A tragic story out of Arizona. A nine year old girl on vacation with her parents got an opportunity to fire an Uzi at “Bullets and Burgers” an outdoor range about 60 miles south east of Las Vegas.
The instructor, Charles Vacca, can be seen instructing the girl moments before the tragic accident.
As a parent of three daughters, two of which are 8 and 10, I find it extremely disturbing on many levels.
I’ve helped numerous children of varying ages fire their first rounds and while I am not a certified instructor, the attention you have to pay to a new shooter, especially of a young age, is crucial.
In the video shot moments before the Uzi being fired appears to be semi automatic. Select fire (aka full auto) rentals are very prevalent in that area, I have to wonder if the accident occurred when / if the carbine was switched into fully automatic fire.
My prayers and thoughts go out to the families involved, especially for the little girl. I can’t imagine the mental trauma she is experiencing right now because of this accident and, while this may sound harsh, the improper supervision of her instructor.
Ultimately this event falls squarely on his shoulders, as the instructor of a nine year old, everything that happened was his responsibility. I can only assume he allowed himself to be distracted for a split second or stepped too far back to allow the parents to get more video without him in it.
As you all have seen in my videos on YouTube and FaceBook, I have a more hands off approach to shooting with my now 10 year old. She consistently demonstrates safe gun handling and proficiency with her rifle. On the other hand you’ll see me as a “mother goose” and less than an arms reach away with other children, including my youngest daughter.
Again my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected by this tragedy.