8 Year Old Boy Dies after Shooting himself with Uzi at Gun Show

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jason

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http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1128071&srvc=home&position=rated

  :'( :mad: :'(

Grieving mom recalls ‘angel’ son killed at gun show

The mother of an 8-year-old boy who shot himself to death at a supervised gun expo in Westfield yesterday says she’ll remember her son as an angel.

“He was a beloved, beautiful child. He was an angel,” said Suzanne Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., whose third-grade son, Christopher, died Sunday after firing an Uzi submachine gun at the Westfield Sportman’s Club.

Christopher apparently lost control as he fired the gun, forcing it upwards and back, causing him to shoot himself in the head, said Westfield Police Lt. Hipolito Nunez. Christopher was under the supervision of a certified instructor, as well as his father, Dr. Charles Bizilj, when he was shot.

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.

An ad for the show posted on the Sportman’s Club Web site boasts: “No age limit or licenses required to shoot machine guns, handguns, rifles or shotguns!!!”

“You will be accompanied to the firing line with a certified instructor to guide you, But You Are In Control - Full Auto Rock And Roll.”

The annual expo is run by a group called C.O.P. Firearms and Training Co., based in Amherst. The head of that group is Pelham Police Chief Ed Fleury, Greenleaf said. Fleury could not be reached.

Pelham Police Lt. Gary Thomann, who answered the phone today at the police station, said his chief would have no comment.

“He’s not talking about it,” Thomann said.

He said Fleury will be out for the remainder of the week.

Nunez said the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives is expected today to aid in the investigation.

No charges have been filed in connection with the death, he said.

“We are still researching the law,” he said.

The Office of Hampden District Attorney William Bennett is also investigating.

The annual show has become extremely popular, Greenleaf said.

An event listing on the club’s Web site reads: “It’s all legal and fun - No permits or licenses required !!!!”

Anyone under 16 was admitted for free. Available targets were to include pumpkins, vehicles and “other fun stuff we can’t print here!!!!!” according to the club’s Web site.
 

jason

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I am all for gun rights and teaching the youth how to handle a gun, but letting a 8 year old kid shoot an Uzi is over the top. 
 

knabe

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i think i heard an ad for this type of even on glen beck's show.  i assumed guns like this would not be hand held.  maybe we should have an indy car event next time.
 

ELBEE

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Blue Rapids, Kansas
There is a huge difference between knowledge and discernment! My 3 year old daughter has learned how to start our Arctic Cat 4-wheeler, knowledge isn't the problem, but knowledge without discernment is a problem. How tragic for all involved in the death of this young man. The Lord only allows a very few do-overs!
 

Jill

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We purchased some of these when the ban went into effect because I do not think it is the job of the government to tell me what type of guns I am allowed to have.  That being said, I have an old munition plant gun case that is locked 100% of the time, my guns are not loaded and my children do not have access to these guns, and I wouldn't even consider leaving the case unlock much less putting the Uzi in the hands of my 8 year old.  What a shame that some people just seem to lack basic common sense.
 

frostback

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Too bad the poor kid did not take out the parents instead of himself. Sounds like he would have been better off as a orphan then the chance that his parents reproduce again. The police cheif needs to be let go too. I believe in protecting yourself and property and hunting but those guns are just people killers.
 

chambero

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Any time a child gets hurt with a gun its the parents fault.  You have to be right there watching them.  My oldest son is getting to shoot "real" guns for the first time this fall.  When I take him hunting, my gun stays home so I'm not paying attention to anything but him and how he's handling his gun.
 

Davis Shorthorns

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I first started shooting when I was about 8 and it was with a 22.  Then a year later I got up graded to a 20 gauge.  But an Uzi???  come on people that is just ridiculous. 
 

knabe

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chambero said:
Any time a child gets hurt with a gun its the parents fault.  You have to be right there watching them.  My oldest son is getting to shoot "real" guns for the first time this fall.  When I take him hunting, my gun stays home so I'm not paying attention to anything but him and how he's handling his gun.

chambero, that is the best advice on guns i've EVER heard.
 

jason

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I haven't shot an Uzi before, but I would assume it would have quite a bit of kickback.  I don't understand why you put this gun in a 8 year old kids hands knowing that it going to knock him around.  Heck it could have been even worse it he would have gotten knocked over and didn't take his finger off the trigger and started shooting up multiple people behind him.
 

shortyjock89

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chambero said:
Any time a child gets hurt with a gun its the parents fault.  You have to be right there watching them.  My oldest son is getting to shoot "real" guns for the first time this fall.  When I take him hunting, my gun stays home so I'm not paying attention to anything but him and how he's handling his gun.

That's exactly what my dad did when he first took me hunting..Pheasant, Quail, Deer...it didn't matter. We are really really big on safety here.  I started out really young, about like Davis up there, and now I teach my younger siblings and cousins how to shoot.  We always have fun, but when the guns get locked up, only me and my dad know where the key is.
 

herfchic

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I have hunted for about 10 years, and my sister just started hunting.  My dad and I are huge on safety.  The guns are always unloaded and in a gun safe.  I just feel bad that an 8 year old kid died because his father and a few other people lacked the common sense to not put an Uzi in his hands.  I just hope the anti-gun folks don't use this against us law abiding gun owners. 
 

Show Heifer

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This was said before but.."Where were the parents?" SOMEONE gave him permission. SOMEONE gave him the gun. SOMEONE stood by and watched.

So again I ask "where were the parents?"
 

jason

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Show Heifer said:
This was said before but.."Where were the parents?" SOMEONE gave him permission. SOMEONE gave him the gun. SOMEONE stood by and watched.

So again I ask "where were the parents?"

Actually the dad was standing behind him, but turned for a second to grab his camera.  The dad is also a neurosurgeon at a New England hospital.
 

Show Heifer

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Just goes to show ya a "piece of paper haing on the wall" doesnt make you smart.
 
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