Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I believe the Ohio hunting season has just turning exotic. Better leave your meat-scented hunting jacket at home.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -dead.html

Suicide is such a cowardly act. Look at what was caused as a result, several beautiful animals dead and residents worried all because this guy couldn't deal with life.

What a selfish piece of animal dung. If you did not want the animals anymore and did not want to live anymore go ahead and off yourself but leave a voice message at a zoo or a shelter that is what you are doing and let the animals be found new homes. The police had precious little choice in the matter--they can't risk a lion eating anyone so they have to shoot and kill, but what a waste.

I will agree that suicide is a cowardly act (and I will add that it's also a selfish act), and I will also agree that this man acted selfishly in every way during the last day or two of his life. That said, he appeared to be having legal problems surrounding his keeping of these animals. I have to say that he probably should have been left alone. Hell, the man wanted a personal zoo, and was able to maintain it. Let him have his zoo. While I absolutely do not condone his actions in any way, I understand how he may have felt pushed.

SHMIV wrote:I will agree that suicide is a cowardly act (and I will add that it's also a selfish act), and I will also agree that this man acted selfishly in every way during the last day or two of his life. That said, he appeared to be having legal problems surrounding his keeping of these animals. I have to say that he probably should have been left alone. Hell, the man wanted a personal zoo, and was able to maintain it. Let him have his zoo. While I absolutely do not condone his actions in any way, I understand how he may have felt pushed.

Whether he was able to maintain it is likely a questionable thing. A lot of the time these people despite their love of animals lack the proper facilities to maintain them. It takes more than one person to run a zoo as well as a lots of money and by the accounts I have seen, this guy had neither.

I can't speak to the mans resources. I find it interesting, though, that he did have the resources to acquire these animals, and he had the resources to get permits for the bears. I note that he did not seem to be well liked because he owned scary animals. The photo's that were presented on the web-site didn't show much of his property, so I really can't base an opinion on that.

I also noted that a couple of those animals were healthy enough to resist tranquilizer shots.

On the other hand, it does seem that he was losing his mental capacity to keep such creatures, doesn't it?

Side note: Any one catch the vague road sign? "Caution Exotic Animals".... Not sure that I'd know quite what to do if I saw that sign... it's missing a couple of minor details...

SHMIV wrote:Side note: Any one catch the vague road sign? "Caution Exotic Animals".... Not sure that I'd know quite what to do if I saw that sign... it's missing a couple of minor details...

They should have added "Don't pickup hitchhikers"

ATF shares some blame. They put him jail on gun charges (unregistered machine guns and obliterated serial numbers.) He gets out of jail 3 weeks ago, his wife runs out on him, and he just snaps. Sure it is his fault and he knew better, but ATF sucks......

lonestarag wrote:ATF shares some blame. They put him jail on gun charges (unregistered machine guns and obliterated serial numbers.) He gets out of jail 3 weeks ago, his wife runs out on him, and he just snaps. Sure it is his fault and he knew better, but ATF sucks......

You can't blame the ATF for enforcing the law. If the guy had illegal firearms and no serials(likely stolen) then he deserves exactly what he gets. He knew the law and he broke it and he gets what he knew would be coming. No one "shares the blame" for someone suicide. Just like you can't blame other people when someone commits a crime.

SHMIV wrote:I will agree that suicide is a cowardly act (and I will add that it's also a selfish act), and I will also agree that this man acted selfishly in every way during the last day or two of his life. That said, he appeared to be having legal problems surrounding his keeping of these animals. I have to say that he probably should have been left alone. Hell, the man wanted a personal zoo, and was able to maintain it. Let him have his zoo. While I absolutely do not condone his actions in any way, I understand how he may have felt pushed.

Guy also owed 68K in property and income taxes. So really seems like he could not maintain it.

I never saw a reason to personally have anything bigger than a 30-30 where I live, because the sight lines aren't great with the bushes, scrub and trees and the hills.

Now I am starting to rethink.. I mean I never figured I would need something to stop a grizzly, and most likely still I never will... buuuuut...

"Who needs a big game rifle in Ohio?"

Seems like he did it to dig at the wife who loved the animals like kids.

Elevator getting off at level 7, middle ring.....