ah, good point. The act of walking there, and/or swinging a detector isn't going to subject to "defense". You're merely "inpsecting/looking" as you said you were going to do. But the minute you remove something (a coin or pulltab), then sure, you've "stolen".
What's wierd is, not a single person on this forum (I would hope) would ever have the ability to take something off someone's night stand. We would all inherently know that's "stealing". Or to take something out of a city's museum's display (say, a coin for instance) when no one's looking. All of us would recognize as "wrong". Yet for some reason, we see some sort of difference when that same coin is in the park's ground. Why? I suppose because it's almost as if it didn't exist, till it was brought-to-light. Ie.: "who's been harmed?". But sure, technically you're right. When it comes to defence, technically whether an item is a known item (the coin on the nightstand or in the museum cabinet) is every bit as much property items as something un-known in the ground.
Tom, you are a master of scenarios however, this is all for naught as the subject is about PRIVATE PROPERTY not parks.
Why would we feel guilty about taking finds from a park?
Let me try painting a scenario......
I notice an old farm house out in the rural backroads that no one is currently living at and the nearest neighbors are several miles away.
When I enter the property, I notice a padlock on the door and think that no one will bother me as I give the yard a try.
After a days work, I head home with a small pile of old coins, some jewelry, and a few collectibles that appear to be from the early 20th century.
A good haul to most but not all that satisfying to a relic hunter who focuses mainly on the 18th century.
A week later, I've got nothing really good to hunt that day, so I decide to try that old farmhouse again and drive out.
Upon arriving, there's a vehicle in the driveway and I realize it's the owners.
Now I have a chance to finally ask and get permission and go to talk to a middle aged man in the front yard.
As I'm talking to him, a little boy comes out hobbling on crutches to join the conversation.
The nice owner explains that his son "Tiny Tim" has been saving money for years to buy his first detector because his dream is to search his family's farm house to find things that his dad, uncles, and grandparents may have lost so he could make a special family display for future generations.
I wish them well and leave to find somewhere else to hunt.
That night in bed, I can't stop thinking about those coins, jewelry pieces, old toys and collectibles that mean very little to me and how exciting those finds would have been to that little boy.
This my friend, is a story about stealing and the guilt that follows.
Everyone needs a good night's sleep!
Cheers,
Dave.
