The tragic death of a gun instructor by a cute pink pants-wearing nine-year-old Uzi user-in-training has set off a wave of questions, starting with “Why is it necessary for a nine-year-old to learn how to operate an automatic weapon?” A spokesperson for the Uzis for Youth Movement had this to say:
“Children are being raised in a dangerous world, but are being fed nonsense by the liberal media. If you watch kiddie TV, you’d think that the world is one big love in, populated by fluffy talking animals and people who smile a lot. We would rather our children know the truth. The world is filled with people who can’t even speak English and dangerous animals with really sharp teeth. Children have to be trained to survive.
In addition to training children to use automatic weapons, the movement has reissued popular children’s classics. In the new editions, Little Red Riding Hood has a Uzi and blows the head off the wolf. Snow White aims her Uzi at the dwarves and gives them 30 minutes to vacate the premises. Goldilocks offs the three bears and then goes back to sleep.
“Let’s get real, here,” continued the spokesperson, “if children could bring their Uzis to school, no one would mess with them. Schools would become what they were supposed to be, places where everyone learns to read and experiences the joy of friendship, without the bullying.”
When asked to consider the idea of establishing an age threshold for instruction of automatic weapons, he had this to say: “Like what, 10? 12? 18? 21?” You see how inane this is. Is a nine-year-old’s life of less value than that of, say, an 18-year-old? The reality is that all children of all ages should be learning to fire automatic weapons. We have plans for smaller versions of Uzis that will be available to toddlers, perhaps with cartoon decals to make them more appealing. I can see it now: Spiderman, Batman, and Superman on the boys’ guns. The girls could have Barbie, and instead of a ‘Hello Kitty’ version, there would be a ‘Bye-Bye Kitty’ one. For the youngest children, whose little fingers are too small to know the joy of pulling the trigger, we would offer Uzi-themed disposable diapers and soft, but lifelike, Uzi crib toys. Our motto is ‘You’re Never Too Young to Protect Your Crib.‘”
redcarpetsquare
August 31, 2014
My daughter had a very small cushiony pink purse embroidered with the words my first purse. Might I suggest something similar for an Uzi?
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
The possibilities are endless.
Taswegian1957
August 31, 2014
I googled this story to find out what actually happened. I read some of the comments and was horrified that most people although they deplored giving a child an Uzi seemed more upset that it might mean harsher gun control laws. I fail to see why even an adult needs a gun like that. Outside of the military and para military organisations nobody should have them! Why would anyone else need one?
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Your comments are far too rational to be taken seriously by those who want complete access to guns. The right to own guns, any guns, and to use them at any age, has become, for them, a basic human right: life, liberty, happiness, and the pursuit of firearms.
Taswegian1957
September 1, 2014
I know, I often feel that many Americans have confused the right to bear arms with the necessity to bear arms and have forgotten that it was a right given in another age when life was different. However I don’t live there so my comments don’t count for much I guess.
A Simple Village Undertaker
August 31, 2014
Like most everything these days, there are crazies at the poles and a few reasonable people in between.
My father is a retired police chief. My earliest recollection of shooting guns was when I was in second grade, (I’m 54 now). There were several guns in the homes I grew up in and I was taught never to play with them, and I never did. As I grew up, I became a competitive target shooter and eventually a pistol/CWP instructor, but I no longer teach.
I really have not closely followed the details about this accident, but it appears likely that the instructor failed in his responsibility to keep the range safe by not preparing the young girl for what it is like to fire a gun. I also might not have picked an Uzi as a training rifle, but again, I do not know the facts of what lead up to this accident.
I do agree with the idea of teaching kids that guns are different than what they see on TV or in movies, but there are much safer ways to make the point. Guns are not toys or glamourous and it is important for children to understand why, in light of what they experience watching TV/movies.
I’ll close with the observation that media driven hysteria regading firearms makes it difficult to belive what you read/see about a situation. It has gotten to the point where the media “makes” the news as opposed to “reports” the news.
Like they used to say on Sesame Street, “Poop happens”….just for chuckles, I put “Driving instructors killed teaching” into my search engine and got over 32 million suggestions from Google. Do we hear about driving instructors being killed? It is similar to no one hearing about the black cop who shot and killed an unarmed white kid the week Ferguson, MO was rioting…it just didn’t fit the agenda.
My name is Ray and thank’s for letting me share.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Thanks for sharing, Ray. As for driving, we set age thresholds. No driving instructor would teach a nine-year-old to operate a vehicle. And there is no reason on the planet to teach that same child to shoot an automatic weapon.
18mitzvot
August 31, 2014
“You’re never too young to protect your crib.”
Now that’s a clever pun. Bravo.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Thanks, 18.
btg5885
August 31, 2014
Why would someone expect that a tragedy like this or others would not happen. This tragedy is not an accident in my view. It is malfeasance on the part of the adults. Thanks for sharing this story. BTG
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
You are welcome. How terrible that adults would even put children in a situation like that to begin with.
Elyse
August 31, 2014
The debate surrounding this, ummm, blows my mind. I am anti-gun, but I do understand that there are folks who hunt. There are folks who feel the need to protect themselves. They can have their guns, although the statistics demonstrate that households with a gun are far more likely to be involved in homicide, suicide and accidental shootings.
But when is reason going to reemerge? Ray above talks about driving instructors being killed teaching and how nobody ever talks about them. Well, there are AGE LIMITS for driving, because until a certain point, people are not ready to handle the responsibility and they are a danger to themselves and to others.
But reasonableness when it comes to guns is “abridging the fucking 2nd Amendment rights.” Bullshit.
The right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” came first. And nothing should trump those rights.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Agreed on all points. The right to own guns began at a time when local militia were an integral part of our security system. Nowadays, legal hunting is the last vestige of a need for guns. These folks have warped the original intent of gun ownership and raised it to something sacrosanct. We all pay the price for that.
morristownmemos by Ronnie Hammer
August 31, 2014
The thought of school children bringing uzis to school is horrifying, I can see it all now. We’re on the playground. “He started”
“No, HE started.” Boom boom boom.
Bones, bones, who was right?
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Horrifying, indeed, whether in the hands of children or those who use guns as an easy fix for anger and for demanding respect without earning it. It’s chilling.
katecrimmins
August 31, 2014
If more kids brought Uzis to school, there would be less kids at school. I remember getting angry at schoolmates for some perceived insult. Ignoring them for an hour worked well for me.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
We have so ratcheted up the stakes, haven’t we?
katecrimmins
September 2, 2014
It’s the ‘disrespect’ thing. What ever happened with bopping someone on the nose?
ermigal
August 31, 2014
LBL, Thanks for being brave enough to write about this horrific and very depressing scenario. Ray, your comments are appreciated, too. The newspaper account I read was not hysterics at all, just a recap of what happened. Stop blaming “the media” and “follow the (gun) money.” Sending loving thoughts to the little girl who has to live with this.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Many consider the NRA to be the most powerful lobbying group in the US. What does that say about us?
BABYBOOMER johanna van zanten
August 31, 2014
Oh, my god! A world gone insane.
Johanna
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Yes, in so many ways.
savingthebestforlast
August 31, 2014
My question when I heard about the death of the instructor: Why give an Uzi to a nine-year-old? Why teach the child to shoot an Uzi for god’s sake? It’s just plain nuts. Renee, I, too, love your slogan: “You’re Never Too Young to Protect Your Crib.”
A Simple Village Undertaker
August 31, 2014
That is a very good point and I’m surprised I overlooked it in my original comments. I would never allow a child that young to handle a loaded firearm. What the NRA teaches children in that age group is if they come accross a gun: 1. Don’t touch it. 2. Leave the area immediately. 3. Tell your parent/other adult. I did take my daughters to the range around that age so they could “hear” how loud a gunshot is and they saw what happened to a watermelon I blew up to imprint what a gun would do to them or someone else if used. That made an impression. Gun awareness and safety do not always include handling one.
The thing though, is a lot of people are making the Uzi the villian. It was a very poor decision to let her do that and the results were tragic. Could we use the experience of a parent buying a high performance, personal watercraft, (as opposed to a sailboat) and allowing a youngster to use it with similar results….would we blame Kawasaki? No, we would blame the parent (s) who let the child do something that exceeded their abilities.
savingthebestforlast
August 31, 2014
Ray, I agree with you that gun awareness and safety do not always include handling one, and, in my opinion should NEVER include handling one as far as children are concerned. And I sill say (for any age): Why an Uzi? I don’t blame the weapon, but I do blame the parents/adults. How does their decision make sense? As a friend of mine said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
A Simple Village Undertaker
September 1, 2014
Agreed.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
Thanks, Joyce. When my eyeballs cross and smoke starts coming out of my ears, I turn to humor.
gliderpilotlee
August 31, 2014
Hmm, make some notes?
A dangerous child is dangerous without weapons, and I just happened to meet two in the first three years of school. That’s really not the issue here.
If I chose to be a firearms instructor. (Sincerely sad this man was shot)
First I would consider a talk with the parents of a little girl – really? You feel the need to introduce a child to automatic weapons?
The process: First I set down with the child and we certainly unload the gun. Now no bullets – we checked twice. Possibly the clip is out, we can explore all the ways to check that it’s unloaded. Look down the empty barrel, cock it an imaginary fire it into the dirt. Nothing happens.
Now I explain this is not TV. It’s real but unloaded.
Ok, now would you like to get an impression of how recoil feels?
It’s all set up beforehand – a harness she is strapped into – she can’t fall down. etc.
Show the child how to hold tight and lean into it with one foot directly opposite the pointed gun. Now when the child pulls the trigger I slam them to the end of the tether by jamming the gun into their shoulder the equal amount of the recoil. NOW, Parents, and child, do you really expect me, or want me to put live ammo in this?
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 1, 2014
I wonder just how many of these gun-loving parents take the time to instill such a respect for guns into their offspring. But, even if they do, I am still left with: Why an Uzi? Are we declaring war on deer? Do we need automatic weapons to protect our homes?
gliderpilotlee
September 2, 2014
If I should need an automatic, our world is in big trouble before I pull the trigger.
Once kids found a straw and blew soybeans out the end, yes even that was dangerous if aimed poorly. Star Trek – the little guys with big ears had the same issue – not a clue how to invent, maintain, or use the equipment they got their hands on. Are humans headed this direction?
hazel
September 3, 2014
Reblogged this on BarePsyche.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 3, 2014
Thanks for the reblog!