Originally posted by: The Stig
This is local to me, no opinion here but FWIW local radio has been talking about how RE: the kickback arguments they were using light-load rounds for all full auto's at the show. No specific facts or knowledge but have heard a lot about how they were not full bore rounds.
Also FWIW lots of people who were also at the show talking about how lots of kids/adults were shooting the Uzi, a Thompson other full-auto weapons. So not an extraordinary case of "This guy made his 8-year-old wield a gun". They had a set line and had the people shoot one by one with a member of the club supervising and in the case of children supporting the kid and the weapon. So the fact that the 8-year-old was even given the Uzi to shoot was not a reckless act it was part of the show for many people. Still... no details yet about how this really happened. I'm guessing a ricochet?
If that's how they set it up, they were irresponsible. The first time
anyone is shooting a weapon like that there should be only a single round in the firearm.
A true "light load" will not cycle the action of most semi-automatic and full-automatic firearms. Both full- and semi-automatic firearms depend upon the recoil (either mechanical or the gas pressure) to operate the cycling mechanism. For this reason, there is a lower limit on how "light" a round can be and still reliably cycle the weapon. This is not like "Cowboy" shooting where the loadings are ridiculously light since the revolvers used there do not need energy from the cartridge to cycle.
There are numerous points of failure here:
1) Too many rounds in the magazine for an inexperienced shooter.
2) Disregard for the fact that it's not possible to use true light loads in automatic (either full or semi) weapons.
3) No baseline requirement for the people shooting the weapons (there is no way the operator should have allowed an 8 year old to fire the Uzi)
I am as vehemently pro-gun as a person can get, but even I do not support the abhorrent "safety" practices that were used in this situation.
ZV