Mo. man, angered over digital switch, shoots his TV set

bnd.com ^ | 02/20/09 | KSDK

[TornadoAlley3]

The digital transition has left some confused, but a Joplin man was down right frustrated with the switch. So frustrated, in fact, that he peppered his television set with gunfire.

Police responded to the man's house Wednesday after reports of shots being fired inside.

Turns out the 70-year-old gunman was livid over losing cable and could not get his digital converter box to work. Police took Walter Hoover into custody after a brief standoff and charged him with unlawful use of a firearm.

Hoover's wife told police that he had been drinking before the incident.

[TribalPrincess2U]

LOL

[Carpe Cerevisi]

Another “Hold muh beer” incident.

[mnehring]

I always wondered what happened to Archie Bunker..

[Bob Buchholz]

Damn, I didn’t know it was illegal to shoot your TV! I wonder if its ok to throw shoes at it?

[TornadoAlley3]

http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=9874731&nav=menu54_10_6

His name is Walter Hoover

[Doogle]

that’ll show em

[ketelone]

Anyone see an 80s TV show called Sledge Hammer! ?

He would done the same.

[Doogle]

ssshame he ain’t gonna see himself on the news

[gunnyg]

“I always wondered what happened to Archie Bunker..”
+++++++++++++++++++++++

Nobody knows where those millions of AB’s are and nobody’s talkin bout it!

[dennisw]

He did an Elvis on his TV set
Why the police? It’s not against the law to kill your TV

[ozark hilljilly]

Isn’t there a FReeper whose tagline is something about throwing another shot-up tv on the pile out back?
: )

[dennisw]

Was alcohol involved? Seems so.

----->>>Hoover's wife told police that he had been drinking before the incident.

[Dahoser]

Damn, I didn’t know it was illegal to shoot your TV! I wonder if its ok to throw shoes at it?

No, only US Presidents named Bush.

[Crolis]

LOL. I hope he didn’t take my tagline literally.

[dennisw]

Isn’t there a FReeper whose tagline is something about throwing another shot-up tv on the pile out back?
: )

If computers were half made out of glass they would get shot up too

[peggybac]

I know someone who did this but he was just drunk and wanted to shoot something.

[AD from SpringBay]

This is probably the best shot he’s taken in a quite a while.

[listenhillary]

Sounds like he had plenty of shots.

[TornadoAlley3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w34nNux4Xw

Grandma confused about how to set up digital converter box

[The Great RJ]

If all he could receive on his TV would be the drivel from the major TV networks he would be quite justified in shooting his set.

[ArrogantBustard]

Hoover's wife told police that he had been drinking before the incident.

Of course ...

[Califreak]

1COUNTER-MORTER-68 (THROWING ANOTHER BULLET-RIDDLED TV IN THE PILE OUT BACK~~~~~)

Hah!

Just as I remembered.

[djf]

Hell, if he had ever got it working AND WATCHED IT, he woulda shot it - twice!

[ArrogantBustard]

Channel 4-3 (NBC, Washington DC) is 24-hour obscure sports. No "news", no trashy sit-coms, no bias ... just sports.

Speed-skating ladies are HAWT!!!!!

[FrankCastle214]

I thought I saw a digital converter box at RadioShack. Why don’t people just go buy it instead of waiting for the government to mail them a rebate.

[TornadoAlley3]

They can buy it, save receipt and when coupon arrives in mail take it to store with receipt and get refund.

[DarthVader]

This is what will happen more and more with Obama over-exposure on the tube.

[ltc8k6]

Exactly! Over that air digital TV is horribly frustrating even when it is working properly.

It’s because the digital picture and sound just drops out completely when the signal gets a little poor, rather than just getting a little fuzzy.

This makes it unwatchable at times when analog would be perfectly watchable.

When the analog sound or picture used to just get a little fuzzy or scratchy, the digital one just disappears.

You get all enthusiastic over the cool digital picture and then nothing...and then it’s back perfect...and then nothing...

[Richard Kimball]

Why the police? It’s not against the law to kill your TV

You're kidding, right? I'm a pretty big gun nut and a serious libertarian, but I'm not going to defend a drunk guy randomly discharging his firearm inside his house. Believe me, that's one call police would have been just as happy to pass on.

[Larry Lucido]

He may be better off now.

[reagan_fanatic]

There have been times when I wanted to shoot my TV, but it was mainly during the many Obama droolfests by the MSM.

[VirginiaMom]

you might like this

VirginiaMom

[usconservative]

The digital transition has left some confused, but a Joplin man was down right frustrated with the switch. So frustrated, in fact, that he peppered his television set with gunfire.

You know, I get that same feeling every time the current illegal occupier of the White House gets on TV and starts talking down the economy, or the need to take more of my hard earned money away so he can bail out some lazy-assed welfare recipient out of a mortgage that they can't afford shouldn't have gotten in the first place.

But then, I hear there's a growing number of us getting more and more frustrated by this bullshit every day. (Just ask Rick Santelli)

[tom paine 2]

Couldn’t get I Love Lucy or Gunsmoke.

[AnnGora]

This country is just crawling with Elvis Impersonators. Let’s see this guy jump out of an airplane!

[Durus]

He hit what he was aiming at. That isn't random, and he couldn't have been very drunk.

Keep in mind he was charged with "criminal use of a firearm" whatever the hell that means. What was criminal? Shooting in your house? (no more indoor ranges) Shooting a TV? (is this a new part of the "fairness doctrine"?) It all seems a little silly to me. He didn't hurt anything but a TV, let the man alone.

[ßuddaßudd]

That and Max Headroom were awesome.◘  █

[Irish Queen]

Obviously this gent is an Obama voter.

[Richard Kimball]

This is one where we'll just have to disagree. As a firefighter, if I make a call at a house and there's a drunk guy that's been shooting his television, I'm bringing in LEO, and we're figuring out some way to separate the guy from his gun and get him in custody until he's sober. He's a danger to himself, his wife, and the people next door.

[RichInOC]

Ah, yes, the remote control of last resort.

[Hatteras]

I bet he felt wonderful afterward. Probably eased quite a few frustrations.

[Cailleach]

My senior lit teacher had a kill your television bumper sticker in her class room.

[antiRepublicrat]

Discharging a firearm in a city is usually illegal because bullets tend to go through things and houses are pretty close together.

Exceptions are of course made for properly-built gun ranges and self defense, but I don’t think shooting your TV qualifies as a necessary use of a firearm, even if Helen Thomas was on and it was a knee-jerk reaction to keep you from pulling your eyes out.

[Durus]

I missed the "necessary use of a firearm" clause in the 2nd amendment. I also missed, apparently, that he damaged anything other then a TV, and that he lived in a city.

Barring any damage done to anything other then the TV I don't think he should have been arrested.

[Durus]

He himself, his wife, and the people next door were all fine. The only damage was to his TV.

[TYVets]

The only think he could get on his TV was a John Connors speech?

[kalee]

I remember her and her sticker.

[Cailleach]

she was anti-computer too if I remember. She was also probably a raging lib. Kinda hippy-ish wasn’t she?

[Arrowhead1952]

I knew I’d seen that tagline before.