The incident happened around 11:45 p.m. at the Saint Paul Saloon on Old Hudson Road in the east-side Dayton's Bluff neighborhood.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, investigators responded to the shooting and learned the injured victim chased the suspect outside of the bar and fired several shots back at the suspect as he ran away.
Investigators learned the male had a previous relationship with a female at the home and he had caused a disturbance at the residence earlier in the night. He returned to the location and was involved in an argument with another male, 26. It escalated into a physical altercation as the first male tried to gain entry into the home through the garage. The second male produced a firearm and fired multiple shots, striking the first male. The female called 911 and the second male attempted first aid.
Japan has had ten people killed by bears in 2025. It is a record number, with than 172 people injured by October 22. In 2023, more than 200 were injured, but only six died.
Japan has more people killed by bears than are people killed by bears in the United States. Since Japan started keeping records in 2007, the number of people killed by wild (not captured) bears has been 50 in Japan, with one uncertain, as of October, 2025. For the same time period, wild bears killed 35 people in the United States. From japantimes.co.jp:
Separate bear attacks in Japan killed one and injured four on Friday, officials said, days after the government vowed to toughen measures because of a record year of deadly assaults by the animals.
Before Friday's attacks, bears had killed a record nine people this year, surpassing the previous high of six in the fiscal year that ended in March 2024.
The animal has been increasingly encroaching into Japan's towns due to factors ranging from a declining human population to climate change.
During the same interval, 34 people were killed by wild bears in Canada. Japan has bout 11,000 brown bears and about 30,000- 40,000 Asiatic black bears. Japan does not have any wild polar bears. The United States has about 35,000 brown/grizzly bears, 400,000 black bears (including Alaska), and about 3,000 to 4,000 polar bears, depending on the time of year. Canada has about 30,000 brown/grizzly bears, about 400,000 black bears and about 16,000 polar bears.
The United States has the highest rate of privately owned firearms per person in the world (about 1.5). Japan has one of the lowest rates of privately owned firearms in the world (about .003). Canada's rate of private firearms ownership is in between that of the United States and that of Japan, (about .35). These are not the only differences. In the USA, firearms, including handguns, can be carried in nearly all the areas frequented by bears. In Japan it is nearly impossible to obtain a permit to carry a firearm, especially a handgun. In Canada, long guns can normally be carried in wild areas, but it is very difficult to obtain permission to carry a handgun. It is easier to obtain a permit to carry a handgun in wild areas in Canada than it is in Japan.
Japan is reacting to the increasing bear attacks by training government hunters. The government intends to manage the bear population. From japantimes.co.jp, October 22, 2025:
New Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara called the attacks "a big problem, a serious problem".
"We are committed to further strengthening various measures including securing and training government hunters and managing the bear population," he told a news conference Wednesday.
Ishihara was appointed to his post late Tuesday when new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched her government.
Japan could have a net income, turning the problem of overpopulation of bears into an opportunity, by licensing foreign hunters to harvest the surplus bears in Japan. This correspondent predicts such a scheme will not happen.
Japanese firearms law is much too restrictive to allow non-Japanese people to access firearms for short periods, even during highly supervised and guided hunts, on Japanese soil. The regulatory requirements for possessing a firearm take too long. The tests are conducted in Japanese. A foreigner living in Japan can take the time and expense to qualify, but few do.
Japan's Akita regional governor has called for the military to aid in culling the number of Asiatic black bears in the prefecture. With helicopters, modern weapons, and thermal imaging systems, Japan's military could do the job. Wild animals larger than humans cannot stand up to modern technology. Such use of the military would be expensive. Japan would not be the first country to use sophisticated technology to cull animal populations. Australia has been using helicopters to cull wild horses and camels for years.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
According to Metro police, the victim was shot in the leg by a store employee after a physical altercation. The employee told investigators the fight began after the employee confronted the victim for stealing from the store.
The shooting victim was taken to an area hospital, but there is no word on that person’s condition at this time.
Lancaster,ca: 459(burglary) 25th St e and Lancaster blvd, caller saw male in backyard and shot at it him. Male took off running and unknown where male went.
Authorities said that the deputy held the suspect at gunpoint and called 911 before firing his weapon, fearing for the child's life.
"He could be heard giving multiple commands to the subject before shots were fired," Maj. Ben Katrib with the sheriff's office said.
The suspect was found on the front lawn of the home next to a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said. He was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The suspect's mother identified him as 27-year-old Darrius Williams and said he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder eight years ago.
According to police, the suspect was kicking in the door of a woman's apartment when a man inside the apartment grabbed a gun. After the suspect kicked open the door, gunfire was exchanged between them and the man inside.
The suspect, later indentified as 20-year-old Jamond Silas, was shot and killed.
When police arrived on scene, they said a gun was seen next to the suspect. No one in the house was injured.
Police say a man came forward saying he shot Silas in self-defense. He said he was inside the apartment when Silas kicked in the door. The man was questioned and released pending further investigation.
In the Billings Montana Gun Free School Zone (GFSZ) case of Gabriel Metcalf, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals three judge panel published a split decision which struck down the indictment of Gabriel Metcalf. Thomas K. Godfrey, the Assistant U.S. Attorney who has been prosecuting the case, has filed a petition asking for an additional 45 days to consider whether a petition for rehearing will be filed. A petition for rehearing would ask for the original three judge panel to rehear the case.
The United States of America moves the Court for an extension in which to file its petition for rehearing in this case. Rule 40 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure specifies that a petition for rehearing must be filed within 14 days from the entry of judgment. Currently, the United States must submit any petition for rehearing on or before October 7, 2025.
The Solicitor General is still reviewing this matter and requires an additional 45 days to complete his review to determine whether a petition for rehearing will be sought.
If the Court grants this motion, the United States’ petition for rehearing would be due on or before November 21, 2025.
The United States has contacted Russell Hart, counsel for Metcalf. He advised that he does not oppose this motion.
Metcalf is currently in not in custody.
Metcalf has not opposed the petition. A rehearing could bring the issue of whether the Gun Free School Zone act violates the rights protected by the Second Amendment back to life in this case. The reason given for the extension is to give the Solicitor General time to study the case and make a decision. The Solicitor General of the United States is D. John Sauer. Mark W. Smith, on his Youtube channel, the Four Boxes Diner, sings the praises of Solicitor General Sauer as a strong originalist and a proponent of the Second Amendment.
This correspondent has argued the Billings Montana GFSZ act case is an excellent vehicle to challenge the constitutionality of the GFSZ. The potential challenge has been complicated by considering the implications of the Rahaif decision in the case.
If the Solicitor General decides to petition the three judge panel to rehear the case, the path forward becomes a bit complicated. Here is link to a chart of the process for a rehearing petition provided by Michellawyers.com. The process can take considerable time. The three judge panel can decide to hear the case or not to hear the case. If they choose not to hear the case, the prosecution can ask for a hearing en banc. If the Ninth Circuit does not grant an en banc hearing, the prosecution can appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has considerable discretion. They could decide to grant cert to hear the case; they could hear it on the narrow question of if the Rahaif decision applies; they might even be decide to hear it on the question of the constitutionality of the GFSZ act. If the Solicitor General asks the Supreme Court to hear a case, the possibility of the Supreme Court granting cert jumps up enormously. The Solicitor General reasonably has to consider all these implications before deciding whether or not to petition the three judge panel for a rehearing.
Unfortunately, Gabriel Metcalf and his mother, Vivian, will continue to be punished by process while this case is ongoing. One of the reasons Gabriel has undergone the many difficulties has been to challenge the Constitutionality of the GFSZ act. This correspondent has spoken to Gabriel. He is a strong proponent of Second Amendment rights.
Gabriel's mother, Vivian has set up a GiveSendGo site for donations to help the family. Gabriel Metcalf and his mother are poor as church mice. The hardship of continuing this case has been very difficult for them. If you are willing to help out, here is a link to the GiveSendGo site.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Investigators have since interviewed both the person who fired the weapon and the third individual who was in the residence.
The person who fired a weapon was inside the unit with the third person, who was reportedly a co-signer on the lease. Digby noted that the person who fired the weapon has since told investigators that they were not aware that the person attempting to enter was a co-tenant.
As of Thursday morning, no one has been taken into police custody.
No verifiable information regarding the identities of those involved has been made publicly available at this time. Digby said that identities are being withheld as the investigators work with the Newton County District Attorney’s Office to weigh any potential criminal charges.
“It’s just a complex investigation,” Digby said.
President Javier Milei has won a landslide victory in the election of October 26, 2025. This election is a midterm election in Argentina. There are 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 72 seats in the Senate. Half of the Chamber of Deputies seats were up for election, and one third of the Senate. President Milei's party scored 41.5% of the vote, increasing its share of seats in the House of Deputies from 37 to 101. Milei's party increased its number of Senators from 6 to 20. This is a significant increase in power for President Milei. It is likely he will pursue his policy goals with continued vigor. President Milei admires the United States Constitution and the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights. From AmmoLand, 2022:
Newly elected President Javier Milei of Argentina is an admirer of the right to keep and bear arms, similar to the Second Amendment enshrined in the Constitution of the United States of America. Argentina has a vibrant gun culture nurtured by strong rural farming and cattle ranching roots.
In 2024, President Miley reduced the minimum age for legal firearms ownership from 21 to 18. From thefinancialanalyst.net:
In a bold move that has ignited fervent debate across Argentina, President Javier Milei has lowered the legal age for gun ownership from 21 to 18. This decision arrives amid rising crime rates and a palpable sense of insecurity within urban centers, particularly Buenos Aires, where citizens feel increasingly vulnerable to violence. Supporters of Milei’s initiative argue that greater access to firearms is essential for self-defense, especially in a country grappling with high poverty levels and a deteriorating judicial system.
Argentina has suffered under extreme restrictions on firearm ownership for the last 30 years. In 1995, semi-automatic firearms of greater than .22 rimfire were banned for nearly everyone but the military. On June 18, 2025, President Milei signed a presidential decree allowing ordinary citizens to possess such firearms using the exisiting permit process. From batimes.com.ar:
It allows so-called “legitimate users of conditional civilian weapons” to “acquire and possess semi-automatic weapons with detachable magazines, similar to assault rifles, carbines or submachine guns derived from military-use firearms, in calibres above .22.”
President Milei has instituted reforms in the permiting process. In May of 2025, the process was streamlined. It is now entirely online. From resumenlatinoamericano.org, translated online from Spanish:
It created a digital procedure under that name with the aim of reducing the time it takes for private individuals to acquire firearms.
The government of Javier Milei moved forward on Tuesday with facilitating the purchase and possession of weapons through the creation of a digital express procedure, with the goal of reducing the time it takes for users to acquire firearms.
This was done by the National Agency for Controlled Materials (ANMaC), which approved, through Resolution 45/2025, the creation of the digital procedure called "Express Possession," designed to facilitate obtaining permits for the possession of firearms with a Unique Material Identification Code (CUIM), acquired through commercial dealers (gun shops) by individual (private) users and personnel from the Armed Forces, Security Forces, police, and the Penitentiary Service.
Argentina has relatively few legal firearms. According to the Small Arms Survey, Argentina has 7.36 civilian firearms per 100 people. Brazil has a similar number of firearms per 100 people, at 8.29. Brazil's murder rate dropped to 19.83 per 100,000 in 2019 from 30.8 per 100,000 in 2017, during the Bolsonaro administration. Argentina has a murder rate of 5.5 per 100,000, close to the murder rate of the United States at about 5 per 100,000 people.
Reforming firearms law and allowing people to defend themselves are part of President Milei's agenda. Milei may be termed a "practical libertarian" aimed at increasing efficiency in Argentina by reducing governmental restrictions, bureaucracy, red tape, and corruption. Milei and his party do not have the political strength to create an Argentinian Second Amendment at this time.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
When officers arrived, they spoke with the mother of the victim, who informed them that her son, the victim, got into an altercation with her husband.
The mother told police that her son was asked to leave and was forcefully removed by her husband.
Police say that the son returned and broke the front glass window of the home; he then proceeded to grab his mother’s neck through the glass when the mother’s husband shot him once.
JACKSON — A man who police say broke into a Jackson home and attacked a resident has died after being shot multiple times during the confrontation.
Jackson police said officers responded around 12:51 p.m. Monday to the 1200 block of Wooddell Drive for a report of an aggravated assault. When they arrived, they found 27-year-old Randall Harris suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
One of the major advantages of using handguns to defend against bear attacks is defense with a handgun is far more likely to result in a dead bear. This is a highly desirable result. Bears which attack humans should be killed. Killing aggressive bears is a significant way to condition the bear population to avoid humans.
The false premise implicit in the argument for non-lethal defenses against bears is, there are such small numbers of bears, killing a bear removes a valuable resource from the bear genetic pool. This view had some legitimacy about 1975-1980, when the population of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states was at its lowest level. This is no longer true. Bear populations are on the rise all over the world. None of the three bears which live in North America have ever been endangered. Even the populations of grizzly bears which lived in the lower 48 states were only listed as "threatened", not endangered. Today we have at least three times as many grizzly bears in the lower 48 than in 1977. The grizzly bear population in the lower 48 is increasing at a significant rate. It is well over 2,000 bears and is probably approaching 3,000 grizzly bears.
When grizzly bears were not protected in the United States, only those bears which learned to avoid humans survived. By 1900, grizzly bears ran from humans and from dogs. Once bears were given artificial protection from humans, they started to lose their fear of humans. The grizzly bears in the lower 48 states kill humans at 30 times the rate per bear of grizzly bears in Alaska. The small population of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states kill more people than the large population of grizzly bears in Alaska. Yes, there are more people in the lower 48. But grizzly bears tend to be where the people are not in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. In Alaska, bears and people favor the same territories.
The number of bears killed when they attack people is too small to have much effect on the bear population, except to remove excessively aggressive bears. In the lower 48, there were 211 grizzly bears killed in defense of human life in the lower 48 states from 2003 to 2023. This averages about .64% of the bear population, or less than 10 bears per year. It is only 17% of the bear deaths recorded. During this period, the grizzly bear population has been steadily increasing.
Bear populations must be controlled or they become pests and threats to human lives and human property. The most successful and common method to control bear populations is through regulated hunting. About 5-15% of bear populations need to be harvested each year to maintain a stable population. In Michigan, harvests are about 15% of the bear population from 1992 through 2023. During that period the bear population has increased about 10%. In Alaska, about 6.7% to 10.2% of brown bears were harvested on Kodiak Island, without reducing bear populations. The research paper suggested a harvest rate of 5.6-7.9%.
It is better to harvest bears which are hyper aggressive than to harvest random bears during the hunting season. The number of bears to be harvested remains the same. Bears which are killed attacking people mean there will be fewer bears to be killed by hunters. Bears which are unafraid of people should be taken out of the bear gene pool.
Stephen Herrero considered selective harvest of black bears to be a reason black bears seldom attack humans. From Fatal Attacks by American Black Bear on People: 1900-2009, published 2011.
Eighth, given the strength and opportunistic predation by black bears one can ask why bears do not prey on people more often. Part of the answer may be that bears that try to or do prey on people are usually killed and removed from a population’s gene pool, decreasing the frequency of any genes the individual might have had that could contribute to predatory attacks on people. It is well known among dog breeders that it is possible to selectively breed for or against aggression. It is highly likely that this selection would also be possible for bears.
The same logic applies to ursus arctos (brown bears, grizzly bears and Kodiak bears). Grizzly bears became very wary of humans by 1900, after about 50 years of relentless killing of aggressive bears by humans. The Lewis and Clark expedition journals show the members of the expedition developed a healthy respect for the dangers of grizzly bears. Even with muzzle loading rifles and muskets, they killed 33 grizzly bears and wounded several others. None of the expedition members, which numbered about 50, were killed by a bear. There were several close encounters were men escaped from bears. None of the company were mauled. Muzzle loaders and horses doomed the grizzly in open areas.
With the common availability of cartridge arms after 1873, almost anyone could easily and effectively kill a grizzly bear, if the bear was seen within a hundred yards. Aggressive bears were quickly killed. Those which avoided humans had a chance of survival.
It is not difficult to understand how bears could learn to fear people. Bears have some of the most sensitive noses in the animal kingdom. If a human kills a bear, the remains of the dead bear are going to be intermingled with scent from the human or humans. Remains of a dead bear are highly attractive to other bears. An association of human scent with dead bears is well within the learning capacity of bears.
Another advantage of killing aggressive bears is the bear cannot attack again or attack other people. Several people have been attacked by a bear more than once. Todd Orr is a classic example. Once a bear has attacked a person, it is much more likely to attack another person. The chance of this happening is greatly reduced if the bear is shot with a firearm. If a projectile enters the thoracic or abdominal cavity, the bear will probably die. The time involved can vary from seconds to days. Even .22 rimfire bullets are likely to kill a bear if they penetrate either major body cavity.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
The Oxford juvenile went behind the counter and attacked one of the employees, leading to a fistfight involving all four individuals. During the altercation, one employee was armed with a pistol. The Eastaboga juvenile pointed his weapon at his friend and the armed employee, resulting in an exchange of gunfire inside the lobby.
As the suspects and the armed employee exited the building, another shot was fired from the Draco. The armed employee, who sustained two non-life-threatening injuries, was transported to UAB for treatment. The other employee suffered minor injuries unrelated to gunfire.
Both suspects have been identified, and Anniston Police Department investigators are collaborating with the Calhoun County District Attorney’s Office and the Calhoun County Juvenile Court to determine appropriate charges.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Four people were injured in a drive-by shooting that turned into a shootout alongside an East Nashville road on Saturday night.
The Metro Nashville Police Department reports that officers responded to the Cleveland Street overpass near Ellington Parkway, where a 22-year-old man had been shot in the buttocks.
Police said he was found near a Chevrolet Malibu, which was disabled along the guardrail. Detectives learned that a second car involved, a Nissan Altima, had dropped off three victims following the incident:
David by Bernini, public domain
One of the most famous bible stories is the story of David as a young man, who slew Goliath, a gigantic Philistine warrior, champion of the Philistine army. The story is much debated. Was David known to Saul, the king before David killed Goliath? How old was David when he killed Goliath? Did someone else kill Goliath, and David was later given credit for it?
The most common assumption is that David killed Goliath and he used a sling and stone to triumph over the giant. Estimates of his age vary from 13 to 28. He is described as both a boy and a man, as "a youth" and as "a mighty man of valor, a man of war".
In every generation, there are people who are born who have a natural aptitude with one or another sort of weapons. People with an aptitude often hone this ability though practice, training, or both. David appears to have been a "natural" with the sling. He had plenty of time to practice while he was watching over his father's sheep. The evidence of his proficiency is from KJV bible, I Samuel:
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
Even a nine foot tall giant would be as vulnerable to a sling as an European brown bear, or a lion. Killing a bear and a lion with a sling (and probably a dagger or knife) would make David well known for his proficiency. It is not impossible to kill a bear or a lion with a sling, or at least to knock them out long enough to finish them off with another weapon such as a knife or short sword.
The bear which existed in Israel at the time of David would have been the European brown bear, essentially the same animal as the grizzly bear in North America. Not all grizzly bears are the same size. There are large males, smaller females, and sub-adults which are smaller yet. The most common to come in conflict with humans tend to be young males which have not established their own territory yet. It seems more likely the bear which David killed was under 300 lbs than over 500 lbs. Similarly, a lion could easily be 150 lbs instead of 300. The important thing with a slung stone would be to hit the animal on the head, at the right spot to knock it out or to stun it. Pitchers who are good at throwing 5 ounce baseballs can hit speeds of 130 to 150 fps. Slings magnify the speed of the throw. Some modern users of the sling hit close to 200 fps and over 130 foot lbs of energy. It is enough to knock out a bear. A Canadian man, Jesse Mengler, knocked out and probably killed a black bear in British Columbia, with a thrown rock, in 2010.
From the biblical text, it is clear Goliath underestimated the smaller David, who was not wearing any armor. His overconfidence contributed to his defeat. It is not difficult for this correspondent to believe Goliath turned his attention away from David at a critical moment. David closed the distance to optimum sling range and let fly with the deadly shot. Goliath was struck in the forehead with enough force to partly embed the stone. He fell unconscious to the ground. David then used Goliath's sword to make certain he was dead. To show both armies he had triumphed, David cut off Goliath's head and held it up for them to see.
For most of history, slings have been used as military weapons. They were used by the Aztecs in opposition to the Conquistadors in the Conquest of Mexico. Steel armor and firearms made slings obsolete as military weapons.
In Barnett v. Raoul, Judge McGlynn references the David and Goliath story to illustrate the need for effective projectile arms for self defense. Judge McGlynn stated David had no choice but to use a projectile weapon in combat against the giant Goliath who outclassed David in sheer size and body strength.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch
CHARLESTON — Two suspects have been arrested in connection with an Oct. 26 attempted burglary at a downtown home, which was thwarted by residents who shot one of the men and stabbed the other, police say.
Shortly before noon on Oct. 26, Charleston police responded to a home on S. Enston Avenue. The residents reported that two men had broken into the home and attempted to rob them, according to information released by the police department.
Savannah Police determined that 46-year-old Keith King was shot in apparent self-defense after an altercation with a woman who was living at the home. King was charged with simple assault and criminal trespass.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 7:30 a.m., deputies were called to the 300 block of Industrial Street for a report of two people who shot at each other with guns.
KCSO said deputies spoke to a man involved in the shooting, and it is believed the exchange of gunfire happened during an interrupted burglary.
Two fatal bear attacks occurred in Akansas in 2025. The first attack occurred on September 3, 2025, near the Mulberry Mountain area of north west Arkansas. The second attack happened on October 1st or 2nd, near the Sam's Throne campground near Mount Judea. The two attacks happened in or on the edge of the Ozark National Forest, about 45 miles apart.
The last fatal bear attack recorded in Arkansas occurred in 1892, as reported from the May 10 edition of the Arkansas Democrat. From aktimes.com:
Mountain Home, Ark., May 10 — Mrs. Mary Carter, a widow, with a small family of children, is a raving maniac, as the result of a raid upon her little cabin by a half-starved black bear, in which two of her children lost their lives and one [was] half devoured before assistance arrived. Her five children were playing in the yard while the mother was engaged in scrubbing. Suddenly the screams of the children startled her. She saw an enormous bear strike down her oldest boy, who had bravely attempted to defend the children in his charge. The beast seized the baby and ran rapidly away. The animal tore the little one to pieces before the mother’s eyes and escaped to the forest.
Black bears were reduced to a small remnant by 1927. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission prohibited bear hunting in that year. An active program of reintroducing black bears was but into effect from 1956 to 1968. in No bear hunting season was allowed until 1980.
The first fatal bear attack in 2025 in Arkansas was covered on AmmoLand.
A 72-year-old man, Vernon Patton, was working on a gravel road with his tractor when a 70-pound juvenile male black bear attacked him. The attack happened on September 3, 2025, in the Mulberry Mountain area of Arkansas. The attack occurred near Highway 23, just south of the Mulberry Mountain lodge. Vernon’s son came by to check on him. The son saw his father being attacked and drove off the bear by throwing rocks at it.
This is the smallest black bear to successfully kill a human in a predatory attack, of which this correspondent is aware.
The second fatal bear attack in Arkansas occurred on October 1st or Second near Sam's Throne campground. The campground is about 45 miles to the north east of the location of the Mulberry Mountain attack. The victim of the attack at the Sam's throne campground appears to have been sleeping on a cot, in the open, when the attack occurred. The Newton County Sherriff, Glenn Wheeler released several updates on the incident. The bear in the Sam's Throne incident has been describes as male black bear about 150 to 170 lbs. Pictures of the suspected bear were sent by the victim, Max Thomas, 60, of Springfield Missouri, to his family, before the attack occurred. Max was dragged about 40 yards into the woods.
Searches on the Internet indicate a Max Thomas of the correct age was a successful businessman, husband and father. He was married to the now widowed Mrs. Thomas for 35 years.
Bear populations and bear attacks have been increasing over the last several decades in North America, Asia, and Europe. There is good documentation in Japan, Europe, and North America. It is more difficult to find documentation for the area covered by the former Soviet Union and China.
Bear attack numbers have been increasing. They are not common. There are usually less than four fatal bear attacks per year in North America. Japan has more fatal bear attacks on average than does the United States. Japan has had seven fatal attacks so far in 2025. The United States has had three fatal bear attacks in 2025. Canada did not record any fatal bear attacks in 2025 so far.
The populations of both humans and bears are increasing. Bears have received more protection by governments than ever before in history. Bears learn to avoid humans by learning humans are dangerous to be near. The less bears fear humans, the more likely bears are to attack humans.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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