Boone,

I agree. Setting aside TEOTWAKI and other fantasies, foks here at ETS have such varied locales and circumstances that any hard-and-fast answer to questions about firearms is going to be wrong in some way for most of the readers... and most of us could go safely without a firearm in the woods all of the time. So nowadays I try to just stick to the question asked instead of extending it to justify my choices.

However, I am mindful of my own experiences here and abroad and there is absolutely no question in my mind that there ARE exceptions and that it would be just plain stupid to go unarmed some places in some situations - specifically including parts of North America. At least here in the USA I can legally exercise my choices in the places I choose to go. (I rarely frequent NPS lands because that choice is denied me there.)

Tom