No charges filed in the death of a firearms instructor

Prosecutors in Arizona say they will not file charges in the death of a firearms instructor who was showing a vacationing 9-year-old New Jersey girl how to fire a fully automatic Uzi machine gun.

The gun recoiled when she squeezed the trigger and Charles Vacca was shot in the head.

The girl’s name and hometown have not been released.

Chief deputy Jace Zack with the Mohave County Attorney’s Office says the instructor was probably the most criminally negligent for allowing the child to hold the gun without enough training.

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The accident has raised questions about whether children that young should be handling such powerful weapons and has increased awareness about gun tourism.

Shooting ranges with high-powered weapons have become popular attractions in Hawaii and Las Vegas. They draw bachelor parties, newlyweds and tourists from countries that bar citizens from many types of guns.

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