Two would-be thieves didn’t count on a motion alarm and a gun-toting 70-year-old Winter Haven man when they tried to steal the batteries from his golf cart, according to Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports.

A lot of people will look at this and ask, “Are golf cart batteries really worth shooting someone over?”

The question really is, “Are stealing someone’s golf cart batteries really worth getting shot over?”

When the homeowner confronted the would-be robbers, they moved on him.

“Our main purpose is to give pet owners an alternative to releasing nonnative animals into the wild,” says Jenny Tinnell, FWC biologist. “It’s illegal to release a nonnative animal into the wild in Florida, and it could be detrimental for the animal and the environment.”

People can come to the zoo and surrender exotic pets they can no longer care for, free of charge, with no questions asked.

“A licensed veterinarian will examine all surrendered pats,” says Tinnell, “if they appear healthy, we’ll try to place them with willing qualified, adopters.”

I’ve posted on invasive species before, particularly iguanas and boas.

Every time I do, I get all sorts of commentary and email from iguana and boa owners who think I should be shot (literally) for suggesting that invasive species in Florida be hunted. They seem to have trouble getting their little minds around the idea that I’m not talking about family pets but feral animals that little-minded people have put into an environment where they aren’t welcome.

This “amnesty” program, which has a number of dates in a number of cities throughout Florida is great way for people to get rid of pets that they don’t want without doing more harm to the environment. Between this program and some generous hunting allowances, maybe the invasive animal situation could be brought back under control.

Now Uncle notes this: San Carlos Park woman shot when dog knocks gun to floor

Just what are the dogs up to?

Yes, both incidents could have easily been prevented by proper firearms handling. But maybe that’s the new MO for the rebel dogs: wait until the humans leave them an opening.

But if the dogs are rising, then what about this: Pet Dog Fights Cougar to Save Boy

Are there two opposing dog factions? One loyal to humanity and one trying to overthrow it?

Gary Wroblewski says he was watching television in the Silver Springs Shores neighborhood off County Road 464 late Monday night when someone knocked on his door.

Wroblewski slightly cracked open the door and found a man claiming he needed help with his broken down car. He says he was immediately suspicious of the man and his story.

“So I went and got my gun. I held it behind the door and I opened the door,” said Wroblewski.

Wroblewski says he tried to send the man away and suggested he go to another house or call AAA. He says that is when another man, this one wearing a mask, appeared out of nowhere and forced his door open.

Wroblewski was knocked out his wheelchair but was able to hold onto his gun and shot the masked invader.

This is a great example of why even the magic wand solution to gun control, the one where all guns everywhere disappear forever, would be a Bad Thing. The story doesn’t say whether the bad guys had any weapons whatsoever, but if the homeowner had not had a gun he would have been powerless.

The same thing goes for old people, women, and most men. You do not want to fight a bad guy on even terms.

While waiting tables at Pizza Time restaurant on Southwest 2nd Avenue Wednesday afternoon, Cathy Vultaggio hung a ticket for the popular salad of the fresh cheese and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and basil.

Chef and manager Mark DeCraepeo got upset and said if he received one more ticket for mozzarella caprese “I swear to God I’ll shoot you in the forehead,” according to a Boca Raton police report. Vultaggio and co-worker Kristee Como told police that DeCraepeo then slammed a black handgun inside a holster on the counter top.

“Now you see I’m (expletive) serious, I’ll put a bullet right in your forehead,” they said he hollered.

Bizarre if true.

Florida wildlife officials say all this summer’s publicity about Burmese pythons may be leading to more reports of illegally held reptiles.

And they’ve just released numbers showing a dramatic increase in snake reports just in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Northeast Region, which covers 12 Central Florida counties.

Between January and June 30, FWC’s Northeast Region handled 13 snake reports, according to spokeswoman Joy Hill.

But since July 1, when a Burmese python killed a young Sumter County girl, that office has handled 38 snake-related calls.

That’s a 192-percent increase over the first six months of the year.

Officials are encouraging people with unlicensed pythons to get them registered. Which would be better than letting them go.

Iguanas, like Nile monitor lizards and Burmese pythons, aren’t supposed to live in Florida. They are here thanks to lax federal and state laws regarding the pet trade, and thanks to pet owners who lose their critters or let them go. Now all manner of alien reptiles with no natural enemies are reproducing in the state’s southern half as if on a mission to take over Florida. In a matter of decades they are changing the ecology of a place that has taken thousands of years to evolve.

This article includes a recipe for Iguana Stew.

Remember, after I posted about iguana hunting in June, some idiot commented:

As an iguana owner I would like to shoot you in the head at close range and shoot your dog and cat with guns what kind of pathetic a$$hole are you anyway. Go home to your trailer, trash.

Ha ha. Jokes on the idiot. He’s obviously clueless. Murdoc doesn’t even have a cat.

Murdoc’s answer is: Yes, almost certainly.

In Florida, a masked man invaded one home, left, and then tried to invade another. The second homeowner shot him twice.

“Our homeowner didn’t have an obligation to retreat. He is able to protect his property,” said Lt. James Clark, of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. “The questions we’re trying to answer: If he was in fear for his life and the life of his wife. If he was, he would be justified in this shooting.”

Florida’s passage of a Castle Doctrine law has been controversial in some circles. Including, I suspect, the criminal circles.

The shootee has an

extensive criminal history involving drugs, fleeing/eluding law enforcement. He was also investigated for a previous armed robbery.

I’ve been contemplating the very first SHOOTING GALLERY hunting episode…a Tactical Solutions/Ruger .22 pistol expedition for feral python in the Everglades.

Is a .22 pistol going to get it done against snakes 5′ long and bigger?

He also mentions 7-foot Nile monitor lizards. What’s he going to use against those? Spitwads?

Florida is overrun by invasives.

UPDATE: Here’s a shot of an Everglades python:

Burmese Python in the Florida Everglades

Found at Captain Saint Lucifer.

On June 11, the top law enforcement officials of nearly half the states signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, expressing their opposition to reinstatement of the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.

“We share the Obama Administration’s commitment to reducing illegal drugs and violent crime within the United States. We also share your deep concern about drug cartel violence in Mexico. However, we do not believe that restricting law-abiding Americans’ access to certain semi-automatic firearms will resolve any of these problems,” the letter said.

The letter notes congressional opposition to bringing back the ban, and calls for increasing enforcement of existing laws.

We encourage NRA members to let these state officials know we appreciate them standing up to the incessant clamor for gun control that is currently coming from anti-gun groups and their media allies.

The 23 state Attorneys General, in alphabetical order, by state, are:

Arkansas – The Honorable Dustin McDaniel
Alabama – The Honorable Troy King
Colorado – The Honorable John W. Suthers
Florida – The Honorable Bill McCollum
Georgia – The Honorable Thurbert E. Baker
Idaho – The Honorable Lawrence G. Wasden
Kansas – The Honorable Steve Six
Kentucky – The Honorable Jack Conway
Louisiana – The Honorable James D. Caldwell
Michigan – The Honorable Mike Cox
Missouri – The Honorable Chris Koster
Montana – The Honorable Steve Bullock
Oklahoma – The Honorable W.A. Edmonson
Nebraska – The Honorable Jon Bruning
Nevada – The Honorable Catherine Cortez Masto
New Hampshire – The Honorable Kelly A. Ayotte
North Dakota – The Honorable Wayne Stenehjem
South Carolina – The Honorable Henry McMaster
South Dakota – The Honorable Lawrence Long
Texas – The Honorable Greg Abbott
Utah – The Honorable Mark L. Shurtleff
Wisconsin – The Honorable J.B. Van Hollen
Wyoming – The Honorable Bruce A. Salzburg

The entire letter (PDF) is available HERE.