sipowicz
Member
No. My daughter is 9 and I want to take her out to shoot her single shot chipmunk. And to be honest, I am even fearful of taking her to a public range with so many yahoos. Might have to find a nice open spot in the desert.
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Would you let a nine year old shoot a Uzi?
- Thread starter DaGOOSExyz
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Do to the draconian laws of the people republic of NY when we go to Florida If WE have time I got to a gun range and rent some fun guns. Mostly that consists of MPs (9mm and .40s) and .45 Thompsons.
Now I’m a big rather strong guy with plenty of experience around guns (have also fired M16s a few times, the full auto type not the 3 rounder’s) and I found that the MP on full auto was harder to control than the Tommy gun. I think it’s a combination of the weight and cycle rate.
No way would I allow a person of that age to fire a weapon like a Uzi. With that said I have instructed many kids in shooting including my own kids with pistols at that age. After giving instruction and letting a little dry fire with snap caps I load one round in the gun. Stand behind with my arm just off of their wrists and when they’re ready I cock the hammer (S&W34) and let them shoot. Repeat as many times as necessary. As time progresses I will allow less stringent rules.
FWIW I was a NRA certified instructor and also an instructor for the Boys Scouts so I have been around a lot of kids.
Now I’m a big rather strong guy with plenty of experience around guns (have also fired M16s a few times, the full auto type not the 3 rounder’s) and I found that the MP on full auto was harder to control than the Tommy gun. I think it’s a combination of the weight and cycle rate.
No way would I allow a person of that age to fire a weapon like a Uzi. With that said I have instructed many kids in shooting including my own kids with pistols at that age. After giving instruction and letting a little dry fire with snap caps I load one round in the gun. Stand behind with my arm just off of their wrists and when they’re ready I cock the hammer (S&W34) and let them shoot. Repeat as many times as necessary. As time progresses I will allow less stringent rules.
FWIW I was a NRA certified instructor and also an instructor for the Boys Scouts so I have been around a lot of kids.
jlrhiner
US Veteran
My grandson is 10, and he is my "Partner in Crime", so to speak. He has shot anything in the gun safe he's wanted to try. If I owned an Uzi, which I don't, he would have been started on 3round mags with me behind him.
And I completely agree about the Mac 10 in .45.
And I completely agree about the Mac 10 in .45.
italiansport
Member
I used to assist in the gunsmithing dept. of my local club which has around 30 full auto rentals. A had a lot of range time in with these for testing and problem diagnosis. The UZI is a handful even for an adult shooter and the staff was taught very specific procedures to insure one didn't get away from a user.
There is NO way I'd ever let an 8 or 9 year old kid shoot one of these even under very controlled circumstances.
Jim
There is NO way I'd ever let an 8 or 9 year old kid shoot one of these even under very controlled circumstances.
Jim
357-RevolverGuy
Member
Absolutely not. You start a 9 year old on a BB rifle. When they show full awareness and responsibility on that, then you can move them up to a single shot .22. After full responsibility on that, maybe a 10/22 and once they start showing more interest and responsibility then you can take it to a higher caliber.
This is one of those things that makes you want to bang your head on the keyboard so you can unring the bell.
How many "adults" present abdicated their responsibilities and set this silliness up--and for God's sake, WHY?
At the risk of being "judgemental" (the horror)--there's no cure for STUPID.
How many "adults" present abdicated their responsibilities and set this silliness up--and for God's sake, WHY?
At the risk of being "judgemental" (the horror)--there's no cure for STUPID.
Bkreutz
US Veteran
This is an example of one of my pet "peeves". I see it all the time. 2 or more people come to the range, check in and move to the firing line where the "experienced" shooter starts out by telling the obviously new shooter where the parts of the gun are located. (this is the trigger, this is the safety, this is where the bullet comes out.........) The crazy part is that most of the time, this instruction is happening with a loaded gun. 
. All of this "instruction" should have happened at home with a cleared gun. My typical reaction is to pack up, let the range staff know and advise them to watch closely, and then go home and come back later. Too many times I've had pieces of the sound deadening material on the ceiling come raining down on my head. . Just plain stupid IMO.
. All of this "instruction" should have happened at home with a cleared gun. My typical reaction is to pack up, let the range staff know and advise them to watch closely, and then go home and come back later. Too many times I've had pieces of the sound deadening material on the ceiling come raining down on my head. . Just plain stupid IMO.
This incident occurred at Bullets and Burgers, a tourist destination near Las Vegas. It's not your standard firing range, it's a "destination adventure," with prices ranging from $60 for watching and eating lunch to $1,000 to fire 8 fully automatic weapons and other firearms. It's closer to experiencing a jungle zip line in Nicaragua or swimming with the dolphins in Mexico than it is to an actual shooting range.
Malpasowildlifer
SWCA Member
very sad...
BigBill
Absent Comrade
Think about it, the gun rises out of there control. They can't let go. What are these adults thinking?
the ringo kid
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Such a bad tragedy.Simply put--no, i would not let a 9 yr old fire an Uzi--full auto. People should start using their brains for something other than dropping in a toilet.
Hodgin
US Veteran
Absolutely not, especially on auto. Crazy
shouldazagged
Absent Comrade
That seems all too clear. And I don't give a big flying one what it is, that was utterly inexcusable.
My prayers are for the little girl who, depend on it, is marked for life by this tragedy caused by the idiocy of adults. It's harder to pray for her parents, though I'll do it. They have to finish raising a child who'll never be quite the same again because of their horrendously poor judgment. And live with the knowledge of what they allowed to happen. It's going to be a heavy burden, especially when the girl has nightmares.
I'll have to cool for a long time before I can even think about praying for the "range" owner.
My son's boys, now almost 16, 13, and about to turn 9, all were introduced to shooting starting around age five or six. Pellet guns, single-shot .22 rifles, and working up to center fire rifles and handguns. It's been very strictly supervised at every step, and safety has been drummed into them. But if I found that my son let that youngest one shoot an Uzi on full auto, I'd fly to Philadelphia and kick his butt.
All three boys love shooting and know how to do it safely and well, and fortunately their dad is too smart and too careful to make stupid decisions.
jag312
Member
I was cleaning and re-assembling my agency's Uzi submachinegun yesterday. It isn't the first machinegun I've handled, and it won't be my last. So let's assume I have a lot of experience with a large variety of machineguns. Also, I played football in college; linebacker and defensive line. Let's assume I'm not a 90 pound weakling.
I can handle most machineguns. I'm still a little cautious about an M14 in full auto. Many years ago I was demonstrating various machineguns to some people from law enforcement agencies. One guy was saying how much experience he had with machineguns. I gave him an M2 Carbine with a fully loaded 30-round magazine. I was standing to his left in case of a problem. As soon as he touched the trigger, he went into panic mode and started to turn to his left. I had to grab the barrel and keep it pointed down range until the magazine emptied. The entire incident last for only a few seconds, but had I not grabbed the barrel, I wouldn't be here today. An accident with a machinegun will happen that fast. Would I let a child shoot a machinegun? Not if I want to live long enough to retire.
I can handle most machineguns. I'm still a little cautious about an M14 in full auto. Many years ago I was demonstrating various machineguns to some people from law enforcement agencies. One guy was saying how much experience he had with machineguns. I gave him an M2 Carbine with a fully loaded 30-round magazine. I was standing to his left in case of a problem. As soon as he touched the trigger, he went into panic mode and started to turn to his left. I had to grab the barrel and keep it pointed down range until the magazine emptied. The entire incident last for only a few seconds, but had I not grabbed the barrel, I wouldn't be here today. An accident with a machinegun will happen that fast. Would I let a child shoot a machinegun? Not if I want to live long enough to retire.
jag312
Member
And another thing. You can bet that the little girl will never touch a gun for the rest of her life. You can also bet that when she grows up she will be rabidly anti-gun.
I wouldn't let an adult shoot a single-shot pistol of mine without prior instruction, let alone a repeater. Full auto? Do you think I'm crazy?
I have instructed young adults in a military environment, where the individuals under instruction were all known to be reliable in following orders from me and the other petty officers assisting me. We still kept student:instructor ratio at 2:1. With children one should have full physical control. Obviously, the instructor in AZ didn't see it that way. He was wrong.
It is probably not impossible to have full physical control even with a child and a machine gun, but why? I consider myself a wild-eyed non-traditionalist because I am willing to begin instruction with a .22 handgun, whereas the more traditional and conservative among us start with a .22 rifle, probably a single-shot. The onus is upon ME to justify the liberties I am taking with tradition, and to compensate for the drawbacks of my non-traditional position. The idea of starting with a machine gun is simply ridiculous, and with a child it is criminal.
At least in this case the child was not physically injured. I believe that she should be counseled by numerous traditional gun users, who can at least explain to her just who it was who screwed up here.
I have instructed young adults in a military environment, where the individuals under instruction were all known to be reliable in following orders from me and the other petty officers assisting me. We still kept student:instructor ratio at 2:1. With children one should have full physical control. Obviously, the instructor in AZ didn't see it that way. He was wrong.
It is probably not impossible to have full physical control even with a child and a machine gun, but why? I consider myself a wild-eyed non-traditionalist because I am willing to begin instruction with a .22 handgun, whereas the more traditional and conservative among us start with a .22 rifle, probably a single-shot. The onus is upon ME to justify the liberties I am taking with tradition, and to compensate for the drawbacks of my non-traditional position. The idea of starting with a machine gun is simply ridiculous, and with a child it is criminal.
At least in this case the child was not physically injured. I believe that she should be counseled by numerous traditional gun users, who can at least explain to her just who it was who screwed up here.
JJEH
Member
This is very tragic. I see the instructor at fault here and the instructor only. He's the professional and he should know best.
Depending on the behavior of my kids and how mature they are, yes, I would let them shoot an UZI.
I have shot one myself several times while in the Military and they are NOT hard to control. They can be a little bit moody, yes, but they are NOT hard to control.
Depending on the behavior of my kids and how mature they are, yes, I would let them shoot an UZI.
I have shot one myself several times while in the Military and they are NOT hard to control. They can be a little bit moody, yes, but they are NOT hard to control.
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