8 Year old dies while shooting an Uzi

[A/C Guy]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- A police chief was among three men indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi at a gun show.

The Westfield Sportsman's Club also faces the manslaughter charge in the death of Christopher Bizilj (bah-SEAL') of Ashford, Conn., who lost control of the 9mm micro submachine gun as it recoiled while he was firing at a pumpkin.

The boy's father was 10 feet behind him and reaching for his camera when the child fired the weapon.

Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury owns the COP Firearms & Training, which sponsored the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo Oct. 26 at the Westfield Sportsman's Club.

Two other men, Carl Guiffre of Hartford, Conn., and Domenico Spano, of New Milford, Conn., also were indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges. They brought the automatic weapon to the show, after assurances from Fleury that it was legal under Massachusetts law, District Attorney William Bennett said.

"A Micro Uzi is made by and for the Israeli Armed Forces and is intended to meet the operational needs of Israeli Special Forces," Bennett said, noting the weapon has a rate of fire of 1,700 round per minute. "It is not a hunting weapon."

Fleury and the club also were indicted on four counts each of furnishing a machine gun to a minor. Bennett said prosecutors know of at least four children, including Christopher, who fired the automatic weapons. The club faces a fine of up to $10,000 for each violation.

Fleury, Guiffre and Spano did not immediately return calls for comment. A man who answered the phone at the club said he was a member; he refused to identify himself and said no one wanted to talk.

The machine gun shoot drew hundreds of people to the sporting club's 375-acre compound. An advertisement said it would include machine gun demonstrations and rentals and free handgun lessons.

"It's all legal & fun - No permits or licenses required!!!!" reads the ad, posted on the club's Web site.

"You will be accompanied to the firing line with a Certified Instructor to guide you. But You Are In Control - "FULL AUTO ROCK & ROLL," the ad said.

The ad also said children under 16 would be admitted free, and both adults and children were offered free .22-caliber pistol and rifle shooting.

Christopher's father, Charles Bizilj, has said his son had experience firing handguns and rifles but the gun show was his first time with an automatic weapon. A certified instructor was with the boy at the time.

The family did not immediately return a call for comment.

This is exactly what the gun grabbers asked for; a tragedy that they will use for their personal agenda.

[azredhawk44]

Christopher's father, Charles Bizilj, has said his son had experience firing handguns and rifles but the gun show was his first time with an automatic weapon. A certified instructor was with the boy at the time.

We're discussing this over at the Appleseed forum a bit too, but rumor has it that there was no certified instructor with the boy at the time... there was only a 15 year old minor there to supervise the weapon's use.

From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/...shoots_himself

The club where the fair was held also was charged. The fair had promised shooters would have certified instructors in an advertisement, but District Attorney William Bennett said the child, Christopher Bizilj, was supervised by an uncertified 15-year-old boy.

Creeps us out a little bit because we have personal rifles, little .22's (10/22, Marlin 795, etc) that we loan out from time to time to shooters with malfunctioning rifles. We do this to keep the line moving as quickly as possible. These rifles have been loaned to minors, with their parents' permission, before. Just did one this last weekend.

Makes me wonder a bit about loaning a rifle to a minor.

[A/C Guy]

I don't think the lack of a certified instructor, per se, is the cause of the accident. His father was standing too far away with the a camera and the owner of the weapon was not next to the boy. They allowed a 15 y.o. to hand the weapon to the boy and instruct the boy. The owner of the weapon should have been next to the boy. The owner, knowing how the weapon recoils and rises, should have warned the boy and should have been standing ready to grab the barrel if the boy started losing control.

The debate about whether or not there should have been a certified instructor on hand, opens the door to more regulation and restrictions. The new cry from the left will be that there has to be a certified instructor every time a person wants to try a new weapon.

[alloy]

an eight year old would have gotten just as much fun with "shoot the red star out with the BB gun at the carnival". worked for me anyway.

somebody, and maybe more than a few, need their heads examined. i might have let him shoot the gun with two rounds in a mag or two to see how it went etc...maybe. kinda doubt that even. what if he had turned around the other direction while spraying? anyone ever get the death grip on a powerful hand drill when it grabs in steel etc and cant take your finger off the trigger?

oh well...i hate to be anti anything related to lawful guns....what a total tragedy.

[TheBluesMan]

This *is* a terrible tragedy, but it's not related to law or civil rights.

Closed for being off-topic.