Trespassing? Worth shooting a snowboarder?

[Drenalin]

I watched the video but must have missed where he actually pointed his shotgun at the trespasser. Maybe someone can give me a timestamp to go back to and see that part...

I don't have a problem with the old man being on his own property with a shotgun. I don't have a problem with him confronting a trespasser. If I were going to confront a trespasser, best believe I'd be armed because you don't know anything about the other person or their intent (though the trespasser's intent in this video might be somewhat obvious, you also don't know whether or not he's armed or how he might react). People are stupid, crazy, and potentially doped out of their frickin' minds.

Whether the old man did anything illegal or not, he didn't do anything wrong in my opinion. It's too bad the person who obviously was doing something both illegal and wrong is being made out as the victim.

 

[EastHumboldt]

The old guy has a right to be irritated and to yell and to bring the law to bear against the trespassers. But death is not an appropriate penalty for trespassing.

One of the reasons our nation is a free nation is that we have a respect for the law. Break the law be prepared to face the penalties. There are specific legal penalties for trespassing . The trespasser should have to face those penalties.

The land owner crossed the line when he threatened to shoot the trespasser. He also committed unprovoked battery. He should have to face the penalties for breaking the laws that he did. There is no court, judge or LEO in the nation that will accept your level of anger as a defense. “Your honor, this been happenin‘ a lot and I was just so steamed I had to shoot somebody!!” Good luck with that.

The other thing that comes into play in some states is red flag or domestic violence laws. Use a gun to escalate a situation and law enforcement is looking at you and wondering if theres an applicable law to take your gun.

 

[TaperPin]

You know that old saying to beware of the crazy guy with a backhoe - that’s only funny because crazy old guys with backhoes have been burying bodies since the backhoe was invented. I can point to a lot where an entire car was buried for a decade before someone figured it out. Lol

Nobody wants to learn from the past - Darwin awards are free for the taking.

 

[Amos Keeto]

I'd say that's a bit extreme, but I'd also say, the old fart got his point across.

When you start getting some age on you, wrestling with some young whippersnapper ain't a good idea!

 

[GunsAreFun]

Happened back where I grew up on the river. Lots of drunks floating of course and stopped on a gravel bar. Guy came down and tried to run them off, argument started and one of them got shot. Pretty sure he went to prison.

Maramec?

 

[browning2480]

Maramec?

Yep

 

[GunsAreFun]

Yep

He got 25 years in prison and the other guy died. All for a gravel bar that may or may not have been within his property line, but even if it was, the public has the right to use on rivers like the Meramec. Dumb.

 

[TVW]

https://www.ksl.com/article/5096482...h-threatening-pointing-shotgun-at-snowboarder

Looks like this isn't the end of this story.

i was convinced the whole thing was fake to get some views when I first saw it. Guess not.

 

[browning2480]

He got 25 years in prison and the other guy died. All for a gravel bar that may or may not have been within his property line, but even if it was, the public has the right to use on rivers like the Meramec. Dumb.

Agreed. I didn’t live around there anymore when it happened, but still have family in the area. That is the crazy thing. Everyone in that area should know if you buy a piece of property in the Meramec and it had a gravel bar, expect people to be on it all summer. Not saying what is right or wrong, but just stating the obvious. None of those city folks floating the river care or even understand.

 

[Dogone]

Cool, how often do people trespass on your acreage? What do you say to them when they trespass?

Hunters trespass frequently. I am NOT an idiot. I do not scream and curse or call the cops. I generally let them stay and only ask them to leave if I have a good reason. My 3000 acres has a lot of good hunting too. Some of you need to grow up and cheer up.
If I ever caught some of you on my land I would be glad to give you a taste of your own medicine.

 

[hoot504]

Despite having stand your ground laws in Utah, this guy would have lost badly in court if he used deadly force. Those rules apply when you are defending yourself in a genuinely dangerous situation, not standing in the path of a ski bro decked out in Go Pros. For all the whining on here about the rights you’re entitled to on your own piece of property, pointing a gun at someone snowboarding across your front drive just isn’t reasonable. Using the gun on said trespasser would land you in prison for probably the rest of your life, and in my opinion for good reason. See the article linked prior where the guy got 25 years to life for killing someone on his driveway.

 

[jimh406]

If I ever caught some of you on my land I would be glad to give you a taste of your own medicine.

Which is it? You don't care if people trespass or you do ... pick one.

 

[Mike7]

 

[COLD SMOKE]

I guess OnX will appeal to the skiing/snowboarding community now as well. "Know where you stand (and snowboard)"

It 100% does. I know several friends who do not hunt and have onX for backcountry


For backcountry slope aspect geography allows you to make better informed decisions when it comes to winter descents and stability. Mostly used by high level skiers who are planning technical ascent/descents in remote backcountry areas.

In this situation ( big cottonwood canyon) the landowner is upset that skiers are using his property as an egress point for side country.
The snowboarder is not local (from Fresno CA) , has an Ikon ( multi resort pass) & entered side country 1500’ and a mile or so away @ Brighton ski resort and now is attempting to exit via this landowners property
Obviously it happens a lot as the landowner was waiting with a shotgun.

the snowboarder exited the ski resort with limited plan and ended up trespassing. Not intentionally or maliciously. But because he travelled downhill and ended up in a ski resort neighborhood.

If he would have planned a route ( using Onx) could he have circumvented this ?
Definitely but he was also causally skiing an easy non technical run. He may have followed friends or he may just have been attempting this line for the 1st time.

Ask anyone who skis, rides enduro, hunts, wheels, fishes, paraglides, any sport where you are on the move and it’s inevitable that at some point at some time,

That you egress or ingress via private property. It happens we try to minimize it or are not aware of it. But it happens




1-ski in/out development is all over the west. And Utah has built a lot in the past 20 years. The onus is on Ikon resorts, winter sports enthusiasts, and landowners to come up with a solution. Ikon is a multi billion dollar business and Utah is world renowned as a winter sports destination. It seems like this is a problem that was going on for a long time. Truthfully the snowboarder is lucky he didn’t get shot. The landowner seemed emotional and unstable.

2-the landowner is definitely getting charged, probably a fine, and possibly jail time. It’s going to affect his life significantly.

 

[*zap*]

Crazee folks all around us.

 

[ben h]

https://www.ksl.com/article/5112115...-gun-at-snowboarder-forfeits-gun-in-plea-deal

Here's the outcome of the court process. I don't understand the legal jargon completely, but it sounds like they drop everything on the landowner if he's good for a period of time and they keep his gun till Christmas 2025. I don't think they could have been more lenient and that was probably a decent expense and pain in the ass to get it reduced to that.

 

[lyle_destroys]

don’t get caught trespassing.

 

[pacoalcracker]

The old adage pertains to every situation. You don't point your weapon, loaded or not, at anything you don't intend to destroy. Secondly, you better be able to prove self-defense if you do pull that trigger, whether you hit that other person or not.....and if you can't you are going to prison for a while, and you will have a massive defense lawyer bill that will literally break your finances. Same for brandishing a weapon....in most cases you are getting charged. You can shoot a trespasser within your home, but not outside it in most states unless it's in self-defense. Even then, you are likely going to have a trial. Lastly, taking a human life for any reason is going to have a very negative impact to your life mentally, and that's a proven fact. Enough of the tough talk......don't be stupid when it comes to guns and anothers life.

Wyatt Earp's words to his younger brother from experience...you don't ever want to have to kill a man....not ever!

 

[Q child]

Nah, I'm not really into the whole "this is my property and I'll kill you" attitude.
It would take a lot for me to act violently towards another human. And this certainly ain't it.
The guy with the gun comes across as a raging piece of sh*t. The snowboarder is like "I'm sorry, I didn't know, I won't do it again. I didn't see a sign..." All totally reasonable, normal, and even kind responses to a dude acting like total f*cking lunatic. Hope that guy burns in hell.
And he's just camped out there in a chair waiting for people to go by. My god. Disgusting. Get a f*cking life loser.

 

[TaperPin]

There’s a property down the road and one day a few months ago I watched half of a big tree break off and fall behind their house. Of course I went over to make sure nobody was hurt, but I stopped at the gate - these guys are a few clicks off of zero and make a big deal about everyone knowing their property boundary and showing off what they are packing.