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Ultimate Soviet Guns Compilation
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Reg Spiers was a quite competent javelin thrower who didn’t quite make the cut for the Olympics.
Social media photo.
I daresay most all of us have a weakness for gun stuff. Little makes a good day a great day faster than glancing out the front window to spot the Brown Truck of Happiness pulling up the drive with some gun-related widget in tow.
There is actually a not-zero possibility that the BATF will soon amend its rules to allow law-abiding citizens to order firearms remotely, pass the requisite background checks, and then have guns delivered straight to their front door. We do live in amazing times.
While technology has facilitated supply chains that operate with unprecedented efficiency, that convenience comes at a price. Shipping, particularly the expedited sort, can cost a fortune. I once needed an important legal document spirited across the country overnight and was quoted $72 for the service. Ouch.
The box Reg Spiers built to ship himself literally halfway around the world was only 5x3x2.6 feet.
Social media photo.
The Lunatic
Back in 1964, an indigent Australian athlete named Reg Spiers yearned to return home from London. Spiers was a javelin thrower who had recently failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. After a pickpocket stole his wallet, he found himself stranded. Ever resourceful, the poor, unfortunate guy set out to engineer a solution. A desire to return home in time for his daughter’s pending birthday supercharged the enterprise.
Spiers could not afford a traditional passenger ticket on an airplane or boat, but shipping costs were not nearly as egregious back then as they might be today. With the assistance of a fellow Olympic hopeful, Spiers constructed a 5x3x2.5-foot wooden crate just big enough to accommodate his muscular form. There was room inside to sit with his legs straight or rest on his back with his knees bent above him.
Spiers knew this would be a weird trip. As a result, he equipped his personalized shipping container with internal security straps so he wouldn’t jostle about unduly during takeoff and landing.
He also thoughtfully included several cans of food, a pillow and blanket, and a battery-powered flashlight. In addition, he packed two large plastic bottles. One of these was full of water. The other was to serve as a makeshift toilet. He marked the outside of the box “Medical Supplies” in hopes that the baggage handlers would be careful with him.
What Spiers was planning was both illegal and dangerous. If he pulled it off, he would bypass Australian customs and violate Lord-only-knows how many shipping company regulations. As a result, he labeled himself “To Be Collected” and added the made-up address of a fictitious shoe company. Why a shoe company would be receiving a crate of medical supplies was anybody’s guess.
The poor guy had no money. He shipped himself air freight cash-on-delivery. His hope was that his family might collect him once he arrived in Perth and pay the shipping costs at that time.
After a sordid stint as a drug trafficker, Reg Spiers eventually got his life in order.
Social media photo.
One Seriously Wild Ride
The trip took three long days and became a serious gut check for the frugal spear chucker. His parcel was set aside and delayed in Paris. During a layover in Bombay, India, baggage handlers left his crate upside down in the direct sunshine on the hot tarmac for hours. Regardless of the deprivations, Spiers remained still and silent throughout. Any suspicion on the part of the shipping company folks would have ended his trip immediately.
Once he was down safe in Australia, baggage handlers secured his box in a cargo shed. Now convinced he was alone, Spiers chopped his way out of his wooden crate and changed into a fresh suit of clothes he had brought along for that purpose. Having stretched his sore muscles, Spiers then just walked out of the airport like he owned the place.
The Aftermath
Reg Spiers never intended to tell anyone what he had done. However, several days later, his buddy in London became worried after not having heard from him and alerted the media. Spiers’ story circled the globe and brought the man a certain curious notoriety. The human interest angle of a failed Olympian who shipped himself home via COD air freight so as to make his daughter’s birthday celebration was irresistible clickbait even in the days before clicks were a thing.
Reg Spiers broke the law, but not a whole lot. In short order, all was forgiven. However, the rambunctious athlete did subsequently go on to a lucrative career in drug trafficking. He was even caught and sentenced to death in Sri Lanka, only to be extradited back to Australia later. The Internet says he eventually got his life in order and stopped such ridiculous stuff.
In case you might be considering it, modern baggage screening technology makes such a stunt virtually impossible today. Should you find yourself in desperate need of transportation around the globe might I suggest you take a job to earn the money or throw yourself on the mercy of GoFundMe. Mailing one’s person around the globe is, tragically, not terribly practical anymore.
A Connecticut homeowner called state authorities after shooting a black bear in his backyard.
Now he is facing a criminal charge.
Michael Gero, 39, told investigators the bear had broken into an enclosure and killed several chickens. He reportedly saw the bear eating one before he fired.
Gero also believes the same bear killed his goats in August, according to WFSB.
He Reported the Shooting
The incident happened Friday at Gero’s property in Granby.
Gero contacted the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection after killing the animal. Environmental Conservation Police investigated and cited him for illegally taking a black bear.
The charge may carry up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for a first offense under Connecticut law.
Gero is expected to appear in Torrington Superior Court in early October.
This was not his first close encounter with a bear.
WFSB interviewed Gero in 2024 after another bear attacked one of his goats. Gero said he struck that animal with a branch and chased it into the woods.
Connecticut Law Draws a Fine Line
Connecticut law allows someone to kill a bear when that person reasonably believes it threatens serious bodily harm to a human.
Deadly force is also allowed when a bear attacks a legally controlled pet or enters an occupied building.
However, chickens and goats kept as livestock do not necessarily qualify as protected pets under that provision.
State law instead directs livestock owners toward Connecticut’s agricultural damage permit process. That process requires property owners to try nonlethal measures first.
They must then consult a DEEP wildlife biologist. The agency must approve a permit before the owner can legally kill a damaging bear.
That distinction sits at the center of the controversy.
The bear was reportedly inside Gero’s enclosure and actively feeding on one of his chickens. Yet the law appears to treat that situation differently from an attack on a household pet.
Residents Question the Charge
The case drew thousands of comments after WFSB shared it online. Many commenters argued that Gero should have been allowed to protect his animals on his property.
Granby Town Manager Mike Walsh also expressed sympathy for Gero. He suggested lawmakers should review the statute and that DEEP should provide communities with better guidance.
DEEP said the bear was not tagged and that the agency knew of no other reported attacks connected to it.
The facts will now move into court. The larger question may eventually land with state lawmakers: How long must a property owner wait while a bear kills his livestock?
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