The man, who was trying to protect his garden, took a shovel to some raccoons, specifically a baby forest bandit. The critter was injured, but don’t worry it’s getting the finest healthcare Canada can afford. Of course, I’m a sucker for animals so I wouldn’t do this. But I also wouldn’t press criminal charges against a raccoon-killer either. I understand the animal cruelty charge against Dong Nguyen, even if I think it’s silly. But the Canadian authorities are also charging him with “possessing a dangerous weapon.” A shovel. A garden shovel. Apparently that counts as a dangerous weapon.
Here’s something to think about. If Mr. Nguyen had a gun, he could kill raccoons far less cruelly than employing multiple swats with a shovel. But no. Instead, he uses a shovel and that is now a dangerous weapon. If we criminalize shovels, only criminals will have them.