Guns, Gunshows and Kids

Something has been bugging me all morning.

I heard on the morning news of a child who was at a gunshow with his father, and the child was killed because he was shot in the head while firing an Uzi machine gun. Apparently the child was allowed, under adult supervision, to go out to the firing range and fire off an Uzi machine gun, but the the boy lost control of the weapon while firing it and was struck in the head with the Uzi bullet. I have heard/read conflicting reports that the boy was 8 and later that the boy was 12. The boys father is apparently an ER Doctor.

I have to wonder a few things here:

1. Why in the world is an 8 yr old or even a 12 yr old CHILD, firing an Uzi submachine gun? What's the purpose of that?
2. What the hell was the father thinking in allowing his son to fire an UZI??
3. What the hell is anyone doing with an UZI submachine gun for crying out loud. If you are a collector, then maybe, just maybe I can see having the gun, but seriously, what is the redeeming purpose of having an UZI submachine gun?!?!?!?!?!?! You can't hunt with it, unless your are hunting people.

I realize that we live in a country where we are free to have nearly anything and everything we want, but come on-- a child firing an Uzi submachine gun. And the father. The father who is an emergency room doctor should have his head examined. I'm sure this father/doctor has seen first hand the effects of gunshot wounds... and now he has to live with the fact that he allowed his son to fire a machine gun and that allowance killed his son.

What a sad, tragic loss.