Accidental death of Arizona Shooting Instructor Sparks Debate

The accidental death of shooting instructor Charles Vacca in Arizona has stirred a debate about allowing the very young access to deadly weapons.

Charles Vacca, an instructor at the Last Stop shooting range in Arizona was accidentally shot by a 9-year old girl when she lost control of an automatic Uzi.

According to Mohave Country Sheriff's officials, Vacca was teaching the girl on how to use the weapon. He stood next to the girl while the girl's parents were shooting it on video.

When the girl pulled the trigger, the gun recoiled. The girl lost control over the gun due to this and Vacca accidentally got shot in the head, the officials said.

The incident has left many people wondering about the parent's recklessness in letting the girl handle such weapons..

"We have better safety standards for who gets to ride a roller coaster at an amusement park," said Gerry Hills, founder of Arizonians for Gun Safety, reports The Houston Chronicle.

He opined that strict rules in the use of guns by children are needed and to have allowed the girl to use the weapon was a thoughtless act.

A discussion in the social media also kicked off after the incident. Many people wondered why the girl's parents let her use such a powerful weapon.

E.J. Montini, a columnist for Arizona Republic newspaper, wrote: "Arizona law allows a minor to possess a weapon if accompanied by a parent, guardian or an instructor. But this type of weapon? It's time we asked ourselves: Why would a shooting range allow a kid to handle an automatic weapon? Why would a parent? And, most importantly, why would a state?", reports The Wall Street Journal.

 "What in the name of Jesus is wrong with us, Americans?" another one person wrote on the Trip Advisor page for the shooting range, reports dallasnews.

Sam Scarmado, the owner of the shooting range, said that they were working with the Mohave County Sheriff's office and a decision regarding changing the rules will be taken after all the details are analyzed.

He said that the Last Stop community has lost a friend as well as a brother as they were all very close. He also said that all the staff of the shooting rage had a military or police background and had high skills in the use of fire arms and safety procedures.

Todd Edmiston, owner of A& S Indoor Pistil Range in Youngwood said after watching the video that the whole incident seemed stupid to him. He said that the girl wasn't  big or heavy to use a weapon like automatic Uzi, reports TribLive.