thoughts, coming from all directions. Yes, the father is responsible for his son's death, simply because he took his son to this show. I'm sure he knows it now and regrets his decision. Hasn't every parent made a lousy choice at some time? Any of us could have had our bad decision backfire (no pun intended; OK, yes it was), and harm would come to one of our children. This was a tragedy, one of those ""take-me-back-in-time"" things for the father. I'm sure he will suffer forever.

    To my regret, I allowed my son to join the Army three years ago. One year ago, he was shot to death by Taliban soldiers on the side of a cold mountain in Afghanistan. Just one bullet is all it took. Loving our children can be damned painful. Let's forgive this father. He needs us to.

    Posted by Pamela October 27, 08 06:22 PM
  1. To the father,

    You should be ashamed of yourself. What a stupid, irresponsible decision to allow your son to handle such a powerful weapon. Apparently, there should be licenses for having children. Your ignorance in what is appropriate for a child is sorely lacking. I hope someone will learn from your tragic error in judgement. That's the only positive that can possibly be gained from this.

    Posted by Mary October 27, 08 06:22 PM
  1. Idiot father should lose his medical license. Hypocratic oath: First, do no harm.
    I'm trying to have compassion but first I have to get over my incredible burning anger at this insanely stupid fool for a father.

    Posted by FransBevy October 27, 08 06:22 PM
  1. sorry most importantly to the kid and to his surviving brother. responsibility sometimes i guess can not be taught, even to a doctor.

    Posted by ben October 27, 08 06:24 PM
  1. NECN did a poor job with that interview. How about asking why an 8 year old boy was allowed to fire an uzi???

    Posted by bammer October 27, 08 06:27 PM
  1. I am a gun owner, competitor, certified instructor and pistol coach. I have no problem with children learning the proper and safe handling of firearms, but the gun should match the child. In my opinion an 8-year-old should be shooting a single shot .22, nothing larger. The instructor and the parent should never have let this happen. The anti-gun crowd is going to have a field day with what should have been preventable with just a little common sense. Please let's not turn an unfortunate accicent into a dog-and-pony show for the antigunners. My condolences to the family.

    Posted by David October 27, 08 06:29 PM
  1. No parent gnashing his teeth in the agony of losing a child would say something cold like ""I'm still in the grieving process"" I would have these people investigated closely.

    Posted by FransBevy October 27, 08 06:29 PM
  1. tragically epic fail.

    its a shame when one person's stupidity costs another person their life

    Posted by Chris October 27, 08 06:29 PM
  1. The job of every parent is to protect their children. This father did not protect his son. He made a decision for an 8 year old that never should have been made. He, and he alone, is responsible for his child's death. No discussion. God forgive him. God bless his child.

    Posted by Deb Zaks October 27, 08 06:30 PM
  1. My god.. ever hear of a pellet gun first of all.. no.. real bullets with an 8 year old.
    & as of the comment about the swimming pool.. you moron.. sure bullets & guns are what America needs more of
    Anyway France has a Swimming pool law about fences & alarms & covers so if you are so worried about that. pls lobby your senator

    Posted by mark October 27, 08 06:30 PM
  1. Truly sad. Let this be an impetus for legislation to ban the firing of all machine guns by minors. Everyone wins- kids don't die, and adults still get to shoot.

    Posted by Greg October 27, 08 06:34 PM
  1. Let's ban cars. More children die in cars every year in the U.S. alone than any other reason. The right to drive a motor vehicle (which the Framers could never imagine) is not specified in the Constitution.
    How about sports? Many, many more children die in sports accidents each year (in the U.S. only) than dies from tragic gun accidents in 10 years. There is no right to play sports specified in the Constitution either.

    More children die from falls in one year (U.S. only) than have died from firearm accidents in the last ten years. Should we ban falling?

    I don't believe any father should allow an 8 year old to fire an Uzi. But I also don't believe have a right to tell that parent how to raise their child. This is a nanny state, socialistic point of view. It's a free country, isn't it?

    Posted by Highly Skilled with Daughters October 27, 08 06:34 PM
  1. People wonder why the US is so stuffed up. Guns and 8 year old just dont belong together. I understand your constitution, and the perceived right to bear arms. But when are the American people going to realize that over 200 years ago that may have been a way of life, we are now in 2008 and guns have no place. Guns do kill people! That is what they are designed for. Now a stupid redneck father has just put a deadly weapon in the hands of an 8 year old and he has blown his head off. Please explain why we need fully automatic guns? And for matter why we need a gun fair at all? R.I.P. Christopher

    Posted by Troy from Australia October 27, 08 06:34 PM
  1. Lot of people here have commented that more childrens die Sickness and swimming pool then getting Killed by UZI or gun well. On average all childrens get sick and many swim in pool a very few of them actually meet fatal end and is called accident.
    UZI was developed by Isreal as small range submachine gun. its approx 8 Lbs and fires 600 rounds / mins.
    Can you imagine 600 impact on 8 year old boy holding 8 pound gun. Please tell me that instructor got his cetificate playing video game.
    We spend years training small arms primary focus always is saftey.

    Posted by Army Navy October 27, 08 06:41 PM
  1. How about praying for this boy and his family and keeping your comments at your kitchen table. God bless this family.

    Posted by Lee October 27, 08 06:45 PM
  1. It's disturbing to hear about any senseless death like this, especially for someone so young. Nevertheless, why are people criticizing the father for taking his son to a gun club/range? My initial reaction was also ""dumb. I can't believe anyone allowed an eight-year old to fire an Uzi on automatic"" -- but after that initial gut reaction, I realized the following:

    1) The Uzi is a small caliber, low-recoil weapon.
    2) When I was around the same age, I went to a range with my father and some uncles and their friends to shoot shotguns at clay pigeons. It was a great bonding experience.

    Give the family your sympathies and peace.

    Posted by David in JP October 27, 08 06:49 PM
  1. it is time for banning all guns. period

    Posted by punch October 27, 08 06:50 PM
  1. Look, I am not a big gun person myself and I prefer they stay out of my life and my childrens' hands. That said, this man is not ""to blame"" for his son's death, as many of you are so quick to say. Like it or not, there are many, many people who enjoy guns, use them for sport and fun and are fierece advocates of the right to bear arms. This man was enjoying a day with his son in an activity they enjoyed. It was all done, if you read the report, within the confines of the law. It is a HUGE tragedy. There is no doubt. But this man is grieving. It is an awful, unfortunate freak accident, Judge not people, lest ye be judged.

    Posted by unbiased October 27, 08 06:51 PM
  1. #41 - you have got to be kidding me?! You think the father should sue?! This was a terrible tragedy, but when the hell are people going to start taking responsibility for their actions? It was the fathers choice, no one forced him. He made a bad choice, yet ouor legal system is bogged down with people like you that think you can legislate everything in life. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Doesn't mean you can sue and I seriously could care less about guns.

    Posted by Carol October 27, 08 06:53 PM
  1. If an 8-year-old is going to fire a gun, it shouldn't be anything but a bolt action rifle specifically because you do not need to worry about the consequences if they happen to lose control of it.

    Anything other than a rifle obviously leaves this situation as a possibility.

    What a shame. Now all the anti-gun people are going to rally so the rest of us law-abiding citizens with common sense are a step closer to being forced to give ours up.

    Posted by Justin October 27, 08 06:54 PM
  1. Tragic, and the fault of many including:
    1) Our Federal Government and its Supreme Court that misinterpret the 2nd amendment to somehow permit the use of guns by citizens outside of the Military/National Guard / Militia or Law Enforcement
    2) the Existence of automatic weapons in the US
    3) the Existence of Gun Shows
    4) a Father that takes his kid to a gun show, then allows him to SHOOT A GUN

    Posted by John October 27, 08 06:55 PM
  1. I am a gun owner and a father of a 5 year old boy. It is not irresponsible for a child to be taught the respect for firearms, and how to safely handle them. It is however irresponsible (insane?) to put any weapon in their hands that is beyond their skill and strength. Shame on the father in this scenario. He and the instructor should have had the common sense to keep this child safe.

    Posted by double0b October 27, 08 06:56 PM
  1. This just proves that every doctor is dumb because this doctor let his kid get killed by letting him play with an uzi.

    Posted by Russell Glidden October 27, 08 06:58 PM
  1. i just bought my 11yr old a sword...you know so he can practice....i told him that his ear can grow back....but for now he can look like van Gogh.

    ok so this is not true....but that is what the family did when they allowed a child to handle an adult weapon. This weapon was beyond his years and no matter how many instructors were there it would not have prevented this from happening...the only thing that would have stop the tradgedy in the first place is if the father had any sense and testicals and just said NO!

    I have more resepect for a parent that can restrict a child from stupid behavior....

    It doesn't mention if there was a mother or siblings...they are the ones that must bear this too.

    Posted by mother of 7-no guns allowed October 27, 08 07:00 PM
  1. This proves that with the brains this idiot has as he is a doctor but what amazes me is that he has absolutely NO COMMON SENSE. I can't fathom the pain he is in but he is the adult and his complete lack of judgement is his problem and he must live it. I hope others will learn from his undefenseable horrible lack of judgement and think twice before they let a child get anywhere near close to a firearm.

    Posted by dom turitto October 27, 08 07:00 PM
  1. My heart goes out to this poor boy's mother. Do you think she had any idea, when she kissed her son and husband goodbye, that her husband would make such a stupid decision and her son would die as a result? That poor woman. Not only does she have to grieve the loss of her son, she needs to grieve for the loss of her marriage, which will undoubtedly never be the same. I can only hope and pray that my fiance will make more intelligent decisions with the children we will someday have. I'm sure this woman had no idea she was marrying someone with such poor judgement.

    Posted by lowell October 27, 08 07:03 PM
  1. The father should be held acountable and charged with manslaughter.

    Posted by steve October 27, 08 07:08 PM
  1. Absolutely, pure USA stupid to allow kids that age to handle guns. Why don't we just let them start driving and buying alcohol, too!?!? All are DEADLY weapons....a true avoidable tragedy.

    Posted by LR October 27, 08 07:09 PM
  1. I just can't believe this story! The father is a doctor??!! Our world is out of control. With all the wondeful things you can do with a young son what was this father thinking. The good thing is he'll have to live with this nightmare for the rest of his life. I hate to bring politics into it, but I;m going to anyway, is the father a republican? I bet! The paranoid party!!!

    Posted by Mike Ryan October 27, 08 07:09 PM
  1. Please to send doc to Bridgewater STAT

    Posted by Ferial October 27, 08 07:09 PM
  1. The comments here prove a couple of things: 1) We all agree that it was stupid to let an 8 yr old use an Uzi. 2) This incident is more fuel for the anti-gun lobby, a perfectly tragic story to push gun bans.

    What we're missing here is the LESSON: Have RESPECT for potentially dangerous equipment! Table saw, car, chainsaw, weapons, anything that can do you wrong in a hurry, you need to have RESPECT for it. This lesson cost someone their life unfortunately.

    Posted by Jim October 27, 08 07:10 PM
  1. Wow. I bet the kid hadn't even played Grand Theft Auto yet.

    Posted by zam October 27, 08 07:14 PM
  1. Just saw the NECN video of the dad's interview. Goodness...you'd never know his son just died this weekend. Talk about detached! He sounds like he's describing what his day at work was like. I know people deal with grief in different ways, but I'm sorry, as a mom to an 8 yr old, there's no freakin' way if I witnessed my kid get killed by shooting himself in the head that I would be having a normal conversation with no tears and no breaking down within 24 hours! Can't but help but think that detachment may have played a role inhis
    decision-making for choosing that activity for an 8 yr old on a weekend day. All in all, a tragedy. As a parent, my heart aches for any child that dies.


    Posted by bklynmom October 27, 08 07:16 PM
  1. NRA ""Father of the Year"".

    Posted by Charlton Heston October 27, 08 07:17 PM
  1. Wow... and we want to trust people with dangerous weapons? We do not live in colonial America where the British solders were looking for guns possessed by the Patriots. We don't need Uzis to protect our Constitutional rights.

    Posted by Susan October 27, 08 07:17 PM
  1. anti gun people and PRO arms people READ THIS........ Just look in the past year how many teens/kids have been killled by a automatic weapon. Then compare this to how many teens/kids have died behind the wheel of a car or have been killed by a car. I can gurantee more kids will be killed by cars than drugs..... My gun has killed less people than Kenndys car............

    Posted by mike October 27, 08 07:23 PM
  1. Are there ANY circumstances under which a child should be firing a gun? NO. Kids should not be allowed near guns. PERIOD.

    Posted by JKE October 27, 08 07:25 PM
  1. Good luck keeping THAT marriage together.

    Hey, DR. Dad. This was your fault. No way to say it wasn't.

    I agree with the PP who said the NRA will try to spin this. They'll meet theirs in the end. Blood is on the hands of EVERYONE at that show.

    Posted by Taylor October 27, 08 07:25 PM
  1. ""You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows.""

    I'll give Gunsdontkillpeople the benefit of the doubt and assume he is not the colossal ignoramus that his comment would lead us to believe. Playing with guns is not safer than playing in a swimming pool. In fact, a review of statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bears that out. If this story teaches us anything, it is that guns do kill people.

    Posted by JDF October 27, 08 07:28 PM
  1. Did you watch the video of the father, is that for real!!! The father is acting like this is a simple tragedy and it is just something that can happen. He was even laughing in the video. I would be devastated!!!!!!!!! Suicidal!!!!!!. Not talk to ANYONE!!!!!!! I would hide in my house for months and feeling like the dumbest person in the world. I'm I the only one seeing this?

    Posted by DumbFounded October 27, 08 07:29 PM
  1. Stupid jerk, murderer of own son. Every waking hour of his life will be haunted with the tragic killing of his own son.

    Posted by km October 27, 08 07:29 PM
  1. How and why would you let an 8 year old shot any kind of gun... He's not fit to be a parent... I feel bad for the kid but not for the father...

    Posted by Amanda October 27, 08 07:31 PM
  1. Happiness is a warm UZI.

    Posted by blastaliberal October 27, 08 07:35 PM
  1. My father is an NRA member, and he has guns. I have cousins who live in places where they hunt frequently, and have guns in the house. My brother is a cop, and an Army vet, and obviously is armed. They all believe in gun safety, and I believe that if I or one of my younger cousins asked to go to the range and learn to shoot, they would take us. My brother has suggested that I get a license to carry, in fact.

    There is NO WAY that ANY of them would EVER allow a child that small to handle an automatic weapon. None. Full stop. Hell, they wouldn't let ME do it, since I am a novice - there is no way they would let a little kid do it. Maybe Dad's air rifle, or his.22, if the child were supervised, but this??? Irresponsible in the highest degree. I feel &terrible* about this incident. Those poor parents. They must feel just horrible.

    Posted by April October 27, 08 07:36 PM
  1. Dad acts like he just lost a pony he bought last week. Where's his humanity? The kid never had a chance.

    Posted by Jimmy October 27, 08 07:37 PM
  1. The father just had his son die in his hands. Instead of bashing them, try saying a prayer.

    Sure it was stupid. Let the family grieve and go about your day.

    Posted by Michael October 27, 08 07:37 PM
  1. I will not feel compassion for an unfit father... I feel sorry for the child lost... and the family but not the parents who allow their son to shoot guns at such a young age.... If they have any other children, they should be taken away.... anyone who thinks it is alright to allow their son to shot a 9-mm Micro Uzi machine gun should get their head because you have some serious mental issues...

    Posted by Amanda October 27, 08 07:38 PM
  1. SHAME ON YOU BOSTON GLOBE!!! No comments should be allowed on such a tragic story. Shame on all of you for your callous comments.

    Posted by john October 27, 08 07:40 PM
  1. Unbelievable. The people who think that this was only an accident and that there is nothing wrong with letting an 8 year old use a machine gun are deluded. They are the same people who don't care or don't see that the rest of the world now looks down of us because of what Bush has done to this country, how he has stampeded our constitution in the name of national security, how he has allowed unimpeded environmental damage in the name of corporate profit, how his policies have destroyed many of our retirement funds. When you own a gun your brains drop down to your crotch.crotch.Iamembarassed

    Posted by Doug in NH October 27, 08 07:46 PM
  1. God Bless the family and may the lord comfort his school friends and teachers.
    BB Guns and .22 Rifles are to train your kids so they can enjoy shooting.

    Posted by Jas T October 27, 08 07:50 PM
  1. They're just lucky Dick Cheney wasn't there, or it could have been worse.
    Check out (below) this moron's logic from an earlier post - (It's scary to think that there might be more of them out there) - And I quote:

    ""Let's ban cars. More children die in cars every year in the U.S. alone than any other reason. The right to drive a motor vehicle (which the Framers could never imagine) is not specified in the Constitution.
    How about sports? Many, many more children die in sports accidents each year (in the U.S. only) than dies from tragic gun accidents in 10 years. There is no right to play sports specified in the Constitution either.

    More children die from falls in one year (U.S. only) than have died from firearm accidents in the last ten years. Should we ban falling?

    I don't believe any father should allow an 8 year old to fire an Uzi. But I also don't believe have a right to tell that parent how to raise their child. This is a nanny state, socialistic point of view. It's a free country, isn't it?""

    Wow!

    Posted by Reasonable Human October 27, 08 07:53 PM
  1. You know, when I was 8 and 9 years old, my dad showed me how to shoot a .22. I went to firearms training at the military base where we lived. But, it is beyond me why anyone would think it was a good thing to let an 8 year old shoot an automatic weapon. There is some kind of statement about our society in this tragedy. Too bad the kid had to pay for the lesson.

    Posted by ron October 27, 08 07:55 PM
  1. They prolly didn't even blindfold the pumkin.

    Posted by paul October 27, 08 07:56 PM
  1. What next, a small, child sized nuclear device??? Only to be used with parental permission. After all, Bombs don't kill people!!!

    Posted by mikec October 27, 08 07:58 PM
  1. An ER doctor, of all people should know better. Victims of accidental gun discharges are a mainstay of emergency room traffic. Did the boy's mother sanction this form of recreation? I've viewed the video clip, and the dad appears to be in denial.

    Posted by Linda Harvey October 27, 08 07:58 PM
  1. Its the fault of the instructer, pure and simple. The fact that the dad took him is irelevant. As far as the dad knew, he was in safe and strict supervisional hands, and it seems the father would not have had it any other way. The guy who was supervising the kid should be charged for manslaughter.

    Posted by Munroe October 27, 08 08:01 PM
  1. what a stupid hobby.
    Hey, maybe if the parents consented we could have a beer drinking contest with all the eight year olds too. Hell, let's give the kids a shot at riding a 1200cc racing motorcycle-hey it's ok, as long as Dad says so.

    Posted by Common Sense October 27, 08 08:04 PM
  1. To get a real idea of what this club does during its Machine Gun Shoots go to Youtube and type in Westfield Gun Club. I was appalled. They pump thousands of rounds into filled propane tanks and watch them explode into balls of fire. They shoot up old cars that have explosives inside that goe off when hit by a bullet. And of course the decimate hundreds of pumpkins. They also have cannons they shoot off. This is sport?? Where's the skill here? My understanding that is that many responsible sportsmen are also protectors of the environment. These machine gunners are anything but and to me it borders on perversion.
    I was in Westfield this weekend and was about five miles away from the club. The racket from the shooting was incessant and annoying and it went on for hours on end. I'm not sure the police gave this club licenses to explode propane canisters and cannons. And I'm surprised they allow this sort of racket on a Sunday. Even construction work is tempered on a Sunday.

    Posted by timesthree October 27, 08 08:07 PM
  1. It's hard to convey true emotion in article, but this guy hardly seems remorseful. I'm sure he feels terrible, but I get the feeling he's more concerned about what people will think of him. I wonder how his wife felt about her son shooting an Uzi. It's a shame the boy shot himself and not the father.

    Posted by JustAnotherExasperatedPinko October 27, 08 08:08 PM
  1. This was a tragic accident and my hearts go out to the family. They are the ones that are sick at their stomach and are grieving. Yes this was stupid and shouldn't have happened, but these are firearms and should be treated as such. I wonder how many of you have done something real stupid and got away with it or maybe didn't get away with it. I was listening to the news one day when they said a amish child was killed when gasolene exploded near a freezer that kicked on and then a black child was killed by using a pistol that was loaded. They were talking about pressing charges against the black family but nothing was said about the amish family. Why?

    Posted by Jim Hickman October 27, 08 08:09 PM
  1. What in God's name is an 8 year old being trained in shooting an uzi going to accomplish? Other than being the next Klebold & Harris, the ones behind Columbine. I am so sorry for the doctor and his family. Surely, this goes to the grave with him

    Posted by Joe Rizzo October 27, 08 08:10 PM
  1. That really sad. give a machine gun to a cute little 8 year old! i know what its like having someone missing. my dad is gone! that's just really sad

    Posted by Julia October 27, 08 08:11 PM
  1. this makes me sick... i could barely ride a two wheeler at age eight, but this dad thinks that his son can handle an uzi? i am not a dr. or a rocket scientist, but i assume that a high powered weapon would have the ""kick"" to throw an adult backwards when fired. no wonder the poor kid lost control of the gun, he didn't weigh enough for the backward momentum. you would think an ""emergency room"" dr. might consider the physical factors before making reckless decisions.

    Posted by lh October 27, 08 08:12 PM
  1. No, I wouldn't think that having children under the age of 12 handle automatic weapons is a good idea. But you people calling for criminal charges make me sick. This was an accident and not reckless endangerment. You going to call for parents who allow their 8 year olds to swim in swimming pools to be jailed when some of their kids inevitably drown. Drowning in pools is inevitable, yet for some reason we don't throw parents in jail. In fact sometimes we express sympathy and condolences for the loss of a child. It is still an accident even when there is increased risk of injury. Most fun and enjoyable things in life come with some increased risk of death or injury. On average it is probably more reckless and injurious for a parent to go through a McDonald's drive thru and get a ""happy meal"" and to sit their kids in front of a Nintendo.


    Posted by Pat October 27, 08 08:15 PM
  1. This makes me physically ill.

    Posted by mary October 27, 08 08:16 PM
  1. I'm not a gun expert, but I can't see how this could have happened with a single shot gun, or even a semi-automatic The biggest problem to me is that they gave a child an automatic weapon. BTW...I've seen adults learning to operate a firearm nearly kill themselves and those around them, and that was a mere semi-auto pistol An ROTC cadet who was learning pistol marksmanship at an indoor range brought the weapon down after firing and accidentally knocked it into her thigh while her finger was inside the trigger guard. The bullet ricocheted off the floor and the ceiling and back towards the instructor who was standing behind her. He was looking for bullet holes in the sleeve of his BDU's. THat's how close it was. So...would I ever let a child operate a firearm? Not just no...H#LL NO!

    Posted by StarboardLean October 27, 08 08:17 PM
  1. What is also disturbing is that the father is even talking to reporters. He should be mourning, not loking for more attention. What a complete idiot he is. DSS needs to keep an eye on the other brother.. something is fishy here...

    Posted by eric m October 27, 08 08:18 PM
  1. To Gunsdon'tkillpeople: What is a ""SWIMMING POOL SHOW?"" ""guns don't kill people"", Yeah that sounds about right.

    Posted by Jimbo October 27, 08 08:21 PM
  1. There should be a law requiring eight year olds to ONLY fire tripod mounted machine guns, and NOT hand held machine guns (uzi's).

    Posted by Richard October 27, 08 08:22 PM
  1. What is more sickening than this parent allowing his 8 yo child shoot a firearm (and UZI no less), is the fact he has the nerve to stand in front of a news camera and talk about him in the past tense in such an unemotional way. It is just as disturbing as the incident itself. He should be brought up on charges of child endangerment, I agree. An MD? Just goes to show an education doesn't mean you have brains!

    If there truly is a law allowing children under 18 to shoot a firearm in MA then then it needs to be changed.....immediately. Who was the brains behind that one...I want to make sure he isn't in office still!

    Posted by Cheryl (Rebistered Nurse) October 27, 08 08:27 PM
  1. A 9mm uzi is a very heavy weapon for a 8 year old. Its very careless of an adult to allow a child to fire any automatic weapon much less an uzi. The weight of the uzi fired on full automatic makes it much easier to guide the line of fire. Its easy to fire from the waist level very accurately. It possibly slipped from his hands as his finger was on the trigger and discharged. The tension/pressure required to fire an uzi on full automatic is very light. This tragedy could have been avoided. Condolences to both of his parents.

    Posted by Hitobito October 27, 08 08:28 PM
  1. You won't find anyone more pro-gun than me on this board. But this is just rotten judgment on the part of the dad, and criminal negligence on the part of the instructor. Third graders shouldn't be drinking whisky, banging hookers, or shooting machine guns.

    Posted by Chris-B-3 October 27, 08 08:31 PM
  1. Guns were designed and developed for one purpose, and that purpose is killing. That anybody would try to draw a comparison between a swimming pool and an instrument designed specifically for killing is beyond my comprehension. And, that a father would choose to rob an 8-year old of his innocence by putting an instrument of death in his hand is also beyond my comprehension.

    Posted by trh October 27, 08 08:34 PM
  1. Highly Skilled with Daughters: The Constitution does not give rights, nor does the Bill of Rights. The Constitution does not contain phrases like, ""The People shall have the right to free speech."" Instead, it contains language like, ""Congress shall make no law... abridging free speech..."" or ""..the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."" The rights mentioned in the Constitution and the rights enumerated by the Bill of Rights are rights acknowledged as natural rights. Natural rights are acknowledged in the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution only limits the powers of the federal government to infringe upon certain rights. You'll never find a ""right"" to do anything in there, only limits on the Federal Government's powers.

    Posted by Joe D. October 27, 08 08:35 PM
  1. Another reason to ban GUNS!!! Stupid gun nuts
    I was a little surprised as to how calm this idiot of a father was able to discuss his son's death????????

    Posted by bill October 27, 08 08:35 PM
  1. The father and the family have my condolences. I am so sorry for what has happened to you.

    You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.

    Posted by Chris October 27, 08 08:35 PM
  1. And if McCain/Palin get elected, we'll be able to read stories like this every day....we may not have healthcare, jobs, reproductive rights, or civil equality, but our right to defend arms will be protected....what a joke

    Posted by EmbarrassedAmerican October 27, 08 08:36 PM
  1. Idiotic, irresponsible parenting and supervision. How can anyone, particularly the father say the ""accident is a mystery""! He may be in denial about his personal contribution to his sons death, but there is no mystery in handing a little boy a weapon like this. I'm not against gun ownership per se, but this is criminal pure and simple and there should be accountability for something like this.
    Maybe he and others may be rationalizing that it ""guns don't kill people, people do"". Well, it's clear who the people were here -- the dad who gave him permission and the supervisor. Also the ""gun's dont kill people"" adage is true for cars too, but I wonder how often this dad let his 8 year old drive his precious car, truck or whatever else he drives... my guess is he never did ... don't want an 8 year old playing with my nice car ... he might damage it! So why then let him play with an UZI?!?!
    Stupid and truly, truly sad.
    My feelings go out to the kids other family members and friends.

    Posted by 8 year old dad October 27, 08 08:41 PM
  1. Whether you favor gun control or not (I personally favor strict gun control), this is horrible accident and it is a grave tragedy for the family and all others involved. I think insults directed to the father are very inappropriate given he lost his son. No matter how you feel about guns, in no way would the father expect an accident like this to happen in this manner.

    Posted by pdc October 27, 08 08:41 PM
  1. The place this happened at should be closed and every weopon confiscated. The father should be charged with homicide, lose his license to practice, fired from his job, and then go to jail as well as the instructor. To those who say they suffered enough and let them grieve, how would it be if that kid had shot and killed someone else? This really needs a harsh punishment. I actually couldn't believe what I was reading. That father displayed the absolute apex of stupidity

    Posted by sj October 27, 08 08:45 PM
  1. Gunsdontkillpeople...how many hours do kids swim in pools in America? How many hours do kids use guns in America? I'm guessing you are going to get one really large number and one really small number...and once you figure out that, I am guessing your silly little statistic (for every kid who dies because of a gun 100 die because of a swimming pool) will in fact prove exactly the opposite of what you are intending.

    Posted by Urbs October 27, 08 08:47 PM
  1. The tragedy here is that the bullet struck the poor kid... the gun should've coiled farther back and shot his father in the head.

    Posted by gunsKILL October 27, 08 08:48 PM
  1. Regardless of opinions on either side this is a tragic story. To use it as a time to mock anyone, call it borderline hilarious like comment 283, or get your political points out there is disgusting. A little boy is gone. As parent I am heartbroken and horrified. Trying to point fingers and blame won't bring him back.

    Posted by Christine October 27, 08 08:53 PM
  1. It's too bad the father here chose guns as a way to relate with his child.

    It's easy to let your child do whatever makes him happy -- like playing violent video games or in this case acting out the fantasy with real guns.

    Being a parent means using your judgement and saying No. Help the child make a better choice.

    Posted by thumbsup October 27, 08 08:54 PM
  1. Regarding response 346.....

    I was wondering the same thing.....was this guy (and his son) an arab? If so, what irony....being killed by an Israeli machine gun.

    Posted by Williard October 27, 08 08:56 PM
  1. RESPECT AND EDUCATION!!! when my son was 4 years old i started showing him how to handle guns (bb guns at first). at 9 years old he was at a friends house when the friend came out of the parents room with a gun,(showing off pointing it around) my son asked to see the gun, he then checking the gun relized it was loaded. after clearing the gun (unloading it) he made his friend put it back. when my son arrived home he told us what happened, we then called the boys parents. I THANK GOD I TRAINED HIM RIGHT! he is alive and going on 16. sometimes resents the fact that he has NEVER been allowed to pay with toy guns my reason is GUNS ARE NOT TOYS!! TAKE THE GUNS OUT OF TOY DEPT. EDUCATE THE PEOPLE!!!

    Posted by JOE October 27, 08 08:57 PM
  1. P.S. I assume the #2 swimming pool guy was ironically predicting what the gun lobby would say. Not even the NRA could make such a boneheaded statement and actually mean it at face value.

    Posted by thumbsup October 27, 08 08:58 PM
  1. RESPECT AND EDUCATION!!! when my son was 4 years old i started showing him how to handle guns (bb guns at first). at 9 years old he was at a friends house when the friend came out of the parents room with a gun,(showing off pointing it around) my son asked to see the gun, he then checking the gun relized it was loaded. after clearing the gun (unloading it) he made his friend put it back. when my son arrived home he told us what happened, we then called the boys parents. I THANK GOD I TRAINED HIM RIGHT! he is alive and going on 16. sometimes resents the fact that he has NEVER been allowed to pay with toy guns my reason is GUNS ARE NOT TOYS!! TAKE THE GUNS OUT OF TOY DEPT. EDUCATE THE PEOPLE!!! fully auto weapons are for military!! not civilians!!! NOT CHILDREN!!!!

    Posted by JOE October 27, 08 08:59 PM
  1. OK doc, go sit in the corner and keep repeating, ""guns don't kill people, people kill people""..........................killer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by Mike M October 27, 08 08:59 PM
  1. Whether we want to blame the father or not the reality is that we as parents have the responsiblity to care and watch over our children so that they are safe. That does not mean they are not alllowed to take risks but we prevent them from taking risks that could do serious harm to themselves or others. This man was an ER physician, he has seen what poor judgement and violence can do. I am sorry for him but he failed his son who was dependent on his guidance.

    Posted by Gene October 27, 08 09:00 PM
  1. Maybe we should make people have a background check before we let them breed.

    Hopefully someone will consider pulling the other poor child out of this scary family and raise him somewhere safe.

    Posted by Zak October 27, 08 09:00 PM
  1. Bizarre that he'd let his eight-year-old son fire a machine gun. Bizarre that he can speak so dispassionately about it less than twenty-four hours later.

    Bizarre.

    Posted by Harrybosch October 27, 08 09:02 PM
  1. If there was ever proof that the whole ""guns don't kill people"" BS is infact BS this is it. No gun, no dead child.

    Posted by Joe K October 27, 08 09:02 PM
  1. This is what is wrong with blogging. This is a heartbreaking story and this poor family is going through an unimaginable loss. Yet everyone is posting their own remarks (some far too harsh considering the grieving this father is going through) as if these are not real people. These are real people who lost their son. Right now, politics, gun control, parental judgment are not what should be discussed at will by a bunch of strangers. An 8 year old has died. Where is the compassion, grief or sense of community? Please remember 8 year olds read, they are internet savvy and undoubtedly friends of this poor boy are reading your remarks.
    I am saddened by this event but deeply concerned by the vultchers it produced on Boston.com.

    Posted by Rachel October 27, 08 09:03 PM
  1. ""Kill'n'maim! Kill'n'maim!""

    Wow, this tragic story sure is bringing out the hysterical anti-gun loons. The fact that many more kids are hurt in athletics and bicycles and swimming than in participating in shooting sports is completely lost on them. ""Kill'n'maim!""

    Having said that, the deaths from accidental shootings should be ZERO. This was criminal negligence on the part of the instructor, and dreadful judgment on the part of the father. Third graders shouldn't be shooting machine gun pistols, or any other weapon liable to be mishandled, IMO.

    Posted by Chris-B-3 October 27, 08 09:06 PM
  1. the father should be convicted of manslaughter.. Anyone who lets a CHILD handle a gun is moron.

    Posted by JeffC October 27, 08 09:06 PM
  1. Gun shows like this advertise incredibly deadly and destructive weapons like they're the teacups ride at Disney. ""Come one, come all! Take a spin!""
    Atrocious!
    Gun shows like this should be banned!
    I believe there's nothing wrong with folks owning guns for hunting purposes, but treating automatic weapons like they're made for family entertainment is just wrong. Anyone who thinks shows like this are good for children are wrong! Do their parents tell them that it's these same weapons that are killing American soldiers over-seas? No, they just say ""Look at how great guns are!"" Guns should be feared and respected.

    Posted by Resposibilitymeanssayingno October 27, 08 09:07 PM
  1. How brutally tragic. The sad part is that the boy ""had been looking forward to it for months""....why is an 8 year old looking forward to this kind of event? This country needs help.

    Posted by boston-Heahter October 27, 08 09:07 PM
  1. This was a very tragic, very avoidable accident. No matter what anyone thinks about guns, there is no way an 8-year old should have been allowed to handle a machine gun. There is no justification for it. period. The father is either heavily medicated or insane. Who would have that composure after watching his kid shoot himself in the head? I would be a complete mess if that was me.

    Posted by Annaleah October 27, 08 09:11 PM
  1. I clicked here to vent my anger about this stupidity. However what I found by reading the earlier comments (for the most part) has restored a modicum of faith in this country. I read many comments from gun owners that also thought this was completely inexcusable and senseless. I expected to find just as many NRA posts supporting the idea of letting a child handle this weapon. Thank you.

    Posted by Kim October 27, 08 09:12 PM
  1. i think the dad has been a doc. for so long that he is dettached and unaffected by death!! even his own sons. ( that's very sad)

    Posted by joe October 27, 08 09:13 PM
  1. I am an NRA instructor and this (and i feel for his loss) idiot went against everything that the NRA teaches, including NEVER letting a child alone with a weapon, loaded or not

    Posted by Andrew R Weiner October 27, 08 09:15 PM
  1. To those who claim more children are killed in car accidents or by drowning, that may be true. However, no sane person would put a five-year old behind the wheel of the family car, even with a licensed instructor in the passenger seat. No one would toss an infant into the deep end of a pool, even with a lifeguard nearby.. By the same logic, no one should let untrained and unlicensed people OF ANY AGE go to a Machine Gun Shoot with only the guidance of a licensed instructor nearby.

    It's also important to note that the organizer of this and other such Machine Gun Shoots in the area is a guy called Ed Fleury. He happens to be the police cheif of the samall town of Pelham, Mass.. People may recognize the name. He is an outspoken gun rights advocate. Notoriously, in 2003 while teaching a gun safety course for the public at the town's community center, he fired a gun that he admitted he did not realize was loaded. The shot went through a wall. Fortunately no one was hurt or killed.. Unfortunately, Fleury still has his job and now his stupidity with guns led, at least indirectly, to the death of a child.

    Posted by Bill T. October 27, 08 09:16 PM
  1. Why aren't they being arrested?? This idiot is in charge of a emergency room???

    Posted by Tom Spooner October 27, 08 09:16 PM
  1. HORRIBLE STORY...

    I teach my kids gun safety and to shoot, but I would NEVER allow an 8 year old to fire a fully automatic weapon. Clearly way beyond the youngster's strength and skill set. Stupid, stupid. Condolences and prayers to the family who have to live with this tragedy.

    Posted by Mike October 27, 08 09:21 PM
  1. I firmly believe that if an adult is going to have guns in the house, everyone in the house, including children, should learn proper gun safety. And in many parts of the US, I'm sure there are parents who learned as a child how to use a gun and want to teach their children the same. I have absolutely no problem with this; however, it's usually with a rifle or .22 at best, not at Uzi. There is absolutely no need for an eight-year old to shoot an Uzi, and this poor father must live with the consequences of it.

    Posted by Heather October 27, 08 09:22 PM
  1. My heart goes out to the father and his family.

    Posted by Bryce Clark October 27, 08 09:30 PM
  1. Are you kidding??? Giving an 8 year old permission to fire a gun? Was he out of his mind! I don't care how much your child loves something or wants to try something, be the parent and use some commen sense. What a senseless and tragic event that could easily have been avoided.

    Posted by Kathy October 27, 08 09:31 PM
  1. Happiness is a warm gun... yes it is...
    -John Lennon

    WTF -- Are humans so dumb that we think we should teach our children that the best toys are really automatic weapons and that real weapons are only toys like in video games... DUHHHH! What is it about human life that brings mankind to frequently balance fear and power with suicidal darkness and insanity?

    The older I get the more surprised I am about how many stupid people are messing with all of our lives, --- but to teach a young child that an automatic weapon is sporting equipment and to find a social life in shooting UZIs for fun is truly perverted.

    Posted by Mack the knife October 27, 08 09:31 PM
  1. Thoughts and prayers to the family particularly to the brother and mother. I can only imagine the impact this will have for years to come in this family.

    This interview is mind boggling.....the father seems detached and doesn't seem very remorseful. His comments regarding his other son was already recovering from this incident within 24 hours doesn't seem very realistic. I hope he really is doing better but let him remorse for his brother.

    Like I said, thoughts and prayers.

    Posted by EJ October 27, 08 09:33 PM
  1. Hey Mary #356 and others of similar tone, YOU ALL MUST BE SO PERFECT!
    Nice to say the things you do about a father who lost his son behind a computer. I guess I shouldn't be so suprised. Don't worry Obama will be in office soon and you can have all the useless gun laws you want.

    Posted by Kevin October 27, 08 09:34 PM
  1. Ummmmm, people,

    I may be giving ""gunsdontkillpeople"" too much credit, but, I think his was a sarcastic comment skewering what the ridiculous response might be from the gun lobby. People don't die in or at swimming pool shows/home shows. Think about it. Otherwise, it is just plain nonsense.

    Posted by Flex Tuning October 27, 08 09:35 PM
  1. Awesome, I love it. Every f*ckin Republican deserves the same fate, I'm sure they'd agree, survivalof the fittest, it's capitalism in play. What's Palin got to say about this? What's the excuse NRA? HAHAHAHAHahaha, I LOVE IT!

    Posted by F*ckinA October 27, 08 09:37 PM
  1. Guns should be outlawed, any questions. This story is just sick, I just don't get it. What is the father thinking? 8 years old, unbelievable! Gun control is one of the major issues in this country and this story is a perfect illustration. Plain and simple, this should never have happened. Shame on the state of massachusetts and the father.

    Posted by soxman October 27, 08 09:40 PM
  1. Stupid hicks! The sad thing is nobody will learn their lesson from this. We'll still have uneducated, brain-dead people still argue for the right to bear arms. Hell, I bet this inbred fair doesn't even shut down for a day.

    I'm fine with people owning rifles for hunting, but why do you need anything else? Let the cops be the ones who have the guns. This is so easy to see for people with common sense.

    Posted by Guns_are_for_cops October 27, 08 09:42 PM
  1. This guy speaks about his son like he's a co-worker. A powerhouse of brilliance? Are you kidding me? This is so saddening. My prayers are with the mother of this poor angel and her family. As a father, it makes me sick and angers me that this animal isn't behind bars. Yes! I'm angry, sad and disgusted (like everyone else).

    Posted by Josh October 27, 08 09:44 PM
  1. Tragic. An 8 year old boy should be playing touch football with his buddies on a crisp autumn Sunday afternoon...not trying to obliterate a pumpkin with an Uzi. The phrase 8 year old should never be in the same thought as an automatic weapon. How can our society justify these weapons being used by anyone other than our military defending our country?
    The father is an ER doctor...you would think he has seen a bullet wound or two and would have respect for the damage these guns can do to the human body. One shot is all it took from this killing machine to steal this young boy's future.
    May Christopher rest in peace and may his family find some way to deal with this senseless and preventable tragedy.

    Posted by mom of a 7 year old October 27, 08 09:45 PM
  1. I agree with number 182, 100 percent. I think people who jump out in parachutes are crazy. But that is their choice and I respect that. I hear teenagers getting kill in car accidents all the time especially at graduation time. Again that is their choice. Because you are not a gun owner or a sports shooter you should respect them also. That is their choice instead of trying to control them. After all this is the 2nd amendment. There are things I don't like about the 1st. amendment But I don't think I should try to change it.

    Posted by Jim Hickman October 27, 08 09:48 PM
  1. Rich family had nothing to do that was why his son died soon.

    Posted by jhohn October 27, 08 09:48 PM
  1. Christopher. His name was Christopher. He was eight years old and now he's dead.

    Posted by Clearlight October 27, 08 09:52 PM
  1. Is it just me or is that one of the strangest interviews I've ever heard. The interviewer sounded like he was interviewing the dad of a son NOT who just tragically died but of a son who maybe won an award or something and I didn't feel or sense much remorse at all in the fathers voice. I'm sure he feels it but I sure didn't get a sense of it at all in that interview. This was an unbelievable tragedy that should never have happened and I hope the gun club and his father are found responsible.

    Posted by Chris October 27, 08 09:53 PM
  1. This news is all over the world! I my homecountry, Norway, the most of us are really schocked about the weapons culture in the US. No wonder your kids go to school and massacre each other!

    Posted by Norwegian October 27, 08 09:53 PM
  1. Whats the big deal. Everyone knows that people in this country need UZi's and other machine guns for hunting and self-defense!! The culture of gun ownership that promotes events like the one where this boy was killed really needs to be rexamined. Private citizens of any age should not be allowed to own or have access to machne guns. Period.

    Posted by LS October 27, 08 09:53 PM
  1. Obviously, the physician father is a Republican. Thus, the consequences are deserfed.

    Posted by Richard October 27, 08 09:54 PM
  1. Guns don't kill people.....
    Irresponsible gun handling kills people.

    Can't blame the kid for being excited. Can certainly blame the dad and the event organizers though.
    Outlaw guns? Ok.... I am an outlaw then!!!

    Posted by Tom October 27, 08 09:54 PM
  1. Over 440 postings and not a single one in favor of the dad. What does that say?

    I hope he lives to a good old age and has to think about this every day.

    The gun club is just as guilty too.

    Shut them down.

    Maybe we should check with Sarah Palin for her comment on this subject.

    Posted by Marc October 27, 08 09:54 PM
  1. This pieceofshit should be held accountable! ALL OF US AS PARENTS NEED TO LEARN FROM ANIMALS LIKE THESE. Regardless of your stance on guns.

    Posted by jdc October 27, 08 09:56 PM
  1. When are we going to see the video of the kid blowing his brains out on you-tube? Isn't that what young people are into these days, doing stupid things and putting it on you tube?

    Posted by gunlust October 27, 08 09:59 PM
  1. Who is the guy interviewing the parent? Sounds like a social interview to me. No What were you thinking? What did you do? Do you feel remorse? Are you stupid? ""... sounds like a buddy outdoorsman..."" WTF!

    Posted by me October 27, 08 10:00 PM
  1. And to think that this Dad is a doctor! No wonder why I don't trust doctors!

    Posted by LynnE October 27, 08 10:00 PM
  1. As a middle-aged man comfortable with a modicum of risk, you could not drag me within a mile of a place where 8 year olds have Uzis in their hands. If I would be scared to be there, why would I want to bring my children there?

    Posted by Henry October 27, 08 10:01 PM
  1. may this boy's soul rest in peace... and forgive this nation for its culture of killing

    Posted by alice's restaurant October 27, 08 10:01 PM
  1. What a terrible tragedy. It would be more helpful to remember that many children are killed by a parent's distraction, bad judgment or plain bad luck. Bad judgment is what caused this death, the manner of death is not relevant. The death could just as easily have been in a car on a hot day, in a boat, swimming pool, trampoline, ATV, etc.

    Posted by cpachic October 27, 08 10:06 PM
  1. The obvious tragedy of this aside, is anyone as infuriated at the NECN reporter as I am? He carries on with the father, exhibiting a sickening giddiness, like he's interviewing a sports star after a big game. He's seems so excited to get his ""big break"" interview with the grieving father... both he and the father sicken me. Terrible judgment on many levels, including NECN and the Globe. But what else do you expect from today's media outlets.

    Posted by JK October 27, 08 10:07 PM
  1. All it takes is one unfortunate event like this for the liberal anti -gun people to start pointing fingers. Accidents happen but this is a very rare case. I wish all the people here would be this upset when another teen drunk driver kills somebody on our roads!

    Posted by SSAS October 27, 08 10:09 PM
  1. bingo! post 423... the most disturbing element of this story is the behaviour of the poor kid's dad, eulogizing his son with gusto within 24 hrs of the incident. No tears to be shed. He's got it all rationalized. Put aside the gun control argument for a moment...can anyone wrap their heads around this guy's thought process?

    Secondly, the ja-moke reporter from NECN must have graduated #1 in his ""insensitivity-rules-just-get -the-story"" class. If you hadn't caught the headline, you'd think he was interviewing dad about his son's Eagle Scout badge.

    We're surrounded by morons!

    Posted by dumbfounded October 27, 08 10:11 PM
  1. The family's last name is Bizilj. Why do people think this is an Arab name? (Post 438). I think it's Slovenian.

    Posted by Bill T. October 27, 08 10:15 PM
  1. Guns kill people.

    Idiots with guns kill even more people senselessly.

    Posted by Hugh Jarse October 27, 08 10:17 PM
  1. After watching that video of the father, I am convinced that smug asshole belongs behind bars.

    Posted by saps October 27, 08 10:18 PM
  1. How about the guy who runs this thing. Apparently he is the chief of police somewhere (Pelham, MA). Nice to know that the top cop there is into putting uzi's into the hands of children to let them shoot ""things we can't even print here"". I hope this guy loses his job, because he has blood on his hands. Common sense goes a long way and if you run an operation like that, you don't have any!!!!!!

    Posted by Steve October 27, 08 10:23 PM
  1. POST 174 by John Morrison - TASTELESS rendition of a 2nd year law school exam. It is flat out obvious that you are a STUDENT of law, and not a very good one based on your disregard for humanity, taste or compassion. What an utter CREEP you sound like! What possible reasond would you have to spout such SMARMY analysis!?! And that analysis is HALF BAKED! Don't ever do anything like this again, John - in this instance, the boy's family, friends and those of us who care would hate what you said so much, would be so utterly offended by the wrong-headed, robotic and SMARMY tone - you sound like an utter CREEP.

    Posted by hotch October 27, 08 10:23 PM
  1. The Dad speaks as if he lost a beloved family pet, Absurd as is the NECN reporter. I won't blame the gun, the Dad on the other hand, seemingly lost his marbles.
    Wish the family well in recovery from this-obviously not something anyone wants to see.

    Posted by BILL October 27, 08 10:25 PM
  1. Is it me or does this father not seem at all remorseful for his fatal, moronic, stupid, dumb error?

    Posted by Brian October 27, 08 10:25 PM
  1. The boys father should be behind bars instead of being in front of the camera. This is absolutely disgusting. I think we need a minimum age (of 21) to use fire-arms.

    Posted by Steve P October 27, 08 10:26 PM
  1. The article states that Dr. Charles Bizilj is the medical director of the emergency department at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs, Conn. As medical director, I would assume he has significant responsibility for determining safe medical practices in the Johnson Memorial Hospital ER.

    I hope f the patients of this ER that Dr. Bizilj's judgment skills with determining appropriate risk for his child are not the same judgment skills he uses when treating patients.

    Posted by sosad October 27, 08 10:27 PM

  1. ON YOUTUBE! There are many different types of negligence when it comes to Guns and most often we must examine the INTENT as well as the result. Importantly, YOUTUBE has hundreds of ?close calls? videos filmed at gun ranges and back woods ? most often the videos are ?Set Up? by some negligent idiot who hands an inexperienced (often small) person a big gun and the film them shooting it ? the person can?t handle the recoil and when the try shooting it, the gun jumps out of their hands or hits them in the face or knocks them down, etc. I mention this because these videos are evidence of a crime and raising awareness saves lives. Search youtube and you?ll be shocked at the utter stupidity. Another video showed a father shooting at targets while his son filmed it ? after 5 shots from an automatic the father thought the gun was empty and started packing up, paying NO attention to where the gun was pointed ? he put the gun under his arm while picking up a box and the gun fired - the bullet struck the video camera the little boy was holding to his eye! THAT type of negligence ought to be prosecuted and I hope law enforcement gets involved to prevent any more tragedies. However, that does NOT sound like what happened with this boy.

    THIS TRAGEDY I've seen 8 year old boys and girls who, through vigilant training, education and strict oversight, are proficient and safe with guns. Many families shoot together and all practice good range safety. The kids are not, however, ?little adults? ? there are certain things that are simply beyond them, no matter the training. They should never be allowed to possess or handle guns when no adults are around or handle weapons whose ballistic properties render them more powerful than the kid can easily manage. These principles apply to all of us ? it is negligent to hand a small, inexperience woman a loaded Smith & Wesson 545 handgun and film her shooting it because you know she cannot handle the recoil (Yes ? this is on YOUTUBE! They are actually laughing in the background).

    Judging by the little information we have, it appears that this poor boy was probably well trained and used guns safely, but (as other readers point out) this specific weapon was beyond his ability. Not only is it an Automatic weapon, but it?s barrel ?walks? upward VERY FAST and it is very SHORT (like a handgun) ? (when most automatic weapons are fired, the barrel ?walks? upward due to discharging gasses forcing it). IF the weapon is SHORT, like an Uzi, then when the barrel ?walks? upward, instead of firing over ones head (because the long barrel reaches that far) the weapon can fire right at the user.

    Maybe this boy had experience shooting 9mm weapons (the Uzi is 9mm) and shooting rifles, etc. so that whoever allowed him to shoot the Uzi believed that he was qualified to handle it. But an 8 year old is not a mini-Adult and there are many things they should never be allowed to do or try.

    NEGLIGENT STORAGE Finally, the Roxbury and similar cases involve ?Negligent Storage? ? anyone can be prosecuted if they store a gun in such a manner as to allow a child access to it. This is as it should be and any gun owner must use vigilant safety measures. Merely locking a weapon in a cabinet is not sufficient ? how many kids easily figure out where parents ?stuff? is locked away, and how many figure out how to open the locked cabinets with no problem? The gun must be stored in such a way that kids CAN NOT get to it, period. This means taking extreme measures and expensive Safes ? but the one of the first persons prosecuted for negligent storage in CT was a Hartford Police Officer who discovered the body of her 3 year old daughter.

    Posted by Hotch October 27, 08 10:32 PM
  1. Based on this article, I blame hosts of the gun show. They appeared to have targeted a young audience with their deceptive posters advertising childlike ""fun"". The father consented out of love for his son, even though a ""no"" may often be an equally loving answer. In general, children are accident prone, and this bad parental decision had a fatal outcome. Many kids, and parents alike, could have easily been suckered under the circumstances.

    Btw, the father is an internal medicine doctor, not an expert in trauma. When a patient comes in with a gun shot wound, his primary physician would be a trauma surgeon. Regardless, physicians are human and err both at work and personal life.

    Posted by anon October 27, 08 10:33 PM
  1. Guns are not for kids. In addition there are many adults who shouldn't have guns either. How shooting a machine gun is a sport is beyond me, not to mention hunting with one. Matter of fact why would any non-militray person even own or need a machine gun? Dumb and sad.

    Posted by Joe Regan October 27, 08 10:33 PM
  1. Swimming pools don't kill people, people who can't swim just die? #440- if it was meant to be sarcastic, there should have been clarification.
    ""The Arab kids seem to handle uzis just fine.""
    I am so dismayed by (and what little hope I have for the human race is often destroyed by) the posts that end up in these discussions.

    Posted by cg October 27, 08 10:37 PM
  1. people, i understand you have stances about gun control/safety but this is not the time or the place; an eight-year old boy just died. our thoughts and prayers should be with the family in their time of grief.

    Posted by emh October 27, 08 10:38 PM
  1. Wow. 440 comments and counting. Do we get this many when some minority kids shoot each other?
    Guns are a great way to teach kids about power,respect and responsibility
    I don't have a snap to judgement on the poor father like some folks here but I don't believe the range safety officer did his job.
    Read comment #355 from Pamela. Then go take care of your own kids.

    Posted by larryg October 27, 08 10:40 PM
  1. Is a gun an extension of a penis?
    There seems to be a defective gene in so many men. This defective gene
    embraced the cavemens' clubs, and has travelled down to embracing
    Uzis for 'fun.'
    Maybe making sons into 'real men' by giving them guns helps to ward off
    any cissy behaviour at an early age.

    Posted by Gunsforgoofs October 27, 08 10:42 PM
  1. I'm disgusted that people feel the need to joke on this. from what i can see this boy was a great kid and he will really be missed but never forgotten. R.I.P. Christopher.

    Posted by Rhonda James October 27, 08 10:45 PM
  1. This is a terrible, terrible tragedy. It should never have happened and hopefully, because of this senseless death, steps will be taken so that it never happens again. But, please have some respect for the family of this boy. As parents, we all make mistakes and at times, we all use poor judgment. For most of us, we side-step tragedy and our precious babies are allowed to grow up. For this grieving father, his life was shattered in an instant. He may, at some point, read these posts. Please remember that as you type...especially if you have never had a son and never tried to balance his need to grow and become an independent boy with your desire to shelter him and not allow him to do things that he loves or has a passion for. I have an 8 year old son and he has never gone to a gun show (never even had the idea to go to a gun show). But, I could never judge another parent for the choices they make for their children. Please show some mercy on this grieving father and realize that we ALL make bad choices. Be thankful if you have not had to pay this price in your own life.

    Posted by iwillnotjudge October 27, 08 10:46 PM
  1. If everything had gone okay.--Then they left to drive home
    and were involved in a one car accident and the kid was killed.
    Would anyone outside of the town have heard about it. ?
    And yes i do agree the kid was too young.

    Posted by bigred52 October 27, 08 10:49 PM
  1. Put the Dr Dad in jail!

    Posted by JeannieT October 27, 08 10:53 PM
  1. As one who is opposed to guns (even though guns don't kill people) this should be sufficient evidence that idiot's or stupid people do. Totally unbelievable that an 8 year old would be shooting a gun at a SportsMENS club. WHy not give him a cigar too!

    Posted by opposed toguns October 27, 08 10:58 PM
  1. Normally, guns don't kill people but when they do machine guns kill a lot more.
    Uzis aren't even guns, really. They are bullet pumps. Ever try to control a fire hose?
    People, if you are going to let your kid fire a machine gun ensure it is locked into a tripod or bipod and too heavy to recoil backwards.

    Horrible shame

    Posted by Jeff from Boxborough October 27, 08 11:01 PM
  1. See post number 439. If the decedent's father had trained his son at age 4 like poster # 439, maybe by the time this 3d grader died, this accident would have been avoidable. Imagine what could have happened had the father not wisely kept the boy away from larger machine guns.

    Posted by Max Spencer October 27, 08 11:03 PM
  1. The Dr. belongs in jail - for pure stupidity. He said on a video that his son was ""worldly"". ""Worldly!!!!! He's 8 years old, not strong enough to hold onto an automatic weapon. What kind of doctor is he - a doctor of philosophy?

    The owners of the gun club should also be tarred and feathered for encouraging this moronic behavior. America is the most violent country in the world - because we have guns - and yes, guns do kill people. If we only had knives, think of how few murders & ""accidents"" there would be.

    Posted by Sulla October 27, 08 11:03 PM
  1. this man's kid died yesterday and he is giving this detached BS interview to the local news as if he is not one of the worst parents in America today

    they should take the other kid from him and prevent that gun club from letting children play with WEAPONS intended for WAR or GANG WARFARE and nothing else
    what a pathetic man - he like most gun nuts will cry vicitim soon enough

    Posted by RJP3 October 27, 08 11:04 PM
  1. General Laws Chapter 265, Section 13L that criminalizes conduct that results in the RISK of serious bodily injury to children under 18. The crime is called ""reckless endangerment to children"".

    Posted by Jack October 27, 08 11:05 PM
  1. Why did it happen? Why was he even there? From the story, the boy had been looking forward to firing the Uzi ""for a month"". The father brags about how mature the boy was, how great an outdoorsman he was, etc. etc. I work in elementary schools, and kids like nothing better than to brag to their buddies about what types of guns they've fired..makes them feel grown up, makes them feel competent and mature, like the guys they see on TV. Dad was there behind the boy, camera ready, waiting to take the picture of his 8-year-old firing a machine gun, waiting to show the picture to his friends. Sounds like Dad enjoys status too much to look out for the safety of his son. Let's all learn from this.

    Posted by craig October 27, 08 11:06 PM
  1. In the event of bad call gone traffic accident, do cars kill people?

    I can't imagine the pain this child's dad must feel. People mocking him and calling for a trial should be ashamed of themselves, as this man has already paid the ultimate price. What more do you want from him?

    Posted by Arch October 27, 08 11:07 PM
  1. Here's something to consider for the little boy's gravestone:

    ""Here lies Christopher. He was 8. He died having a blast. Needlessly.""

    I am sickened by this entire episode and that includes the interview.

    Posted by John October 27, 08 11:09 PM
  1. Kids and guns don't mix together. I am sorry for the tragic loss of this child, but I question the parent's decision to let him handle guns. It's really appalling.

    Posted by Suzi October 27, 08 11:10 PM
  1. What kind of Dr. is the Father? Even a Jackass know that gun in a 3rd grader hand is fatal and the UZI! Is the doctor out of his mind or he just wanted to kill the boy. what the hell the Dad the Dr was trying to prove? Dad the Dr, and the organizers of the should be tried for murder and sent to jail for the rest of thier life,

    Posted by Jaff October 27, 08 11:13 PM
  1. Charles Bizilj,

    You, sir, are not fit to be a father of any kind to any child on any level.

    This is not why heroes fought and died for our rights to own guns.

    Somebody please either put this man in jail or see to it that he will never reproduce, adopt, or pretend to care for another human being ever again.

    Posted by Kevin Cassidy October 27, 08 11:16 PM
  1. Children choke on food too.

    Posted by mank October 27, 08 11:22 PM
  1. My minimum age for firing a machine gun is 16- same as for driving a car.
    What's yours?

    Posted by Emmett Folgert October 27, 08 11:25 PM
  1. I wasn't going to comment on this initially but a lot of good points and bad points made.

    I will tell you first and foremost, the father hardly seems remorseful. the fact that he is even doing an interview so soon, strikes me as shallow, callous and uncaring. His child is dead a result of pure ignorance and unadulterated lack of common sense. It is a sad and unfortunate thing.

    Either way you spin it, should a child be shooting a fully automatic weapon. Of course not. Should children be taught to respect weapons especially guns, yes. Should they be treated as toys, of course not. A child that knows nothing about guns is more likely to harm his or herself than a child that does not.

    If you told me, in a perfect world, that we would destroy any and all existing guns not in the hands of LEO/Mil, AND promised no more innocent people would die as a result of senseless gun violence, I would be all for it. The problem is we do not live in a perfect world, far very far from it. In the world we live in, people are going to find ways to kill people, regardless of whether its a legal OR illegally owned gun. What does a legal gun owner have to gain by using it in a crime? No matter what kind of gun ban you try to enforce, the criminals will always get their hands on weapons guns or regardless. The gun violence against children and teens in the city or that are gang related, how many of those guns are legally owned?

    To those who are against the gun lobby, how do you feel about violent video games? Do you defend them under the right to free speech and expression? They are marketed to mature/adult audiences, yet parents continue to let their children play violent games that are inappropriate for them. Whether or not they influence their behavior is irrelevant, as they shouldn't be playing these to begin with and the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the irresponsible parents allowing this to happen.

    The ""Assault Weapons Ban' that lapsed is a shining example of this. I would challenge an anti-gun person to define the ban to us, but I really don't think they ever would have bothered to look it up since it 'sounds' like its banning something we shouldn't having. The reality of the ban is that it does not ban anything affecting the lethality of ""assault weapons."" By the Clinton Administrations' definition the ban prohibited, having a magazine holding more than 10 rounds, having collapsible stocks and/or bayonet lugs. Tell me how does having more than 10 rounds per magazine, a moving stock or the ability to fix a bayonet (you have a rifle already!) have to do with the lethality of modern semi-auto rifles?

    It all comes down to ignorance, you fear what you don't understand or refuse to comprehend because you have it engrained that guns are evil and that it is easier to go with the flow than to challenge the status quo.

    The biggest problem with this situation is the IGNORANCE and lack of accountability that has become so pervasive in our society. We are so quick to want to relinquish responsibilty for things that can potentially harm us, that we would rather (some of us) try to make such things illegal or difficult to obtain.

    Could we avoid tragedies like this, with such bans, possibly, but like many have said, the lack of common sense on multiple parties here, its possible this child could have met his demise from some other instance of pure idiocy and lack of supervision.


    Posted by jon October 27, 08 11:29 PM
  1. It's sad, but it's a Darwin thing. The moron parents reproduced, but at least the kid removed his and his idiot progenitors' DNA from the gene pool. We can only hope they have no others, and are prevented spawning in future. Maybe by competitive chainsaw juggling, or ropeless bungee jumping. Natural selection is messy, but the herd must be culled.

    Posted by Bruce October 27, 08 11:32 PM
  1. so where is all this outrage when little carlos or shaquille regularly kill their neighbors every day in the peoples republic of bungholio?


    a tragic accident.

    Posted by dedstrong October 27, 08 11:40 PM
  1. I really wish I hadn't watched the video clip. Between the reporter's inane questioning and chipper tone and the Dad's bizarrely matter-of-fact demeanor, it gave me the creeps. How are they talking this way about the horrible tragedy of the death of an 8-year-old boy? I honestly don't think I'll sleep well tonight after this :(

    Posted by KristenM72 October 27, 08 11:47 PM
  1. Hey Americans .. WHEN is the time to debate the gun laws ?? How many kids have to die before you look around at the rest of the world and relaise you are out of step and living in a dream world.
    All our sympathies to the family.

    GG

    Posted by Geoff October 27, 08 11:49 PM
  1. I highly suggest that the sycophantic blowhards commenting here go check out the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research and discover for themselves the high rates of catastrophic and fatal injury that occur among children and either ask that those activities are also banned or stop dancing in the blood of an unfortunate to further their nihilism.

    Accidents occur. Sport shooting is, ironically, one of the safest activities one can participate in and generally MOST machinegun shoots I have attended have been very safety conscious (there is one I question, I don't attend it any more.) I help run one machinegun shoot in my state and we are FANATICS about safety. Several persons have been asked to pack up, leave and never return. I've seen children shoot and there has never been an issue. I would say that a Micro UZI is likely a bit much though...a full size UZI with a .22 conversion is a great way to teach somebody of small stature with a low body mass (age is not really a factor) how to shoot a subgun (the stance and hold in the picture above is wrong.) Contrary to the father's statements in the article, a heavier gun with a slower rate of fire would have likely been a better choice as there is less FELT recoil spread over a longer period of time (appearances are deceiving on this issue.)

    Automatic weapons are intrinsically no more ""dangerous"" than any other firearms and accidents, sadly, do occur. My heart goes out to the boy's family and friends and I hope that this example is widely disseminated to alert people to the very real dangers that exist when shooting exotic weapons.

    Posted by RevGreg October 28, 08 12:02 AM
  1. did that just interview just say ""with all that camping, he must have been in heaven""? thats pretty insensitive diction.

    Posted by alec October 28, 08 12:04 AM
  1. This is an absolute tragedy. While you can point fingers at the parent, being able to shoot an automatic weapon is every boy's dream... This is a freak accident, plain and simple. My heart goes out to the family and this will most certainly spur legislation banning events like this going forward.

    Posted by John October 28, 08 12:06 AM
  1. ""You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows.""

    You know for every person who dies from being attacked by a shark at least 100 people are killed by a gun.

    Just sayin...

    Posted by applesandoranges October 28, 08 12:15 AM
  1. You people are absurd show some respect. You're an embarrassment to society.

    Posted by Josh October 28, 08 12:17 AM
  1. The father is a prime candidate for the Darwin Award...the wrong family member took the bullet.

    Posted by sr October 28, 08 12:22 AM
  1. Wow.
    How about a little restraint, folks.
    This man lost his son.
    Show some mercy. Show some grace.

    Posted by Chris in Illinois October 28, 08 12:23 AM
  1. Where is the kindness in taking a son to shoot a machine gun? The love? The respect for life and society. With gun owners, it's mostly their children who get shot. Accidents happen. And a boy whose father was an emergency room doctor and witnessed scores of accidents each day failed to be wise enough to see the potential for disaster.. Ya, sure, this never happens. But teach a child to love guns, and you create a chain of love that is destined to create death. But, hey, with that kind of adult supervision, the kid surely would have died in a swimming pool anyway. Sure. Gun lusters justification. Sick.

    Posted by Sad October 28, 08 12:26 AM
  1. Constitutional or not, guns are still stupid.

    Posted by Dumb October 28, 08 12:33 AM
  1. HE WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD! HE WAS HANDLING AN UZI! WTF!!!!!!!!

    Posted by Suzita October 28, 08 12:46 AM
  1. Guns don't kill people. Radical pro-lifers do.

    Posted by Jeremy October 28, 08 12:59 AM
  1. I wouldn't feel safe at a hospital staffed by this moron of a father that allowed his eight year old to fire an Uzi. His wife needs to divorce this idiot.
    GUN CONTROL NOW!!! This next congress is our best shot.

    Posted by The NRA Is Beyond Stupid October 28, 08 01:13 AM
  1. AnthonyD, Nice Twist! I guess it's not surprise that someone found a way to Blame G.W.Bush for this. Except, even without the assault weapons ban, it requires a special federal license to even possess the weapon in question. The individual holding that license wouldn't hold it for long if I had any say in the matter as it was that person's neglect that resulted in the tragic death of an 8 year old boy. Not to worry though, I'm sure come January 20th we'll all be ordered to turn in our guns and of course, everyone will comply, including all the criminals that currently have illegal firearms! You know, the ones that typically commit gun crimes.

    Posted by AnthonyDsAnIdiot October 28, 08 01:22 AM
  1. Let me see if I have this right. He's an Attending Physician in an Emergency Room and he lets his EIGHT YEAR OLD SON handle semi-automatic weapons? Something really bizarre is going on here. Certainly in his career he's had several occasions to witness the sad results of careless gun play. One gets the feeling he was giving into a pathological impulse to temp fate. One things for sure: judgment doesn't seem to have come into play at all.

    He should certainly loose his license to practice; he should probably be prosecuted for child abuse. His wife or the child's mother should file a civil suit for wrongful death

    Posted by paul q October 28, 08 01:24 AM
  1. ""[The Second Amendment] has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word 'fraud,' on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime.""
    --- Former Chief Justice Warren Burger
    Posted by Simple Johnson October 27, 08 01:13 PM

    ""The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a
    firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for
    traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.""
    --- Current Justice Scalia, joined by current Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Kennedy, Justice Thomas, and Justice Alito.

    In case you're not keeping score, these SITTING Justices trump a retired Justice Berger.

    ""What the hell kind of sportsman needs a machine gun?""
    Posted by Onaeb October 27, 08 01:00 PM

    Well, evidently sportsmen who like to shoot machine guns. Who are you to tell sportsmen what lawful sports they may enjoy?

    Oh, and the 2nd Amendment is about much more than sports:
    ""Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment
    is outmoded in a society where our standing army is
    the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces
    provide personal security, and where gun violence is a
    serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is
    not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to
    pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.""
    District of Columbia v. Heller

    Posted by SethRichardson October 28, 08 01:25 AM
  1. ""No licenses or permits required! No age limit! Full auto rock n roll!"" These are the perks this gun club was promoting. An automatic weapon - an assault machine gun - in the hands of a child, flips over and backwards. What's really amazing is that a number of people weren't killed! There are many people out there, like myself, who support the rights of people to own guns - target pistols and hunting rifles - but don't really see the point in fighting for the right to have uzis available. People like me who think training and responsibility go along with gun ownership. We're the ones the NRA hates and call ""anti-guns""

    Posted by JillG October 28, 08 01:30 AM
  1. One more thing: it's creepy how poised the good Doctor is. Not the demeanor you'd expect of someone who'd just lost his son. It gives the impression that there might be an insurance policy in play or something.

    Posted by paul q October 28, 08 01:35 AM
  1. I'm not a huge fan of firearms in general or their recreational use, but this was clearly just a freak and tragic accident that happened in a controlled situation. Although I'd personally not let my young children handle or fire a gun out of a fear of something going wrong, I do let them play in the waves at the beach and the likelihood of losing them in that scenario is probably much greater than a mishap at a firing range while in the care of professionals. I think it is despicable for anybody to try and use this incident to push their own ideological agenda's about gun control.

    Posted by Brandon October 28, 08 02:06 AM
  1. Tragic and wasteful. The poor kid. I actually feel for the old man right now. If State law says that an eight-year old can fire and automatic weapon, and that the show encouraged it (free entrance) this, we need to change that.

    I am more worried about the dude who posted the second comment. His handle says it all. Um, actually they do kill people and one gun just killed an eight year old.

    ""You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows.
    Posted by Gunsdontkillpeople October 27, 08 12:31 PM""

    Posted by Chuck October 28, 08 02:38 AM
  1. I watched the interview with the father. Maybe his detatchment was drug induced, if not , then he has to be the coldest person I have ever seen. That poor sweet little boy, what a shame.And yes accidents happen, but why invite one to happen by handing a child a gun. I want to feel sorry for the parents, because I am a parent, but I can't. My husband has guns, and he hunts, but I can't imagine him taking our daughters to a gun show, much less putting a gun in their hands. By the way , why even give idiots like ""guns don't kill people "" the satisfaction of even responding to his stupid comments about swimming pools

    Posted by Becky O. October 28, 08 02:39 AM
  1. For those of you curious about the ""swimming pool"" remark: Economists Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner -not the NRA- point out in their book ""Freakanomics"" that a child is more likely to drown in a backyard swimming pool than to be shot by a gun kept in the same household. It may be this point that the original post author was referring to.

    I think more gun control might be a viable option for American society, but I would first like to see far more criminal control. This boy is dead, and that is a tragedy, but it is the fault of his father and whoever gave him the Uzi, not the fault of responsible gun owners who would never contemplate doing the same thing.

    Posted by Jack Phillips October 28, 08 02:48 AM
  1. For those of you curious about the ""swimming pool"" remark: Economists Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner -not the NRA- point out in their book ""Freakanomics"" that a child is more likely to drown in a backyard swimming pool than to be shot by a gun kept in the same household. It may be this point that the original post author was referring to.

    I think more gun control might be a viable option for American society, but I would first like to see far more criminal control. This boy is dead, and that is a tragedy, but it is the fault of his father and whoever gave him the Uzi, not the fault of responsible gun owners who would never contemplate doing the same thing.

    Posted by Jack Phillips October 28, 08 02:48 AM
  1. Wow. This has aroused a ton of feelings from people, that's for sure.

    My prayers and extreme condolences go to the boy, his father, his mother, and the instructor who was supervising the boy.

    A number of factors went into this tragedy.
    When I first heard about this, I couldn't figure out how it was physically possible for the boy to have shot himself in the head. Now that I know it was a micro Uzi, I am thinking he must have been holding it lower than the shoulder, ( as these guns are designed to be held) creating the possibility for it to pivot up (around his front hand) when he lost control of (probably) the rear of the gun. due to either improper bracing of the stock or it slipping off of its support point.

    Posted by steve in Western MA October 28, 08 03:11 AM
  1. This is the most useless, stupid accident I have heard in a long time.
    No child needs to hold a gun. For what? I think the father and the owners of the range need to be held accountable. My condolences to his entire family.

    Posted by jonijames67 October 28, 08 03:19 AM
  1. @""I've viewed the video clip, and the dad appears to be in denial.""

    Yes, it's called ""shock"" and it is a normal reaction to an extremely traumatic event. Please everyone who is casting stones at this man, take responsibility for your venting, moderate your emotions a little, and have some compassion for him. Please ask yourself what psychological need you are fulfilling by casting vitriol on this man, who is already suffering and who will likely suffer much more pain as the reality of this situation and the loss of his son sinks in.


    prayers to the family and to the boy.

    Posted by steve October 28, 08 03:26 AM
  1. This is a tragic peak into the world of gun nuts.

    Posted by McBain October 28, 08 04:07 AM
  1. ""You know for every one kid of who dies from being shot at a gun show at least 100 children drown at swimming pool shows.""

    Yes, but one dead child is one too many. Idiot.

    Posted by xeno October 28, 08 04:48 AM
  1. Stupid Americans, you shouldn't have guns in your constitution. Your country is so messed up!

    Posted by Thom. October 28, 08 04:54 AM
  1. If this family lived in Roxbury, the father would be in jail right now on a huge bail, charged with homicide. Lock him up! Take away his medical license! Why is the media treating him other than as a criminal!!!??? Grieving? Please! He killed his own kid! He's white and from the suburbs of Connecticut. Another instance of how racism is STILL alive and how CHILDREN of any color are not protected from even their own parents. Yes, I'm white.

    Posted by Veronica Black October 28, 08 06:30 AM
  1. The father sure looks like he's taking it well. He essentially killed his son and ONE DAY LATER takes the opportunity to casually discuss it on TV. Why aren't more people coming down on him? If not criminal than he should be shunned out of the community that I like in!

    Posted by capo October 28, 08 06:46 AM
  1. Any sympathy I had for the father went away after watching his interview. He exhibits the height of arrogance. I do not believe that he is in the grieving process. I believe he is in the public relations/litigation preparation process. I feel tremendously sorry for his wife, both for what she has lost and for being married to this pompous jerk.

    Posted by BillS64 October 28, 08 07:36 AM
  1. This father should be in jail.

    Posted by Mush October 28, 08 07:48 AM
  1. I am an NRA Instructor. An incident like this should not have occurred at all. Placing a fully automatic weapon in the hands of a child was wrong. A weapon of that caliber is tough to handle by an adult. A child does not have the upper body strength to handle a weapon. An incident of this type needs to be avoided in the near future. Accidents are the result of human intervention regardless. You would not give an 8 year-old a driver's license. A car is a weapon as well.

    Posted by Mark October 28, 08 08:25 AM
  1. I BELEIVE THERE SHOULD BE SOME QUESTIONS ASKED OF THE PARENTS HERE. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHY DID THIS KID HAVE THE RIGHT TO SHOOT AN UZI? OH MY GOD PEOPLE. WAKE UP!!!!!!!! WERE KILLING OUR KIDS.


    Posted by YEAH YEAH October 28, 08 09:25 AM
  1. Why is it that there are laws/rules for kids that shoot paintball or airsoft guns that they have to wear masks / goggles. Yet.. there are no rules / laws that prevent kids from shooting an UZI. This father should be shot himself. He will have to live with himself for the rest of his life knowing that he killed his own son.

    Posted by A Mom in Mass October 28, 08 09:46 AM
  1. Machine Guns, recoiling in the hands of an 8 year old don't kill people...

    Posted by Abraham October 28, 08 09:50 AM
  1. To me, child endangerment resulting in death should be the minimum charge for all even remotely involved with the death of this child.

    However, a Google search indicates that FULLY AUTOMATIC weapons are allowed to be fired at gun clubs and that there are no minimum age requirements to pull the trigger ? so apparently no ?Gun Laws? were broken.

    While the courts have upheld the NRA interpretation of the Second Amendment, I suggest that existing gun laws ? particularly pertaining to minors ? should be reviewed and modified so that parental stupidity will not endanger other children.

    Posted by Otis October 28, 08 09:55 AM
  1. This incident was hardly a momentary lapse of judgement by the father. First of all, what did he expect the child to gain from the experience of using a gun that shoots 1700 rounds per minute? Secondly, the father had PLENTY of time to consider the consequences of letting his child use the gun during the drive from his hometown to the club. Ashford, Connecticut is a bit of a drive from Westfield, Massachusetts. He had PLENTY of time to think about the situation.

    Posted by nancestef October 28, 08 10:01 AM
  1. First of all, my heartfelt sympathy to the family- they will live with this the rest of their lives. Secondly, I am appalled at some of the comments that correlate this activity to recreational sports risks. Yes, accidents do happen, but most sports use forms of protective equipment, rules and guidelines around age and weight to ensure safety. 8 year olds do not usually compete with teenagers in swim meets, their limitations are recognized. My anger is with the so called certified instructors. They know the risks-- this should have never happened.

    Posted by marian October 28, 08 10:12 AM
  1. What a waste of life, plain and simple. How a parent decides ""Hmmm, I think I'll take my 8 year old to a gun show and let him shoot an automatic weapon."" How about the park, a nice fall/Halloween hayride, apple picking...?????? So absolutely ridiculous!

    Posted by lulu October 28, 08 10:17 AM
  1. It seems that almost everyone agrees an 8 year old should not shoot an Uzi. But what about all the other untrained, unlicensed, reckless, maybe even drunk or stoned adults out at the Machine Gun Shoot this weekend? Remember this event was open to the public! No permits or licenses required!!! (quoting from the flyer). What was to stop some crazy from turning his borrowed Uzi on the crowd, either accidentally or on purpose? Think about it. What idiot plans these kind of free for all Machine Gun Shoots? Oh yeah. News reports say it was the Pelham, Mass. Police Chief.

    Posted by Bill T. October 28, 08 10:25 AM
  1. I am in no way a fan of guns- but this is clearly a bad parenting issue, not a gun issue.

    Sometimes a lot pf people are books smart and common sense stupid.
    This had nothing to so with the gun- just a retarded parent.

    Posted by gina October 28, 08 10:28 AM
  1. I agree with comment 551. I used to work with Dr. Bizilj approximately 15 years ago and I can tell you he is a very intelligent person. This accident was a freak one and he will now have to live with the results of his decision. I feel so sorry for him and his family. Living with this is going to haunt him for the rest of his life but the rude comments are completely uncalled for.

    Posted by ChrsF October 28, 08 10:28 AM
  1. Good Grief! This act of stupidity further damagess the public perception of responsible sportsmen and women. I have been a gun owner for over fifty years, have hunted and shot on ranges, have trained all my children starting at age 13 or 14 to safely handle firearms, and support 2nd Ammendment rights. But as one writer posted, who the hell needs an UZI?

    Posted by Frank October 28, 08 10:43 AM
  1. it seems all this guy cares about is how he presents himself to the media. he commends his child as if he was 18. thanks to his assinine faults his 8 year old son is dead. let the children be kids not adults.

    Posted by momtoan8yrold! October 28, 08 10:44 AM
  1. Yes, I am sad for the family of this child. Yes, It was a horrible accident. Do I hold the father accountable....Yes and NO. As an MD and in emergency medicine he sees what gunshots can do to people. Do I think it is Ok for a child to shoot a gun...yes but NOT AN UZI. My son learned to shoot a single shot 22 when he was young. It was to teach him respect for guns and what they can do.
    Why is this being turned into a political ralley? It was an unfortunate miscalculation of everyones part. I am just glad no one else was hurt. The father will have to live with this. It will haunt him enough every day of his life. He does not need us to berate him he will do enough of that himself. His poor sons life is gone, his is ruined. What I hope most of all is that people can learn from this tragedy. Don't turn this into a political ralley, don't turn this into a hatefest, don't turn this into a stance to take on guns. Lets learn from this horrible accident. Lets sets some rules for guns and children. That is the bottom line children and powerful guns don't mix.
    The father made the wrong judgement, the instructer was not paying the right attention it seems, and yes I want to blame them both but I am not sure that is fair either. My heart goes out to those involved.

    enough


    We

    Posted by Ellen October 28, 08 10:53 AM
  1. ""very comfortable w/guns. very cautious, very well trained & very much enjoyed firing!!!"" give me a break.............he WAS 8 !!

    Posted by this man is in denial! October 28, 08 10:59 AM
  1. My heart goes out to the eleven year old brother that was there at the time. I'm sure he will never forget that day. He lost a brother and will at sometime stop looking up to his father.

    Posted by judy October 28, 08 11:22 AM
  1. I'm tired of those who are posting here about others who either condemn the actions of adults or guns in general. This thread is not meant as a condolence call. It's a commentary on the ridiculous circumstances surrounding kids firing machine guns. If you want to send a card, buy a stamp.

    Posted by jkstraw October 28, 08 11:32 AM
  1. The father sickens me. I bet he'll keep the photos he was taking at the time.

    Posted by Ding Dong October 28, 08 11:40 AM
  1. I would not feel safe under the care of a doctor with such poor judgment

    Posted by lmwilker October 28, 08 12:02 PM
  1. there is a bloody switch on the gun for semi-auto or full auto
    the instructor should have flipped the switch first for semi-auto and nothing would haven't to the child and that gun is designed to ge handled with one hand not 2 so there is no place for the instructor to hold this hand with the child holding the gun should have had full size uzi for a 2 hand operation or an ak-47 with shoulder butts to knock the child over on the ground

    Posted by greg October 28, 08 12:10 PM
  1. How can any sane person agree that it is perfectly ok to let an 8 year play with a gun like that. I bet almost everyone of them voted for Bush, will vote for McCain and think that Palin is qualified to be a VP.

    Posted by doug in nh October 28, 08 12:17 PM
  1. Really,Really... the father says ?This accident was truly a mystery to me,? he said.
    At least the kid won't have the chance to grow up and become a complete moron like his dad

    Posted by 3wt October 28, 08 12:18 PM
  1. I think I'm more disturbed at the lack of compassion most of the people on this board have displayed than I am over the serious lapses in judgement shown by the professionals in this tragic story. I agree with some posters that we have some problems in our society but it has nothing to do with what happened at this gun club.

    Posted by Pioneer Girl October 28, 08 12:19 PM
  1. it may be painful to hear, but...
    anyone stupid enough to let their 8 yr old play w an uzi deserves to have their contributions removed from the gene-pool. Yes I feel terrible that a child has died in vain, but I am numb when I read a quote from the child's father:

    "" This accident was truly a mystery to me..""
    (yes he really said that, read the article)

    where's the mystery? 8yr old + uzi = dead 8 yr old.
    simple math.

    Posted by in soothe October 28, 08 12:43 PM
  1. Will someone please arrest Devin Connery's father for child endangerment? Seeing that little kid with an Uzi in his hand is making me sick. Seriously, someone please call the police in Lunenburg, Mass, and report that Devin Connery's father is so ignorant, he thought it would be a good idea to let his kid shoot off a machine gun.

    SAVE DEVIN CONNERY from his idiotic parents!!!! help him NOW!

    Posted by chico October 28, 08 01:00 PM
  1. If guns kill people, do pencils mispell?

    Posted by JOE October 28, 08 01:06 PM
  1. WOW, If my son had just blown his head off with an UZI because of my stupidity I am not sure I would be so calm and retrospective.

    Posted by Bruce October 28, 08 01:09 PM
  1. I do not or have never owned any guns, nor have I ever held an FID card. I have had the pleasure of going target shooting with friends who do. I doubt that I ever will own any guns or carry an FID Card, but the 2nd amendment clearly allows citizens of this nation to own them, & we need to stop trying to change it, every time there is a moronic accident. Accidents have been happening since the beginning of time, & ultra liberals, seem to think that they need to create laws to protect us every time there is an accident. Enough is Enough, how about spending your time & the Taxpayer's dollars on meaningful legislation that goes after crooks & murderers more forcefully. There are enough laws on the books now that will allow a proer investigation into this accident, & enough scumbag lawyers to waste time in litigation for years to come, in order to blame some wealthy entity in order for these scumbags to make hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions for themselves, & meanwhile, the parents of this boy are left grieving for the rest of their lives, & with the loss of their son far too soon.

    Posted by Dave Z October 28, 08 01:13 PM
  1. when the gun gets out of control let go of the trigger. Duhh!!!!

    Posted by Damian October 28, 08 01:14 PM
  1. i mean that people have to give guns to kids. the gun shouldn't have been loaded. his dad shouldn't have left his eyes off of him. they should use blanks. they should have someone watching the kid

    Posted by bong marley October 28, 08 01:19 PM
  1. I think it was very dumb for the father to let his 8 year old boy use this powerful of a gun with out him standing less than 2 feet away

    Posted by lena tripp October 28, 08 01:21 PM
  1. i don't think that the farther should have given an 8 year old a gun. Even though the it was an accident the farther is still responsible for his farther death.

    Posted by Kkoz October 28, 08 01:22 PM
  1. i think little kids should not be holding guns and shooting them. the father should of took the gun away from his child and not to touch anything.

    Posted by M October 28, 08 01:22 PM
  1. I feel that they shouldn't give kids an adult weapon that even adults can have problems with when the gun went into the boy's hands you right away had a problem.

    Posted by E October 28, 08 01:24 PM
  1. WOW, If my son had just blown his head off with an UZI because of my stupidity I am not sure I would be so calm and retrospective.

    Posted by Bruce October 28, 08 01:24 PM
  1. with that kind of weapon there should be much more supervision by the parent maybe telling his kid to hold it in his shoulder tighter. but there is absolutely nothing wrong with children shooting weapons just as long as they're safe. massachusetts is a nanny state with WAY TO many laws read comment 146 thats what i agree with

    Posted by massachusetts is a nanny state dont let it become worse October 28, 08 01:28 PM
  1. hey every one 8 year olds are headed to Iraq but our soldiers are coming home.

    Posted by Zepherman420 October 28, 08 01:30 PM
  1. What caliber is one of these bad Larrys? His dumbass dad should have taught him a thing or two and i thinkhis dad should be beat with a baseball bat but i dont think kids that know what they are doing should be punished

    Posted by Brendan October 28, 08 01:30 PM
  1. i mean that people have to give guns to kids. the gun shouldn't have been loaded. his dad shouldn't have left his eyes off of him. they should use blanks. they should have someone watching the kid

    Posted by monkeyman123 October 28, 08 01:33 PM
  1. what the hell man. these parents have problems.

    Posted by Zepherman420 October 28, 08 01:35 PM
  1. how heartless is this father? his son just died and he can't manage a tear? WTF?

    Posted by Zepherman420 October 28, 08 01:37 PM
  1. i hate guns why cant we all get along?

    Posted by debbie the subaru driving lesbian October 28, 08 01:42 PM
  1. I missed spelled in my the the o last word is suppose to be son

    Posted by Kkoz October 28, 08 01:43 PM
  1. Clearly the dad is at fault here. Now he must live with his stupidity. What we don't need is more limiting legislation that won't be enforced. How about a little common sense...parents!

    Posted by Kathy October 28, 08 01:56 PM
  1. Read the whole article and other interviews. OTHER children who shot the Uzi had the licensed trainer holding the gun. Those kids did not have complete control of the gun. Semantics, perhaps. BUT, the other kids did not lose control when the gun recoiled, because someone else had control. Why wasn't that the case with this kid?

    This is not about gun control or ""guns don't kill people, people kill people"". This is about a marked lack of oversight by both parent and instructor in this situation. If you're a gun enthusiast, hunter, collector, whatever...by all means you should have access to your guns. You can even bring your kids to these shows and encourage their interest. However, if a kid is going to be allowed to hold that gun, I'd make damn sure the safety was on until the instructor is holding it as well.

    Posted by middleroad October 28, 08 01:57 PM
  1. What difference does one dead kid make? In a global, competitive landscape this wouldn't get a lot of press in China, India, or Viet Nam. They die all the time, from stepping on land mines to actual armed conflicts.
    If you can't pay the price to compete in a morally 'flat world', don't shop at Walmart or buy gas from Darfur.
    As we spend billions on soul searching, divinity lessons and legislation, we've just sold our grandchildren further into debt with these countries.

    Posted by Dave October 28, 08 01:59 PM
  1. Almost everyone here has judged the father, the instructor, the NRA, the government... As the parent of two sons I have made mistakes also, luckily none so grave. We are ALL human and the mean comments made here will not bring Christopher back or ease the grief felt by this family. Who are we to judge or place blame on anyone? It is not our place to pass judgement on the father. Someday we too may be the target of horrible thoughts and comments made by strangers for our actions. We all need to hold our children close and be thankful that they are safe and let this family mourn their tragedy privately.

    Posted by Stacie October 28, 08 02:02 PM
  1. How many times have kids been hurt riding dirt bikes at a young age, or swimming unattended, or ran over at a drag strip (this happened recently), or water skiing? The list is endless of activities which are perfectly and legally legitimate, but can have terrible consequences when a freak accident happens. Get off your high horse people, this poor father has suffered enough and this just as easily could have been yourself and your children doing something *you* think is safe, but others may disagree.

    Posted by scorp October 28, 08 02:05 PM
  1. What stupid comments.

    Should have used blanks? Try driving a car with no gas.

    Can't manage a tear? Who are you to tell him how he should react?

    More supervision? Maybe, but more supervision isn't necessarily the solution. Try baking cookies with 20 people supervising the oven.

    This was a tragic accident.
    It has nothing to do with gun control.

    Posted by UZI Owner October 28, 08 02:12 PM
  1. A horrible tragedy that could have, and should have been prevented. Children of any age should not be permitted to handle weapons of this sort -- at a supervised gun show or not.. I think a law requiring that only adults be allowed to use such weapons is completely reasonable.

    I can't even imagine the NRA and other gun organizations would have a problem with this.

    Posted by Brady October 28, 08 02:13 PM
  1. Watching the video of the father was disheartening, he didn't even seem to give a crap that this happened.

    Posted by Sue Butts October 28, 08 02:27 PM
  1. Watching the video of the father was disheartening, he didn't even seem to give a crap that this happened.

    Posted by Sue Butts October 28, 08 02:38 PM
  1. The CDC keeps statistics on the most common causes of death by age range. We can look up how many children are killed by guns vs. swimming pools - oops, no we can't. The NRA made them take that statistic down. Or was it the swimming pool lobby...

    Trains and cars are designed for transportation, pools are designed for recreation. Accidents happen, and when they do safety laws are strengthened to prevent further accidents. Guns are designed to kill. It's a terrible tragedy when they work as designed, but is it really a surprise?

    Posted by duh October 28, 08 02:59 PM
  1. If a father let his eight year old drive and a fatal accident occured, would we ban cars, too?

    Posted by Jay Dobbs October 28, 08 03:08 PM
  1. Jay Dobbs - last I checked, there already is a ban on 8 year olds driving cars. There is also a ban on anyone of any age driving without a license, and on any car without a registration. Age restrictions, licensing, registration, all good ideas for cars AND GUNS!

    Posted by duh October 28, 08 03:31 PM
  1. Those people who want to own and use pistols and rifles whenever and wherever are in the clear minority. You might be the loudest, but you do NOT make up the majority of people. Many people, like myself who enjoy shooting or hunting, do NOT think that ""whenever and wherever"" is appropriate. We now need to add whomever to that list too.

    The US military got rid of the automatic setting on the M16 because of muzzle climb reducing the effectiveness of the weapon. We now have a 3 round burst. Muzzle climb and bad decision making on the part of the adults killed this child. Anyone who is serious about handling weapons would have known that a child is not going to be able to effectively handle the recoil on a fully automatic weapon.

    I'm completely in agreement that automatic weapons should NOT be in the hands of civilians. I'm willing to support legislation that would make it illegal for children to be encouraged to handle such weapons and I'm a person who enjoy shooting. So, the NRA can bamboozle the world into thinking it speaks for all gun enthusiasts but they do not. Someone needs to create a more moderate version of the NRA. That I would join in a moment.

    Posted by EML October 28, 08 03:34 PM
  1. I'd like to know who edited OUT my comments that would have appeared near #440. This parent is being treated with kid gloves. He needs to lose his freedom right now. If the *demographics* were different, he'd be locked up already. His son lost his life because his father was negligent, put his kid in harm's way. But, because the father is a doc and white, he still has his freedom.

    Posted by Veronica Black October 28, 08 03:37 PM
  1. This really is not a gun rights/gun control issue, and shouldn't be construed or exploited as such. All the rules of parental common sense and firearms safety were disregarded in this tragedy. My sympathies to the family of the boy. No amount of criticism from the public, however justified it may be, can surpass the amount of self-recrimination, guilt and sadness that the father is no doubt experiencing. I am truly sorry for his and his family's loss.

    Posted by Guy B. Jones October 28, 08 04:44 PM
  1. This is such a sad tragedy. A lot of these comments seem to attack the dad. Yes, he made a bad, stupid choice. But how many of us also make bad choices, but, thankfully, nothing bad happened. How many of you allow your kids to ride on the lawn tractor with you? As a nurse, I have seen terrible accidents involving lost limbs and worse. How many of you allow your kids to ride bikes and skate boards without helmuts? All are deadly. This father should be given some sympathy here---he just lost his child. Where is the kindness? Pointing fingers atthe NRA is not the answer here. I am not sure there is an answer, but this hatefulness is wearing thin.

    Posted by JBN October 28, 08 05:12 PM
  1. .... 'cause it's really important to get an 8-year-old ""comfortable with guns"" -- you stupid idiots.

    Posted by Lars False Blondie October 28, 08 05:20 PM
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