I think the Forest Service may have been at fault here. In the exact spot the bear had been after other campers. They should have warned campers in the area. And, even if this guy had had a gun, it happened so quickly he wouldn’t have been able to react in time to save his step-son. He thought from the cut in the tent that a human had done it with a knife. I feel awful for this family. Everytime I think about this, I just want to cry.
http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-bear19jun19
Excerpt...
Forest Service officials said it was the same 300-pound black bear that harassed another group of campers in the same spot earlier Sunday.
Kurt Francom said his son, Jake, was kicked in the head through a tent wall by a bear that clamped his jaws on a pillow and carried it off.
“It could have been my boy,” said Francom, a school custodian.
“I think the Forest Service may have been at fault here.”
I really don’t think there’s a pressing need to assess “fault” though people always want to do so. This was the wilderness, there are bears and people there, and that’s that.
It’s very possible USFS didn’t have time to respond in the normal manner. Both incidents happened on the same day, so it may be that the first group packed out and reported it hours later, but unfortunately before the USFS had time to take much action while the second group had already settled in.
I’ve found National Parks staff to be diligent but bureaucratic, while USFS rangers are pretty much on top of things. I don’t think we’re talking about slackers.