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ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: A Question for the Gun Folks (8/31/2009 10:04:59 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Musicmystery
quote:
ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda
So you never know. Shit happens. They're wild animals. If you spend a lot of time in the area where they live, the chances that they're going to do some sort of wild-animal shit to you increases. Still extremely unlikely, but as long as there's a chance, why not take measures to improve your odds? You carry a poncho for when it rains, mosquito repellent for when it mosquitoes - why not a gun for when it bears? It's just a gun. I can't imagine any good reason for not taking one if you're in bear country.
Panda,
Because the risk is very small if proper precautions are taken.
Hell, I run a FAR greater risk from hypothermia or an accident (for which I also prepare, but yes, shit happens). If I started buying stuff just in case, I'd start with a cell phone and a GPS. A gun would just be one more thing to care for and to carry--not a mention potentially dangerous in its own right.
For even better safety? Stay home.
No thanks. I believe in safety and sensible precautions, but not fear over every conceivable possibility. As far as wildlife, a rapid raccoon would be far more dangerous.
I run a far greater risk of dying while driving to work each day.
Live well.
Yeah, and that's all perfectly sensible. We're just coming from two different perspectives, I think. I grew up with guns, carried them as casually and almost as frequently as my pocketknife whenever I went into the woods. To me, it's nothing but a backcountry tool, no different than my compass or my first aid kit. I think that when I lived in Montana, and spent so much time in the mountains, it became second nature to take a powerful handgun every time I went in the woods. When i moved back to Minnesota, there were no grizzlies, but there were still bears, so it just felt perfectly natural to keep carrying (albeit a smaller weapon.) To me, it's as natural as buckling up my seatbelt before I even turn the key in my car. I don't wear my seatbelt because I'm afraid of accidents; i wear it because it's a sensible precaution. To me, the .45 on my belt when I go hiking feels like exactly the same thing. Second nature. It wouldn't occur to me not to carry it, any more than I wouldn't carry my compass.
I suppose the other thing, as I think about it, is that for a solo hiker like me a gun is good for more than just shooting it out with bears. I spend a lot of time winter hiking, on some very treacherous trails miles from the nearest road, and I'm always alone. Typical night-time lows where I go winter hiking are 20, even 30 below zero fahrenheit. I carry a winter survival kit, but still - if i step into a crevasse beneath the snow and break an ankle, or tumble halfway down an icy cliff, I'm going to be out there on my own a damned long time unless I have a way of signalling for help. It's not uncommon for me to be hiking along a clifftop in late January, and suddenly notice I'm the first person to make footprints on that trail all winter. 3 extra 8-round clips for the .45 are packed in the winter survival pack at all times. I suppose it could well be that that's a big reason I consider the gun so essential. I don't know; it's food for thought. Either way, I'd no sooner go camping with a gun than without a tent. It just would never occur to me not to take it.
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