Quote:
Originally Posted by Kate
Just for the record, this forum DOES NOT advocate or encourage the purchase/use of any weapons. OK?  |
Why is it non- North Americans whom dislike guns. Maybe those of you in the UK whose only wild foe is a meandering fox or something should try hiking up the mountain behind my house! When your skin starts to crawl from being stalked by one of several resident cougars, you might rethink gun ownership.
Evolution22 lives in Seattle, for a little 'useless' information, look at the PNW on a map, look how small Vancouver Island looks, it is BIGGER than Britain (and Madagascar for that matter), and has 1.4 million people on it. Probably about the same number of hungry wild critters. We, whom live in a vast wilderness, have more to take stock of than a were-rabbit or two. You are not even safe from critters on a boat..
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...t-renfrew.html
SNIP
"A bear mauling a man on a boat in Port Renfrew, B.C., wouldn't let go of its victim despite being struck with a gaff, beaten with a hammer and stabbed with sharp objects, one of the rescuers said Wednesday.
"It didn't let go until it died right in his boat," said Bruce Miller, who was the first to try to stop the attack.
Two men were fishing around 5 p.m. Tuesday when a black bear swam towards their boat and jumped aboard, RCMP Sgt. Roger Plamondon said Wednesday.
One of the men threw fish overboard, hoping to distract the bear, but he was still attacked, Plamondon said."
END SNIP
Buying a gun over metals right now is a wise decision. A bear ate ALL my pinot noir grapes the other night. Hmm, maybe throwing silver coins at him would have convinced him to leave. Or better yet, wishing him away! What if this were more of a survival situation and in confronting the bear with my good wishes and sling shot full of silver Maple Leafs, he charged and ripped me. Bear injuries are horrific, and go septic really, really, fast. They are not clean critters.
Projecting UK ideals on West Coast reality is pretty puerile. I could set out tomorrow, walk for 6 MONTHS and only run across the odd, decomissioned, logging road. Eventually, I would cross the 'highway' to Bella Coola. I've been in that area, in the alpine, and believe you me, anyone with a functional synapse would prefer to be armed. Once you leave the urban areas in the PNW, there isn't a whole lot of anything except bush.