Felony Friday: Man Charged For Killing Deer That Ate His Weed Plants
We have a double whammy this week for Felony Friday. Felony charges were filed against one poor soul, which highlights the State’s refusal to recognize property rights and the idiocy of the drug war.A Glasco, N.Y. man had his world come crashing down after a neighbor snitched on him for killing the deer that were eating his marijuana plants. Barry J. Brice learned a hard lesson from his run-in with the law. Not only does the State own the deer that destroy your garden, they also dictate what plants are allowed to be grown. The Daily Freeman reports on Mr. Brice’s unlucky day.
Town police said an investigation started with a complaint to state Environmental Conservation Police that Brice had been shooting deer over the summer because they were eating and destroying his marijuana crop. State police conducted air surveillance of Brice’s property Thursday and a search warrant was executed at Brice’s home, where 68 potted marijuana plants were seized. Environmental Conservation Police further discovered that Brice had been butchering, packaging and storing deer meat at his home. Police said possessing untagged and unlabeled venison is a violation of state Environmental Conservation Law.
Statists would claim that Mr. Brice got what he deserved for growing an illegal plant and killing deer without a license. They would rejoice at the prospect of Mr. Brice being locked in a cage for committing “crimes” without victims.The libertarian perspective views Mr. Brice’s troubles through the principled lens of property rights. The plants that Mr. Brice grew did not harm another individual or their property. According to the article, it appears the deer he shot were on his property and no damage was caused to his neighbor’s property.The State is in the wrong for exerting force against Mr. Brice. The authorities invaded his domain, stole his property, and locked him in a cage. Mr. Brice did nothing to provoke the onslaught of force.If we lived in a truly free society, there would be no authorities to dictate the plants a property owner could grow and no game commission to enforce when and where an individual should kill a wild animal. The market would provide different methods to control the deer population and provide those interested with the opportunities to hunt.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!