Only those who believe in the right to arm bears
Posted on 03/27/2023 5:18:55 AM PDT by marktwain
As the research into how effective pistols are when used as a defense against bears has progressed, a startling progression has been observed. The recorded use of pistols in defense against bears has grown by two orders of magnitude in recent decades.
As pistols came into common use, they were almost certainly used in defense against animal attacks. Portable, reasonably reliable pistols, which could be used as a defensive weapon against an unexpected attack, were unavailable until about 1534 when wheellock pistols became available. They were relatively expensive. Arms of the period were commonly privately owned. Some were likely used in defense against animals. Europe, at the time, had much wild land. Bears, except for those in captivity, had been eliminated from England. Wild bears still existed in the mainland of Europe. While the use of wheellock pistols against bears probably happened, this correspondent has not seen any records documenting it.
The development of the flintlock, then the percussion pistol and revolver, made the use of a pistol in defense against a bear much more likely. Pistols became less expensive and more common. Bears were becoming uncommon in much of Europe by 1820. I can recall an account where flintlock or percussion pistols were used as secondary weapons on bear hunts in North America. Starting in 1836 (effectively the 1840’s), revolvers added the potential for more firepower. Records are sparse and difficult to document from the era.
The database is limited to handguns that use self-contained cartridges.
As a defense against bears, handguns came into their own with the development of the self-contained cartridge. The .44 Russian (1870), .45 Colt (1872), 10.55×25 Reich Revolver (1879), and .455 Webley (1880) cartridges are all sufficiently powerful
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
From 2010 to 2019, 67 defensive uses of pistols against bears was recorded.
“From 2010 to 2019, 67 defensive uses of pistols against bears was recorded.”
Do the gun grabbers count these as ‘gun violence’?
That is, one use per decade on average.
Only those who believe in the right to arm bears
Good question. Many would, I suspect.
The operative word is “recorded”
Bears got shot but the incident did not make the news.
Hand guns seem to be the absolute best defense against an attacking bear.
Not only to they count them as gun violence’s but as gun violence’s against bears of color.
Far more bears of color are shot then white bears.
Having shot bears with all 3 of the most common defensive weapons.
Rifles, shotguns and handguns when it comes to shooting bears for the best effect. I tend to prefer 30 caliber or bigger rifles with heavy for caliber bullets.
Handguns work so well, because one tends to have them on ones person. When needed.
Chicago is so bad even the football team is att... oh, wait... never mind.
I live in a rural area. There was a mid-sized bear, probably 300 pounds, making a regular run on the local garbage cans. Bears are fast, smart and dangerous. He was living in the vacant fields near me as I sometimes saw him heading back there. Then, along came massive housing developments. Haven’t seen the bear in a while. But the thing is, they find stuff in garbage with sugar on it. Sugar is like cocaine to bears. A federal forestry guy told me, “If you kill one, for God’s sake make sure it doesn’t have a tracker on it or you’ll probably go to jail. And, we can determine where it was killed even if you throw it in the back of your truck because bears never go in a straight line for more than a few yards and none of them can go forty miles per hour.” This is our government prioritizing “wildlife” over citizens.
Perhaps you are not aware of the amount of 'polar bear hunting' that goes on in our major cities.
Dean, I respect your work.
Bear attacks are fairly uncommon- close bear encounters though are more numerous I’ve been too close for comfort several,times. A friend of mine was out hunting one day, and sat down to eat his lunch by a large tree. He kept smelling something , then looked around the tree, and the other side had a hollow in it, with a bear inside. He backed himself away from the tree and hunted the rest of the day in other direction. Lol- I don’t blame him I woulda too
Bears are very fast! I was sitting on our deck one day, and watched a bear walk straight for the deck, oblivious to my presence apparently. He got under the deck, and i clapped my hands and he tore out of there like evil keinevil trying to jump snake river canyon lol. Paving gravel were flying every which direction. It was astonishing how fast the bear was. When they say you will never outrun a bear, they ain’t lying.
Immediately after shooting, cut the tracker off with a knife (don’t touch it) and fling it into the brush as far as you can.
“Immediately after shooting, cut the tracker off with a knife (don’t touch it) and fling it into the brush as far as you can.”
There’s a difference between “laws” and “rules and regulations.” Decades ago a congressman asked the DOJ for a list of regulations, not laws passed by an elected legislature, that required a prison sentence. The DOJ responded that compiling such a list was impossible because those regulations were at all levels of government. In Florida you can go to prison for catching too many of a particular fish, or one fish that’s too small*. So, even though you could go to prison the level of proof and jurisprudence may differ a lot from say, a criminal case. Perhaps it would be better to say you were being charged by the bear, but, then again, if the granularity of the tracker indicates otherwise...like he was standing still, you may end up in prison anyway if that is the penalty stated in the regulation.
* What happens to you is entirely up to the responding officer. I witnessed Fish and Wildlife stopping a boat in the keys. If you take too many lobsters or they are too small, then the officer can seize your boat and diving equipment. The officer had decided to seize the lobsters and write a ticket. But the boater, an obvious New Yorker, gave him so much lip that the officer changed his mind, seized the boat and all the diving equipment. There are a lot of obvious lessons here, but aside from not calling the officer names one is that there’s way too much power delegated to various agencies.
And scary-quiet when running through the local brush.
Remington Model 8 or 81. I have one. It was a premium rifle in its day. One of the first commercially successful semi-autos.
Very true. For such a big animal, they are really quiet when they wanna be
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