Guns are as American as Apple Pie and Chuck Norris
by Shimbo
More and more, it’s harder to tell real stories from those that might appear in the Onion; this one is no different.
A 9-year-old girl gets to spend the formative years of her life in therapy after shooting a gun instructor in the head, killing him, while he was showing her how to shoot an Uzi, authorities said Tuesday.
An Uzi.
That’s right, a child was given an automatic weapon and she killed someone. Imagine that. The victim/Darwin Award Recipient, Charles Vacca, 39, of Lake Havasu City, was airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he would die of his wounds later that evening. Vacca was a life-long gun enthusiast, patriot and ardent defender of the Second Amendment, at least that’s what his Facebook page goes out of its way to let you know:
Other than the years of nightmares and therapy bills, the young girl suffered no injuries of her own. She, along with her parents, were travelling on vacation from New Jersey when they came upon an interesting little diner called Bullets and Burgers a self-styled “adventure” which includes a “private outdoor shooting range set in a stunning outdoor desert landscape”, which features a “unique ‘Desert Storm’ atmosphere and military style bunkers.”
Located 26 miles from Las Vegas, Bullets and Burgers is quite the popular tourist trap. Their website says: “At our range, you can shoot FULL auto on our machine guns. Let ’em Rip!” How quaint.
Looking for a tasty burger and a chance to shoot off artillery? Bullets and Burgers has it all ready for you!
Vacca was standing next to the girl as she fired off single shots from the 9mm automatic weapon, designed for use by the Israeli defense forces in the 1940s, and coveted by Colombian drug cartels and gang members from South Central L.A. in the 1980s. The gun, which features a short barrel, causing bullets to fly out in a sort of spread pattern brings with it quite a kick if one is not prepared, so it’s no surprise that as soon as Vacca switched the setting from single-shot to full auto, the instant recoil sent the gun flying above the girl’s head, putting a bullet right in Vacca’s head.
Because her parents were so proud of seeing their 9-year-old child fire an automatic weapon, they made the natural choice of recording the entire incident, which you can see right here (don’t worry, it’s edited):
According to Mojave Co. Sheriff Jim McCabe, no charges would be filed in the incident, which isn’t all that surprising, however, the surprising (and saddening) part is that Bullets and Burgers would also not face any fines or charges, because as he put it: “Bullets and Burgers is licensed and legal as an operation.” But how could that be? Doesn’t the great state of Arizona have laws that protect against children using firearms?
In fact they do, albeit with a rather concerning loophole: while Arizona gun laws require a person to be at least 18 years old to carry a firearm, those laws do not apply on private property or if the minor is accompanied by a parent or a certified instructor.
An instructor like Charles Vacca, whose fateful last words were, “Alright girl, full auto.”
No one will dispute that this was anything other than an accident. But this was an absolutely preventable one. It also goes to the argument that maybe, just maybe, our sometimes careless and flippant attitude towards our right to bear arms will do nothing short of bite us all in our collective asses…oh wait, that’s happening each and every day. What makes this situation all the more tragic is the notion that it was all done under the supervision of “experts”.
In this mess, it’s hard to have sympathy for anyone other than the little girl herself. The parents? They should have all parental rights stripped, but that’s not going to happen. Bullets and Burgers? They should be shut down immediately, but that’s not going to happen. Charles Vacca? As an instructor and veteran experienced in all sorts of weapons, he knew their potential. That he willingly let a child fire a gun specifically designed for killing (make no mistake, that’s exactly what Uzis were created for), well, he’s the victim of the worst case scenario, and frankly, it serves him right. No one deserves to die without a good reason, but when you choose to shake hands with danger, you take what’s coming to you.
For the public, pro or anti-gun, this will be one more story, one more anecdote that gets filed away in the never-ending battle over gun rights, a battle that never seems to stand still long enough to measure the actual human cost. A man is dead and a little girl traumatized. None of that matters so long as the wings of liberty never lose a feather.
Hashim R. Hathaway (Uncle Shimbo) is the host of the Never Daunted Radio Network, and proud father to NeverDaunted.Net. You can reach him on Twitter @NeverDauntedNet