A recent incident involving a nine-year-old girl, who accidentally killed her shooting instructor, sparked debate over whether children should be allowed to handle guns, especially ones like the Uzi submachine gun.

Arguments revolved around Monday's tragic incident where a nine-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed her shooting instructor while he was teaching her how to fire an Uzi automatic submachine gun.

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The girl and her parents were on vacation in Arizona when they stopped over Bullets and Burgers, which is located at the Last Stop tourist recreational complex in White Hills.

Charles Vacca, the 39-year-old gun instructor, was standing beside the girl and told her to go "full auto" at the outdoor shooting range when the accident happened. The gun's recoil wrenched the weapon upward, shooting Vacca straight to the head, immediately causing his demise.

After the news of the shooting ring accident spread, gun enthusiasts and safety experts question the safety regulations many shooting ranges apply, especially when it comes to children handling weapons, as well as some parents' decision to let their children handle very powerful weapons.

On Wednesday, shooting range operator Sam Scarmardo expressed his regret that they had allowed the girl to shoot, which resulted in the death of his friend. Despite the tragedy, he explained that the children at least 8 years old have been allowed to shoot in their range provided they have their parents' consent and an instructor was present.

However, safety expert Ronald Scott believes otherwise. He stressed that the dead instructor was in the wrong position when he taught the girl to fire the high-powered weapon.

Arizona Republic columnist E.J. Montini wrote on his column that though firearms possession for minors is allowed in Arizona provided that a guardian or an instructor is around, children and guns are not a very safe mix.

"It's time we asked ourselves: Why would a shooting range allow a kid to handle an automatic weapon? Why would a parent? And, most importantly, why would a state?" he said.

TagsArizona, nine year old girl shot, Uzi Submachine gun, Charles Vacca