Charles Vacca, 39, died Monday at a hospital, and a cute 9-year old girl’s life is irreparably damaged, after the girl accidentally shot Mr. Vacca, her shooting instructor, in the head with an Uzi at an Arizona shooting range.
The girl’s loving parents knew that you can never start too soon when it comes to putting firearms into the hands of your tykes, so while vacationing, they made a pitstop for some gun fun. The girl had successfully fired the gun in “single-shot” mode several times. When it was switched into “fully automatic,” the weapon recoiled and she lost control, hitting the instructor who was standing off to the left. A video shows her shooting the weapon before the accident.
The shooting range, which has highway signs that advertise both shooting and a good meal – really you can’t make this shit up – is called “Bullets and Burgers’.
Bullets and Burgers isn’t exactly a traditional shooting range where you go to for target practice — it’s a genuine tourist trap /campground/burger joint/buy lottery tickets spot/impulse & pee stop on Highway 93 between Las Vegas and Kingman. They’ve got ICE COLD Beer, a Full Bar, and Pool Tables, and their homepage crows that “LAST STOP Arizona is the Biker’s MUST STOP”:
“The Bullets and Burgers Adventure is a private outdoor range set in a stunning outdoor desert landscape. We separate ourselves from all other Las Vegas ranges with our unique ‘Desert Storm’ atmosphere and military style bunkers. We are located on the eclectic 30+ acre Arizona Last Stop property surrounded by picturesque mountain views at the edge of the undeveloped Lake Mead Recreational Area.
To top it off, lunch is included inside the the World Famous Arizona Last Stop restaurant located onsite. You will be treated with the World Famous All American Hamburger, fresh cut french fries, and a drink. The All American Burger is guaranteed to be the best hamburger you have ever eaten.”
“….Just fire at will and have a blast!” they advertise. Even a nine-year old should be able to distinguish “Will” from Charles Vacca. Other than that, it sounds like she was mostly following instruction. this just makes me want to vomit. WHen I was nine, I had trust in my parents to let me do things that were safe and to prevent me from doing stupid stuff that was in their control. This poor kid.