Man arrested in his own house for destroying his own property
A 56-year-old man from the Midwestern US state of Wisconsin has been arrested after shooting his lawn mower in his garden because it would not start.
The BBC headline was “US man charged for shooting mower.” The article is presented as a silly story with a happy ending. Some drunkard is wielding an illegal assault weapon and now he’s probably going to jail. “Thank God” readers agree, “just look at the picture of this wacko!”
If you try to figure out what happened, a great deal of information is missing in the AP release.
Police found the shotgun, a handgun and a stungun, as well as ammunition, when they detained Mr Walendowski in the basement of his house.
First of all, how did the police even find out about this incident? Who called the cops and where is that person’s story? Secondly, how did they get into the man’s house? Did they obtain a warrant or just follow him in? Finally, what does “detained” in this situation mean?
At a glance, the story is laughable and silly: some drunk shot his lawnmower and now he’s in trouble. But under the surface the story is a clear testament to the level of government intervention in private lives. The man owns a shotgun. Last I checked, there is a clear provision for gun ownership in our constitution. The man was drinking. Last I checked, there is a clear provision for alcohol use in our constitution. The man was on his own property, with his own shotgun, shooting his own lawnmower. And he was detained in his own basement. Last I checked, there is a clear provision against police action of this kind in our constitution.
Any US Citizen reading the story should be appalled at the level of control the state asserts in our lives.