# Rittenhouse and the guy who shot my Red Fox **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 20, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672 "2021-11-20T14:56:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/82 "2021-11-22T00:45:43Z")
Actually, I’d guess that it’s too late for OP to do any of these things. He is already on record complaining to 911 about the guy killing his fox. If he makes any of these other complaints now, he’s just “changing his story”. That won’t fly now, even if it might have in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/83 "2021-11-22T01:30:45Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > I can’t run. I’m not completely steady on my feet. I have no strength. I do have a car. And you’d need absolutely rock solid proof that the only reasonable way for you to escape a threat to your life was to direct your self driving car to hit the guy and knock him into the water where he would drown. Expect the prosecutors to explain to the jury that you could have used the same car to drive away. And expect them to drill you on why you felt this was a threat. True, he was hunting on your property without permission, but he wasn’t hunting you. Just having a gun, doesn’t make the person a threat. Otherwise there would be a lot more dead Open Carry people. That brings up another point. What’s with the roundabout ways of explaining things? Instead of saying ‘there’s a man on my property firing a gun’, it’s a whole big thing about ‘my fox’ and ‘right of capture’. Same here, instead of saying you can’t run, you’re not steady on your feet and you have no strength, you tell us you have a handicapped placard for you car. It’s hard to figure out what you’re getting at when we have to unravel the story and figure out what you’re talking about. Just look at the tangents in this thread. There’s a man in your driveway with a gun, but how much time was spent discussing ‘right of capture’, which was entirely unrelated to the question. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/84 "2021-11-22T01:32:12Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Actually, I’d guess that it’s too late for OP to do any of these things. He is already on record complaining to 911 about the guy killing his fox. If he makes any of these other complaints now, he’s just “changing his story”. That won’t fly now, even if it might have in the first place. And he’d need Rittenhouse’s legal team (and judge) to make sure these threads aren’t allowed as evidence or they’d spend less time focusing on if it was self defense and more time asking if it was pre-meditated. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/85 "2021-11-22T01:34:17Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > And he’d need Rittenhouse’s legal team (and judge) to make sure these threads aren’t allowed as evidence or they’d spend less time focusing on if it was self defense and more time asking if it was pre-meditated.   . . . and in this very thread, we’ve already attempted to analyze the fox’s state of mind. (ETA: All that remains to be added is Tucker Carlson with his camera crew.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/86 "2021-11-22T02:01:11Z")
That’s why I suggested he post his property (no trespassing/no hunting) and run surveillance, so if the asshole pulls any other stunts he can bring a solid case. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/87 "2021-11-22T02:02:32Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > So as a NJ guy, I’m surprised that the police consider it OK to discharge a gun onto your property. I would have 3 or more cars on the way in my current or previous town. If someone shot one of the deer or foxes I always had at my old place, he would probably be facing jail time. Yes, shooting the fox was likely legal. Doing it on your property is was likely not. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/88 "2021-11-22T02:02:36Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > . . . so if the asshole pulls any other stunts he can bring a solid case. Yes, that’s for NEXT time (maybe). Too late to change anything about the last time. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/89 "2021-11-22T02:04:35Z")
Yes, you said “He shot my fox”. You didn’t appear to say “this guy trespassed onto my land and discharged a firearm toward/nears my residence”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/90 "2021-11-22T02:11:36Z")
And I have sympathies with this. Like I hate when my asshole neighbor traps and kills the raccoons. (which is technically illegal but there;s no actual criminal laws). And morally the asshole was wrong to do that. But just killing the fox wasn’t illegal, AFAIK\< IANAL. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/91 "2021-11-22T02:55:05Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Actually, I’d guess that it’s too late for OP to do any of these things. He is already on record complaining to 911 about the guy killing his fox. If he makes any of these other complaints now, he’s just “changing his story” There’s also the fact that the incident took place several months ago. Were it to recur, an appropriately worded complaint (_asshole neighbor is firing on my property!_) would likely receive an appropriate response. That leaves the OP with the challenge of recreating the scenario. How much do ducks cost? Maybe we could take up a collection… ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/92 "2021-11-22T08:23:01Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > He stole eggs until I tripled the wire on the lower fence. > [@Crane](#): > > Because I have no defenses. Wait, after stealing da eggs did da fox later steal da fences?! ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/93 "2021-11-22T10:26:03Z")
Groan… ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/94 "2021-11-22T10:41:06Z")
I just found this: - Florida Statute § 790.15 (1), provides that any person who knowingly discharges a firearm in any public place or on or over the right-of-way of any paved public road, highway, or street or over any occupied premises is guilty of a **misdemeanor of the first degree**. I should have left out the part about the fox and I am not going to festoon my property with signs. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/95 "2021-11-22T13:25:50Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > I should have left out the part about the fox and I am not going to festoon my property with signs. That’s kinda what we’ve all been saying. If you had called 911 and said that there was someone on your property shooting a gun and left out the part about the fox, or at least that it was “my fox”, you would have had cops on their way before you were off the phone with the dispatcher instead of confusing her into thinking someone shot your pet. But you don’t need to look up laws, the police and dispatcher will have a good working knowledge of them. Especially when it comes to, as it relates to your situation, where you can and cannot discharge a firearm, trespassing laws, hunting laws (if you’re in a hunting area) etc. If you feel you’re in danger, call the police tell them what’s going on and let them come sort it out. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/96 "2021-11-22T17:07:58Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > I should have left out the part about the fox and I am not going to festoon my property with signs. Yeah, that’s what everybody’s been trying to tell you all along. In fact, if the situation arises again, this is a preemptive suggestion that you _NOT_ use the word “festoon” during the 911 call. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/97 "2021-11-22T20:35:22Z")
Rather than a ‘no trespassing’ or ‘don’t shoot my fox sign’ I could post one that says: _ **It is my well reasoned and prudent belief that any open carry firearm presents a threat to me of serious personal injury or death. I will act in self defense with requisite force against any person openly carrying a weapon on, or within line of sight of, my property.** _ ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/98 "2021-11-22T20:39:33Z")
My baseless guess is that your hypothetical yard sign will have roughly the legal force of the Colorado cake baker who felt within his rights not to serve gay customers 😉 TL;DR: have a good criminal lawyer on speed dial. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/99 "2021-11-22T20:45:46Z")
How so? Firing a weapon (per law quoted above) would be unlawful. My defense would be against an unlawful act. My fear must be personal, reasoned and prudent. It is. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/100 "2021-11-22T20:54:30Z")
Oh gosh, the “gun nuts” sell signs a 100 times stupider than that, and they sell millions of them. Note the “” around “gun nuts” as most gun owners are sane, law abiding citizens. By no means do I include them in 'gun nuts" although I know a few who have bought signs like that for the yucks. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672/101 "2021-11-22T20:56:27Z")
Yeah - there’s gun nuts as differentiated from nut’s with guns [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rittenhouse-and-the-guy-who-shot-my-red-fox/954672.md?page=6)