Do you feel the need to have a weapon when camping

[Hilldweller]

Wasp spray is awesome. After my friend was stung about 30 times after an inadvertent interaction with a yellow jacket nest, I never camp in the warmer months without it.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I carry and have my CHL. Interesting note is that at the class for CHL we had a woman that was a police officer but no loner associated. She said that she was taught that wasp spary worked better than pepper spray. Much more range and can be deadly or damageing. That is why self-defense people will not come out and recommend it.

Since then I always have a can in my camping gear bug-out bag. Heck, never know when I'm attacked by wasps

Interesting... You saying wasp spray can be deadly to mammals?

 

[BIGdaddy]

Interesting... You saying wasp spray can be deadly to mammals?

I've gotten hit by a bit of spray while using it for its intended purpose...just a few parts per million were enough to make me dizzy, vomitty, and pretty much useless for about an hour.

I'm a lot more careful now...:elkgrin:

 

[Christophe Noel]

Never. Never have. Never will. I grew up around guns as a kid in rural Kansas. As I matured, I found guns had little place in my life. Millions of people all over the world seem to survive just fine without guns, so I probably can as well. Never even thought of having a gun when I lived and guided in thick bear country in Alaska.

I appreciate why people like to own guns and feel safer with one on their hip, but for me it seems like one more bit of kit I'll never need and the potential for added complications are compounded. No one is at risk of being killed by my 20 year old pocket knife, storm lighter or fire extinquisher.

I also prefer the people I travel with to not carry. People crash cars, set stuff on fire, and generally make mistakes. I'd rather not be around when that mistake involves a gun.

 

[milo12]

According to Snopes.com wasp spray is the ticket.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/waspspray.asp

All the reasons they say not to use it are weak. It is too dangerous to mammals and is illegal in some areas.

 

[winkosmosis]

Get a can of bear spray. If it makes a bear blind, unable to smell, and immobilized by pain, what do you think it does to a human?

No need to kill or cause brain damage or whatever to anyone, including yourself, with wasp spray

 

[MossMan]

My question is: why wouldn't you carry a defense weapon?

 

[haven]

I've traveled and camped in areas around the world for almost 50 years.
I have never found myself in a situation where firearms might have helped
deter a threat.

 

[Hilldweller]

Get a can of bear spray. If it makes a bear ... unable to smell,...

Oh, they still smell. In fact, they smell awful.

 

[SunTzuNephew]

I've traveled and camped in areas around the world for almost 50 years.
I have never found myself in a situation where firearms might have helped
deter a threat.

Here are four people (the first that popped up on google) that weren't as lucky:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-10-28-cape-breton-hiker-death_N.htm

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=585983

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321107,00.html

 

[762X39]

I usually have my 870 LEO shotgun in the truck because I hunt all the time but really, I think it is sad that anyone feels the need to be armed to survive in the woods.I know there are statistics (and damn lies) that may prove me wrong but really...

 

[Rando]

I don't carry any sort of weapon, and likely never will. I do think the concept of being armed when going into the back country is a very American thing and is more of a cultural artifact than a logical decision (not that it is wrong, much of what we all do is this way). We spend a lot of time on this forum drooling over tremendously unsafe cars and describing ways to make our cars less safe (lifted, top heavy, crumple zone defeated etc etc.), then we talk about arming ourselves to address the freak possibility of a bear attack!

On the other hand, while I don't share it, I can see the romantic attraction to being armed when heading out into the wilds.

 

[SeaRubi]

A proper knife and training can be very effective for personal defense, against man or animal. Something to consider.

cheers,
-ike

 

[winkosmosis]

A proper knife and training can be very effective for personal defense, against man or animal. Something to consider.

cheers,
-ike

Not much a knife is gonna do against a bear or a marijuana grower with assault rifles

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Here are four people (the first that popped up on google) that weren't as lucky:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-10-28-cape-breton-hiker-death_N.htm

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=585983

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321107,00.html

I tried to search for news stories on all the millions of people who didn't die during their camping trips, but couldn't find any.

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=campers+didn't+die+during+trip

See, nothing.

I did find this however, which is an interesting read.

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/guns.htm

I am not interested in suicide deaths, and homicides as... it could be argued that they could occur with or without a gun. I'm more concerned with accidental deaths.

According to the CDC, the rate of firearm deaths among children under age 15 is almost 12 times higher in the United States than in 25 other industrialized countries combined. American children are 16 times more likely to be murdered with a gun, 11 times more likely to commit suicide with a gun, and nine times more likely to die in a firearm accident than children in these other countries

When researchers studied the 30,000 accidental gun deaths of Americans of all ages that occurred between 1979-1997, they found that preschoolers aged 0-4 were 17 times more likely to die from a gun accident in the 4 states with the most guns versus the 4 states with the least guns. Likewise, school kids aged 5-14 were over 13 times more at risk of accidental firearm death in the states with high gun ownership rates. The findings indicate that gun availability is associated with accidental death by shooting

This is a controversial subject. Many people feel safer when they have a gun at hand. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)* has reviewed the current medical research on the subject and concluded that if you have children, it is safer not to have a gun in your home

What if I've taught my kids not to touch a gun if they find one?
A number of studies, suggest that even kids who are trained not to touch guns can't resist, and that parents have unrealistic expectations about their kids' behavior around guns. That's why parents are encouraged to keep guns unloaded and locked separately from ammunition , and to ask about guns at the houses where their children play. Here are links to the full text or abstracts of the studies:

How can I keep my child safe from gun injury?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the best way to keep your child or teen safe from gun injury or death, is to never have a gun in your home, especially not a handgun.

For those who know the dangers of guns, but still keep a gun in the home, each of the following four measures helps protect children and teens from accidental firearm injury and suicide [13]:

Keep the gun locked
Keep the gun unloaded
Store the ammunition locked
Store the ammunition in a separate place from the gun

And I've said this before... I'm not anit-gun. I am interested in them as a technological device. I want to get one, but mostly for TEOTWAWKI reasons. But as a home defense, or camping defense tool, I struggle to see how they would be useful if they are all locked up, as required to keep my kids safe.

I also just don't like to live my life under the shadow of a gun. "If they live their lives in such fear, why do they want to live so bad?"

30,000 accidental gun deaths in 18 years. What was the number of bear attacks again?