Wow. A young shooter who cannot manipulate a bolt-action .22 likely will have even more difficulty using a semi-automatic. The bolt on a semi-automatic .22not only must be pulled rearward and released, you must also overcome the resistance of a mainspring.

More often a contributor is simple inexperience and/or lack of confidence. It's pretty easy for a young shooter to be overwhelmed by just not knowing or being familiar with how their firearm works. I've seen kids who can't even open the bolt for fear of what might happen. After all - there's resistance to their actions - and they often perceive that resistance negatively and give up. Best thing is probably just to familiarize them with how things work (often a kid favorite pastime anyway). Reassure them that "it's supposed to work like that, there's no need to be afraid you might hurt it".

I've read your other posts though. There's also nothing wrong with the lot of you asking someone to take you shooting. If you're unsure of yourself, it's likely the kids will emulate that. Maybe there's someone on here in your area?