Family Sues over Boy’s Death at Massachusetts Gun Show

The family of an 8-year-old boy who fatally shot himself at a gun show in western Massachusetts say the Uzi submachine gun jammed twice before he lost control of the weapon and fired into his head.

The family of Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., says in a civil lawsuit filed Friday that a 15-year-old instructor who cleared the gun and handed it back to the victim failed to provide proper guidance.

The lawsuit names the owners of a gun club where the fair was held, promoters of the event and those who supplied the weapon and ammunition. None of those named in the lawsuit could be reached for comment after business hours Monday.

Bizilj shot himself at the Westfield Sportsman’s Club in October 2008.

The boy’s family claims the gun was defective and unreasonably dangerous, and they blame the failure to properly service it.

Latest Comments

• January 19, 2010 at 11:02 am

  Shawn O'Loughlin says:

  This was not a Gun Show. This was a Machine-gun Shoot. There is a difference. A gun show is a place to buy and sell firearms and related equipment, no shooting. The guns have ... read more
• December 31, 2009 at 10:52 am

  Rich says:

  We in Massachusetts, as firearms buyers, know that to handle an unloaded arm for sale we must produce a valid certificate. How that process becomes null and void at a show is ... read more
• November 19, 2009 at 3:19 am

  Ratemaker says:

  Actually, yes, I do think that the intent of the 2nd amendment does not preclude fully automatic weapons in the hands of civilians. The 2nd amendment was intended to permit th... read more