Who here has suggested that, if I may ask?

I agree AKSAR. Practice makes perfect. And moving targets under stress take a LOT of practice. Recoil is also a major factor for many people.

No one here has suggested that, but I've talked to some animals rights people who think that.

Handgun is very different from rifle. Furthermore, handgun skills deteriorate rapidly without practice, unlike what I've seen with rifle skills. I hope these people figure it out without having to learn the hard way.

we shoot every week. I like watching the little woman out shoot the so called experts and the range cassanovas. No one will bet against her anymore. That helped defray the cost of ammo.

I wonder whether animal behavior is a factor here. Perhaps it's much worse for a bear to get its sinus, eyes, nose, lungs, etc. irritated, than to be shot? Or perhaps wounding a bear, even fatally, doesn't it make it want to fight less, but irritating the respiratory membranes does? I'm no biologist, so I'm just guessing here, probably saying some ignorant things. But the highly favorable statistics for pepper spray suggests bears really, really don't like sprays. You know, it's like how primates are instinctively afraid of snakes, or how I'm utterly defenseless against pretty girls. Does anyone know more about this (the bear stuff, I mean)?

Has anyone actually suggested a pistol? Maybe Deathwind should check with a gun forum. There are a number of gun enthusiasts here, but we just don't talk about firearms a whole lot.

google "bear sense of smell" and the answer to the question of pepper spray or gun is quickly settled.

Well, that explains why I jump every time I see one!

We may have evolved alongside snakes as our big enemy, developing certain physical traits to better avoid becoming snake food.

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10757
http://www.livescience.com/4183-fear-snakes-drove-pre-human-evolution.html

I remember reading somewhere that most primates are hardwired to fear snakes, and sometimes the wiring just needs activation by an encounter of the slithery type.

Next topic: snake guns -- the Taurus Judge or something else?

Turkeys are afraid of snakes as well. Saw that on another site sometime back. I vote for the judge. Explain our fear of spiders. most people fear one or the other.