[Vision2020] Nation Debates Extremely Complex Issue of Children Firing Military Weapons

[Paul Rumelhart]

I was simply assuming that the 9-year old didn't have a lot of experience
firing weapons, but I could of course be wrong.

It's the job of the instructor to teach those in his or her charge how to
shoot safely on their range.  If someone under his care has an accident
that goes wrong so badly that there is a fatality, then that reflects upon
the instructor.  Specifically, in this case, you don't stand to the side in
front of the shooter.  The fact that the victim in this case happens to
have been the instructor himself is irrelevant.  Here is a link discussing
this more in detail:
http://misguidedchildren.com/domestic-affairs/2014/08/tragic-accident-9-year-old-kills-gun-range-instructor/28925

Paul


On Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 10:52 AM, Saundra Lund <v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm>
wrote:

> Hi Paul,
>
>
>
> In part, you wrote:
>
> “You don't start them out on fully automatic weapons with a large kick,
> though.  That was irresponsible of the parents and doubly so of the
> instructor.”
>
>
>
> What makes you think she was started out on a fully automatic firearm?
> Aren’t you jumping to conclusions about that, or have you read news
> coverage I’ve missed (which is certainly a possibility)?  Please feel free
> to share any links that report that the Uzi was the young girl’s first
> handling of a firearm.
>
>
>
> And, while I completely agree with you about the irresponsibility of the
> parents (although I go further and think they absolutely should be charged
> with the damage they’ve done to an innocent little girl), I’m less inclined
> to agree with you in your victim blaming of the dead instructor.  It’s the
> shooting range’s moronic owner/operator (survival of the fittest has
> clearly failed there) who made the policy that allows children as young as
> eight to fire automatic firearms, and as a mere employee, I seriously doubt
> Mr. Vacca had any choice about declining to let the little girl shoot.
> Sure, he could have quit and he would still be alive, but it seems to me
> it’s the range – and regulations that allow that kind of insanity – that
> are at fault, not a hardworking man who was just trying to earn a legal
> living.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Saundra
>
> Moscow, ID
>
>
>
> Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
>
> ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:
> vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] *On Behalf Of *Paul Rumelhart
> *Sent:* Thursday, August 28, 2014 9:03 AM
> *To:* Tom Hansen
> *Cc:* Moscow Vision 2020
> *Subject:* Re: [Vision2020] Nation Debates Extremely Complex Issue of
> Children Firing Military Weapons
>
>
>
> Why do you hide Borowitz reports behind obfuscated urls?
>
> Just for the record, I'm all for teaching kids how to fire weapons and,
> more to the point, how to be responsible around them.  That's typically
> where you learn to treat every weapon as if it's loaded and the safety is
> off.  You don't start them out on fully automatic weapons with a large
> kick, though.  That was irresponsible of the parents and doubly so of the
> instructor.
>
> I would rather have children learn a) how to use and respect a firearm in
> order to reduce accidents and b) not to be afraid of them or (worse) to
> only be exposed to them through movies.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 8:51 AM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
>
> Courtesy of the New Yorker at:
>
>
>
> http://tinyurl.com/Children-and-Military-Weapons
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------
> Nation Debates Extremely Complex Issue of Children Firing Military Weapons
>
> WASHINGTON—Across the United States on Wednesday, a heated national debate
> began on the extremely complex issue of children firing military weapons.
>
> “Every now and then, the nation debates an issue that is so complicated
> and tricky it defies easy answers,” says pollster Davis Logsdon. “Letting
> small children fire automatic weapons is such an issue.”
>
> Logsdon says that the thorny controversy is reminiscent of another ongoing
> national debate, about whether it is a good idea to load a car with
> dynamite and drive it into a tree.
>
> “Many Americans think it’s a terrible idea, but others believe that with
> the correct supervision, it’s perfectly fine,” he says. “Who’s to say who’s
> right?”
>
> Similar, he says, is the national debate about using a flamethrower
> indoors. “There has been a long and contentious national conversation about
> this,” he says. “It’s another tough one.”
>
> Much like the long-running national debates about jumping off a roof,
> licking electrical sockets, and gargling with thumbtacks, the vexing
> question of whether children should fire military weapons does not appear
> headed for a swift resolution.
>
> “Like the issue of whether you should sneak up behind a bear and jab it
> with a hot poker, this won’t be settled any time soon,” he says.
>
> -------------------------------------
>
> Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
>
>
>
> "Moscow Cares"
>
> http://www.MoscowCares.com <http://www.moscowcares.com/>
>
>
>
> Tom Hansen
>
> Moscow, Idaho
>
>
>
>
>
>
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