Here's the story line;
Your dog barks. A lot. Your neighbor has complained about this. You come home from work to find that your dog was hit with a pellet shot from a pellet gun.
What do you do?
Well, you sure as hell don't go over to your neighbors house carrying a 2 by 4, accusing him of shooting your dog and yelling threats to burn his house down if he doesn't step out so you can kick his ass. And when he doesn't step out, you do not break the window out of his front door with your 2 by 4.
This is what happened in Ault, Colorado. Guess what, the guy who got his door glass broken had a shotgun. I think you can figure out the rest. Colorado has a law called the 'Make My Day' law.
Now the family of the guy with the 2 by 4 is complaining that the DA is letting the guy defending his home go free. What a bunh of morons.
Now don't get me wrong. If my neighbors dog barked constantly, I wouldn't shoot it with a pellet gun. There are city ordinances in place in almost every town to take care of thinkgs like that and I don't support the guy who they accuse of doing so. But my front proch is the entry way to my home. If you are on it and pissing me off (especially if you are threatening to burn my house down) you might as well bring a pen to draw a bullseye on your forehead for me.
Posted by AnalogKid at November 12, 2003 12:53 AM | TrackBackThis is a tough one , AK.....
If ANYONE did that to ANY of my beloved pets I'd be in the same frame of mind as the 2x4 weilder. But then again, I am a responsible pet owner and don't allow my neighbors to be subjected to such obnoxiuosity...
The pellet gunner took the first WRONG move in this case. And once the rules are broken, I feel pulling hair in a fight is fair. If the pellet gunner (and I assume that he has been acknowledged as such) wants to call on law then he has to follow it too. Can't break the rules and then call claim to them.
But again, this is a tough one.
Nope, easy one. You call the cops on the pellet gunner. Animal cruelty charges don't carry much of a penalty, but it gets their attention. If you can't get them charged (as in this this case), you take them to court for vet bills and 'pain and suffering' for the dog, your wife, your kids and yourself.
Hit them in the wallet, not in the head. Yet.
Posted by: analog kid on November 12, 2003 01:56 AMListen, Mr!
Don't make me sick a pumpkin on you.
:)
Pain and sufferin' don't bring back the dead if that happens ("pain and suffering" litigation is crap compensation for the most part to me..)
Oye, the pet thing makes me feel all Liberal inside...ack.
All aside, I'm all for the guy defending himself from an enraged person on his front landing threatening his home (Home: property/family/sanctitude) BUT my point goes back to the first pussy-fight shot....
If we're talking rules and laws and all.
Did the dog-shooting dude exhaust all HIS options first, before HE broke the law?
My point exactly Ms. Sondra. Don't get me wrong here. I put my dogs above the vast majority of human beings on the planet and he broke the rule by drawing first blood. But, the guy with the 2 by 4 had no reason to go that ballistic.
Get some money and then bleed the guy out until he leaves.
Unfocused violence is less effective and has bad consequences. Laser guided, needle sharp, retalitory violence takes care of business quietly and is more fun.
I may be Scottish by heritage, but in instances like this, I like to think of myself as Italian/Russian. Revenge is a sweet dish best served cold.
Posted by: analog kid on November 12, 2003 03:27 AM