Boy, 8, Dead in Uzi Firing Range Accident; Some Suggest Change in Law
An 8-year-old boy aiming a 9 mm Micro Uzi at a pumpkin on a Connecticut firing range Sunday accidentally shot himself instead as the submachine gun recoiled and he apparently lost control of it.
The tragedy at a Westfield gun club has sparked calls for changes in state law, reports the Boston Globe.
Currently, Connecticut law requires only that those under 18 have parental consent and a licensed instructor in order to fire an automatic weapon at a range, says Lt. Hipolito Nuñez of the Westfield police. The department is investigating, but has filed no charges in the case so far.
According to the article, both of those conditions were met here: Christopher Bizilj’s father, who is a physician, was at hand and had given his permission, and a licensed instructor was with the boy. However, the instructor may not have been holding the gun, as he did with other children, simply allowing them to pull the trigger, Christopher’s father, Dr. Charles Bizilj, tells the newspaper.
At least one state lawmaker is already calling for legislation to require that those allowed to shoot automatic weapons be at least 21 years old, although gun enthusiasts are urging careful consideration before making any changes in current firearms standards.
“This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction; it’s a commonsense reaction,” says state Rep. Michael Costello, a Democrat who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. “We should take swift action to provide some reasonable restrictions on this type of unreasonable practice. It’s almost indescribable that within a year of leaving a booster seat, an 8-year-old can be holding a submachine gun.”
Cathie Whittenburg of the New England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is calling for the law to be changed to require those firing an Uzi to be at least 18 years old, according to a PR Newswire press release.
Officials from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hampden District Attorney’s Office are also investigating, but didn’t respond to requests from the Globe for comment.
Updated at 1:30 p.m. to include information from press release.
