I cannot imagine being so upset over someone using public off-road trails that I'd attempt to kill or seriously injure them. I mean, I understand that this country is falling apart at the seams at the moment and people have become emboldened to act, shall we say, more aggressively.
But how does one string up barbed wire across a well-used off-road trail and think, "This will show them!" rather than, "This might kill someone. Maybe I should rethink this?"
That said, I'm not a sociopath. Nor am I from Florida where the latest in what appears to be a string of incidents has occurred.
Golden Gate Estates' residents and riders, which is housed in Naples, Florida, have reported that they've frequently found wire booby traps along popular ATV and dirt bike trails. Indeed, when the local news—Gulf Coast News—went out to investigate on their own, the reporters found numerous booby traps along the paths frequented by riders.
The reporters found barbed wire strung across trees and other things at neck height, as well as well-dug holes covered with camouflage to obscure their being there. Either could lead to horrendous accidents and possibly the deaths of riders, but combined, along with the other traps discovered both by the news and locals, is just appalling and willfully dangerous and violent behavior.
One person reportedly took a piece of wire to the neck already, as shown in the video clip above.
Now here's the rub. Local land owners are apparently the ones setting the traps, as they believe the land is private. But those using it, believe it public. The cops haven't been much help, though, in figuring out who's right outside to say, ATV and dirt biking on public land is legal, so long as they stay on public land and abide by the off-road rules of the state, and setting these traps is a felony. But they haven't squared away the land issue one way or another, which has led to a conflict between the homeowners and the off-roaders, and now led to those same homeowners to what amounts to attempted murder.
At least, that's the outcome that can occur from these illegal traps.
Honestly, though I read the news every day, I still can't believe folks would go to these lengths (across the country and world) just because they don't like you're off-roading. What's society even for if you're willing to kill or truly injure someone over something so trivial? I'd say I'm going off into the woods to cool down, but now I'm worried that some idiot set a trap for me.
