By the same token, the "Anybody who doesn't carry a gun is a dumba**" side always seems to ass-sume that any body who does carry a firearm is automatically skilled enough to hit, with a hard kicking gun, under extreme stress, a small target moving very fast towards them. That also gets old.

For the record, while I choose to carry spray, I don't have an issue with folks carrying guns for bear protection, provided they have put in sufficient realistic training to be truely profficient with that gun. In previous threads on this issue I have even given advice about what firearms are considered adequate for bears and what sort of shot placement is best.

However, in Alaska I see lots of folks out in the woods carrying firearms for bear protection. Anchorage is a relatively small town, and I know some of them and have seen them shoot. Some of them are skilled shots. But far too many of them are probably more likely to hit themselves or their companions than to hit a charging bear. They buy a gun, shoot it now and then, but never really develop any real skill with it. Likewise, a lot of hunters, who may be in fact be adequate shots with a rifle, go buy a 44 Mag or 454 Casull for casual hiking. But they don't shoot it much, but they just know their rifle skills automatically translate to the big handgun. Those folks are without question better off carrying spray, in my opinion.