Father Who Killed Bear to Protect His Children Is Charged in US Court
25th August 2011
Jeremy Hill, a 33-year-old father of six, claims he killed the bear when it wandered in the yard where his children are playing. He faces prison over the death of a protected species.
Your tax dollars at work.
August 25th, 2011 at 15:23
Like that episode of South Park where Uncle What’s His Name takes the kids hunting. According to the uncle it’s okay to shoot any endangered species as long as you yell, “It’s coming straight for us!” first.
I’ll be interested in seehing how this plays out. If it is shown to be as the defendant claims, the charges should be dropped. If it’s just another gun-happy Westerner who was tired of shooting up stop signs and decided to try his marksmanship on something bigger, then he should be jailed.
August 25th, 2011 at 15:29
The problem with over-regulation is that there are always those Good Germans who will enforce the law without regard to the circumstances. Even if Mr. Hill is aquitted, he will incur tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills.
And what will his neighbors learn from his prosecution? Forget about dealing honestly with the Government, get the shovel and bury that damned bear.
August 25th, 2011 at 15:36
“…another gun-happy Westerner..”?
You really should get out more, Dennis. Maybe buy one of Dale Carnegie’s books, too.
Another article on the bear shooting indicates that there were 3 bears and one of them was in the process of eating one of the pigs the kids were raising for 4-H. Mr. Hill didn’t just shoot the bear and get in trouble for it, he reported the shooting to the authorities because he’s an honest man.
August 25th, 2011 at 16:47
Hey, you were the one who said you were all stocked up on ammo, waiting for the Muslim Revolution. I just went to the obvious conclusion. And Dale Carnegie wouldn’t help in this situation; you’re beyond influencing by fact or argument, and I don’t want to be your friend.
*shrug* You live in bear country, you’re going to encounter bears. Even a “liberal” knows that.
The original story led me to believe he was protecting his children; now we find out he shot a bear for a pig? The thin edge of the wedge, the slippery slope, I tell you–next he’ll be shooting bears because they crapped on his lawn. Maybe some migrant Mexicans, too. You never know with potato farmers.
August 26th, 2011 at 07:02
So a guy’s children are playing in the yard when suddenly 3 bears show up and put their lives in jeapardy. One of the bears begins ripping apart a child’s pet. I suppose the South Canada response would be to offer the bears amnesty, sign them up for welfare, and join hands ..er..paws with them and sing Kumbaya? ‘Cause once the bears know that we’re all really the same under our fur, they will surely bond with us in peace and harmony.
I would pay to see Dennis do that.
August 26th, 2011 at 09:57
I suppose the North Mexico response would be to kill all three bears with a couple of RPGs or frag grenades (“They can have my pig when the pry it from my cold dead hands!”), put a backpack with a copy of the Quran next to the carcasses so he could claim the bears were Muslim terrorists out to destroy our Sacred Western Values, then call his buddies in to drink a couple of cases of Bud in their pickup trucks while whining about how the Liberal Media won’t report it right. Then they’d all head down to the local Cantina to pick a fight with the Mexicans.
Of course, the first thing I’d do would be get the kids in the house for safety, then I’d check my livestock insurance to make sure the pig was covered. And for your information, pigs ain’t pets to a farmer, especially when they’re being raised for slaughter–or did you think they were retired in luxury after the 4H judging?
I don’t suppose anybody stopped to wonder why three grizzlies, who are solitary creatures, were traveling together? It was a mother and her cubs, most likely.
Nope. If it was to protect his children, it was justified. If it was just to protect a pig, then it gets much murkier. Endangered species are protected for a reason; if folks are allowed to shoot them whenever they feel like it, they’ll soon be gone.