Who in his right f..@king mind would let an 8-year old blast away with an Uzi? Well how about a “certified firearms instructor” in attendance at yesterday’s Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman’s Club in Westfield, Mass.

The 8-year old – as in eight years old – kid was handed a loaded, submachine gun to blaze away downrange. Blame Sir Isaac Newton and his damned Third Law, the one about “equal and opposite reaction.” When you fire a handgun, it kicks back and up. When you fire a handheld submachine gun, it wants to keep kicking back and further up and up.

That’s what happened. The youngster didn’t or couldn’t let go of the trigger and the weapon kept recoiling upward until a bullet found the child’s head.