Everyone who knows gun club politics knows people like this:
The annual machine gun show is advertised as a free-for-all for gun enthusiasts, and has created discord among some club members, said longtime club member Bob Greenleaf.
“To let an 8-year-old boy fire an Uzi is the height of stupidity,†said Greenleaf.
Greenleaf, a member of the club for 44 years, was so opposed to the annual machine gun shoot that he resigned from the club’s board of directors four years ago.
What really tweaks me about this asshole is, you know he called the media. They didn’t dig him up. He called the media to announce to the world that “I was right! It’s dangerous!” Club politics are not something that need to be acted out in the newspapers, especially in response to an tragic accident that could very well endanger the club itself, and by association, the entire shooting culture in Western Massachusetts.
Machine gun shoots are not inherently dangerous, and this event has happened several times a year for years with no problems, as do hundreds of events around the country. This absolutely should prompt clubs that host machine gun shoots to review their safety procedures. Once the investigation is complete, and we know more about how this incident happened, we’ll be able to determined what needs to be changed. I support parents being free to make decisions about teaching their children to shoot, but if this really was an Uzi, that’s not an appropriate firearm for an eight year old.
When I was taught how to fire a machine pistol, I started out with firing in semi-auto mode, to get used to the recoil. Then fill the magazine with two rounds, then three, then start out learning how to burst the trigger. It’s not until you get used to it that you should try to dump a full magazine. I’m not against kids shooting guns, not even against them shooting machine guns provided they are given appropriate instruction and appropriately controllable firearms. Machine pistols are difficult to control, even for an adults. Someone had a tragic lapse in judgment.
UPDATE: More eating our own. I have an idea. Let’s wait for the police and ATF to investigate this, so we understand exactly what happened first. Then we can come up with productive solutions for ensuring this never happens again. Closing down the club is not in the space of “productive solutions.”
UPDATE: Now he’s speaking to news cameras.
I agree with you 100%. Even with a new pistol, not knowing what the round will do or how the pistol will jump, I fire one shot first to get the feel for it. Then I do 2 and then 3 and then I load up the magazine. Then, to get to know what it will do shooting with one hand, I go through the same procedure. The last thing I need is for the first round to kick out of my hand and turn the gun around with my finger still in the trigger. The funny thing is, nobody taught me this. My own common sense told me to do it this way.
This is a tragedy we could all learn from. Let’s hope it never happens again.
Not sure you want the BATFEces investigating this. They for sure will conclude that no one but the “Only Ones” can handle a machine gun.
Well they probably need to check the registration just to be sure.