Media Reports On Child Machine Gun Accident Are Misleading

Posted by | August 27, 2014 16:15 | Filed under: Contributors News Behaving Badly Opinion Tommy Christopher Top Stories


On Monday, a 9-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed 39 year-old firearms instructor Charles Vacca when the girl lost control of the Uzi submachine gun he was supervising her with. The incident was caught on video, the publicized version of which stops just short of the fatal shot. As you can see, Vacca has one hand on his student, and the other on the weapon, when the fatal burst is fired:

The accident took place at the The Bullets and Burgers Adventure shooting range, where you can “Let ’em rip!” and where “alcohol is optional.”

The story has been all over the news today, accompanied by a bit of “expert” commentary from Bob Irwin, owner of Las Vegas’ The Gun Store, who is presented as the voice of opposition to those who think little kids shouldn’t be handling machine guns, even with supervision. Here’s the package that NBC News’ Katy Tur is shopping all over NBC and MSNBC, in which she explains what “some say,” while “others” say something else:

Tur: “Others assert the incident is merely an unfortunate accident.”

Bob Irwin: “What you’re talking about, from what I understand of this incident, is extremely unusual. I’ve been at this now for 40 years, and I’ve never heard of something like this happening.”

Irwin’s personal knowledge notwithstanding, journalists have a duty to deal in facts, and the fact is that this incident isn’t something new. Stop me if this looks familiar…READ MORE

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Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Tommy Christopher

Tommy Christopher is The Daily Banter's White House Correspondent and Political Analyst. He's been a political reporter and liberal commentator since 2007, and has covered the White House since the beginning of the Obama administration, first for PoliticsDaily, and then for Mediaite. Christopher is a frequent guest on a variety of television, radio, and online programs, and was the villain in the documentaries The Audacity of Democracy and Hating Breitbart. He's also That Guy Who Live-Tweeted His Own Heart Attack, and the only person to have ever received public apologies from both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

34 responses to Media Reports On Child Machine Gun Accident Are Misleading

  1. Jon C August 27th, 2014 at 16:37

    Don’t Expect Anything New from the NRA Regarding the Latest Baby With a Gun http://po.st/zoNJ9F via @po_st

  2. Jon C August 27th, 2014 at 16:37

    Don’t Expect Anything New from the NRA Regarding the Latest Baby With a Gun http://po.st/zoNJ9F via @po_st

  3. edmeyer_able August 27th, 2014 at 16:59

    An uzi is not a toy. You don’t teach gun safety w/an uzi. You don’t target practice w/an uzi. An uzi is made for one thing, to kill a bunch of people very quickly.
    —————————————————————————————————————
    Had this “accident” not occurred the video would have been posted on the families FB account.
    —————————————————————————————————————
    If any good can come of this it will be to show people WHAT NOT TO DO
    But some people will never learn.

  4. edmeyer_able August 27th, 2014 at 16:59

    An uzi is not a toy. You don’t teach gun safety w/an uzi. You don’t target practice w/an uzi. An uzi is made for one thing, to kill a bunch of people very quickly.
    —————————————————————————————————————
    Had this “accident” not occurred the video would have been posted on the families FB account.
    —————————————————————————————————————
    If any good can come of this it will be to show people WHAT NOT TO DO
    But some people will never learn.

  5. wpadon August 27th, 2014 at 17:00

    I can not see this as an accident. It was a deliberate act. Insurance should not pay for his risky behavior. Just like skydiving and kayaking.

    • edmeyer_able August 27th, 2014 at 17:01

      It’s been classified as a WORK PLACE ACCIDENT

      • M D Reese August 27th, 2014 at 17:03

        Oh great–so Worker’s Compensation will pay for his funeral…

  6. wpadon August 27th, 2014 at 17:00

    I can not see this as an accident. It was a deliberate act. Insurance should not pay for his risky behavior. Just like skydiving and kayaking.

    • edmeyer_able August 27th, 2014 at 17:01

      It’s been classified as a WORK PLACE ACCIDENT

      • M D Reese August 27th, 2014 at 17:03

        Oh great–so Worker’s Compensation will pay for his funeral…

  7. Obewon August 27th, 2014 at 17:02

    This same gun range announced today that children 8 and up can still shoot somebody with fully automatic submachine guns at Arizona’s The Bullets and Burgers Adventure shooting range. They’ve learned nothing. Woo-hoo! They did learn how to suspend their website account temporarily until the outrage and bad press dies down. http://bulletsandburgers.com/

    • M D Reese August 27th, 2014 at 17:06

      Chickenshits–all cocky and swaggering until somebody gets hurt–then they scramble for the deepest darkest corners to hide.

      • Obewon August 27th, 2014 at 17:09

        Next-up: ‘Hey kids 8 and up can now drive alone in your very own formula racecar at over 200 MPH as it hurls over the track wall taking out spectators as it kills you too!’

        • M D Reese August 28th, 2014 at 16:24

          There are places in this country where they wouldn’t think twice about that. Sadly though, it’s not the children who need to be removed from the gene pool–it’s their parents.

  8. M D Reese August 27th, 2014 at 17:02

    These incidents are not accidents. The adults who keep putting children (and everyone around them) in mortal danger should be tried for negligence and lose their right to own firearms and raise children.

    • granpa.usthai August 27th, 2014 at 18:02

      underhand forward grips are designed for full sized adults. If you’re training one this young, you need to teach them to grasp the forward part of the weapon on top during full auto.

      • M D Reese August 28th, 2014 at 16:22

        Or maybe wait until they’re old enough to join the freakin army…

  9. Obewon August 27th, 2014 at 17:02

    This same gun range announced today that children 8 and up can still shoot somebody with fully automatic submachine guns in NRA’s Arizona at The Bullets and Burgers Adventure shooting range. They’ve learned nothing. Woo-hoo! They did learn how to suspend their website account temporarily until the outrage and bad press dies down. http://bulletsandburgers.com/

    • M D Reese August 27th, 2014 at 17:06

      Chickenshits–all cocky and swaggering until somebody gets hurt–then they scramble for the deepest darkest corners to hide.

      • Obewon August 27th, 2014 at 17:09

        Next-up: ‘Death-Race 2014! Hey kids 8 and up can now drive alone in your very own formula racecar at over 200 MPH as it hurls over the track wall, takes out spectators, as it kills you too!’

        • M D Reese August 28th, 2014 at 16:24

          There are places in this country where they wouldn’t think twice about that. Sadly though, it’s not the children who need to be removed from the gene pool–it’s their parents.

  10. M D Reese August 27th, 2014 at 17:02

    These incidents are not accidents. The adults who keep putting children (and everyone around them) in mortal danger should be tried for negligence and lose their right to own firearms and raise children.

    • granpa.usthai August 27th, 2014 at 18:02

      underhand forward grips are designed for full sized adults. If you’re training one this young, you need to teach them to grasp the forward part of the weapon on top during full auto.

      • M D Reese August 28th, 2014 at 16:22

        Or maybe wait until they’re old enough to join the freakin army…

  11. uzza August 27th, 2014 at 17:37

    He’s “been doing this for 40 years and never heard of this happening”? Srsly, you’re not embarrassed to say that? I haven’t been doing it at all and the first thought I had was remembering when it happened before. Took me 30 seconds to google it.

    You claim to be a trained professional, actively practicing your trade, yet you’re oblivious to current trends and events in said field, even when a little kid is killed doing the exact thing you are doing! Why not just post a sign saying
    “I am ignorant and incompetent and I don’t care if children get killed.”

  12. uzza August 27th, 2014 at 17:37

    He’s “been doing this for 40 years and never heard of this happening”? Srsly, you’re not embarrassed to say that? I haven’t been doing it at all and the first thought I had was remembering when it happened before. Took me 30 seconds to google it.

    You claim to be a trained professional, actively practicing your trade, yet you’re oblivious to current trends and events in said field, even when a little kid is killed doing the exact thing you are doing! Why not just post a sign saying
    “I am ignorant and incompetent and I don’t care if children get killed.”

  13. granpa.usthai August 27th, 2014 at 17:58

    gun control:
    ‘being able to go fully auto
    without killing the instructor’

  14. granpa.usthai August 27th, 2014 at 17:58

    gun control:
    ‘being able to go fully auto
    without killing the instructor’

  15. tiredoftea August 27th, 2014 at 18:27

    Well, I admire truth in advertising. The place is called “The Last Stop” Shooting Range.

  16. tiredoftea August 27th, 2014 at 18:27

    Well, I admire truth in advertising. The place is called “The Last Stop” Shooting Range.

  17. edmeyer_able August 27th, 2014 at 21:38

    ICYMI…..this is the eulogy given by the father of the 8yo who shot himself in similar circumstances in 2008.FMW

  18. edmeyer_able August 27th, 2014 at 21:38

    ICYMI…..this is the eulogy given by the father of the 8yo who shot himself in similar circumstances in 2008.FMW

    • Obewon August 28th, 2014 at 01:24

      Now parents can relive their death wishes for children 8 and above! AZ’s killing fields have reopened their above website: Uzi Sub Machine Guns automatic rate of fire of 950 rounds per minute (New Replacement Instructors Always Needed) http://bulletsandburgers.com/guns/84-sub-machine-guns/64-mini-uzi But wait that’s not all! Machine Guns! Belt Fed Machine Guns! .50 Cal Handguns! Specialty Guns & Extreme Sniper Adventure! Book now while instructors last… http://bulletsandburgers.com/shootsniper *Guns are subject to availability due to murder investigations with ATF & FBI required repairs. Prices are subject to change due to supply of ammunition & live humans.

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