[neverdem]

Staff Photo by Meghan Brown -- Chattanooga resident Monica Dobbs, standing near her home, hikes 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail each year and carries a handgun for protection while hiking.

[cyclotic]

Good for her. I’m just getting into backpacking in the last year or so. On our last trip, two of the three adults were armed. The third left his in the car because he didn’t have the space in his pack. My new backpack has a nifty little pocket near the water bottle holder that perfectly fits my 9mm.

The USNPS is exactly correct in allowing concealed carry in our parks

[ahayes]

Finger off the trigger, I see. Nice to see someone who knows how to hold a gun.

[krb]

Not Guilty.

[kbennkc]

If she hears the word Lewinsky one more time.....

[mbynack]

Oh no!!! Blood on the trails. Every campfire will be the scene of a bloody shootout. Campers will murder every wild animal they encounter. All the shooting will increase global warming. Children and minorities will be hurt the worst.

We were driving on a paved highway bordering Blackwater State Forest when I left the paved road to answer the call of nature. I got stuck in the clay and had to wait several hours for a tow. During the time I was stuck, two drunks who had dumped a stolen car in the state forest came by and decided to carjack me with a big stick. I placed my 357 magnum on dash of the car and they left without any more problems.

I've also encountered Black Bears in the Smoky Mountain Park. Shortly after our visit a woman was killed by a bear.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

I used to live in suburban Atlanta and would hike the AT in north Georgia frequently. I never saw a woman that attractive on or near the trail.

[andy58-in-nh]

There’s a nice looking-lady who knows how to hold a Walther PPK/S. I’d like to show her mine.

[hemogoblin]

That’s a PPK/S. I guess you could call it a 9mm (as reporter did). .380 is as large as they get, I think.

[VOA]

Meredith Emerson, was found bludgeoned to death on a North Georgia
section of the Appalachian Trail,
and the killer has been linked to other park slayings.

Predators always look for the easy meat.

[AppyPappy]

There was another sexual assault on the Trail a month ago.

[opus86]

Good for them. Having hiked some of those trails myself I always wondered if the women traveling alone had the means to protect themselves. I typically took a pistol with me if I was hiking alone.

[VOA]

Hikers such as Ms. Dobbs said they are glad park officials are
discussing the issue,
but other groups say a rule change could alter the hiking and
backpacking culture that exists at areas such as the Appalachian Trail.

I suspect it would alter the "hiking and backpacking culture".
Making it even more polite and civilized than it already is!

[Siberian-psycho]

Anyone know Ms Dobb’s adress or phone number?

[petro45acp]

Article says 9mm, and the photo looks like a PPK (usually .32ACP or .380). Not my choice, but if she can place shots, more power to her.

It would be simplest to make the Second Amendment the law of the land....oh wait, it is!

Arm the womenfolk!

[VOA]

But carrying a loaded gun on a trail is not practical, he said.

Handguns weighing five to 10 pounds are comparatively heavy,...

This guy must be a Yankee transplant with that sort of knowledge of guns.

Or he thinks a Colt Walker or some other horse-gun are de riguer
for backpacking!

[Free Descendant]

I had a friend who was hiking the Appalachian Trail a few years back. I said I wouldn’t do it without my gun and he laughed and said I was paranoid. I would actually be more worried about wild animals than people, but in either case it’s good to be prepared.

[doodad]

In January a 24-year-old woman, Meredith Emerson, was found bludgeoned to death on a North Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail, and the killer has been linked to other park slayings.

Several things wrong with this statement. Ms. Emerson was not found dead on the trail nor even on the side trail to the AT that she was hiking. Her killer has been linked to other slayings, but none (including hers) were in parks. The AT is not a park. It is in Nat'l Forests for the most part which have hunting seasons. Certainly here in Ga. I have hiked all of it in Ga and have seen hunters many times.

[Mr. Jeeves]

“It’s an invitation for a disaster,” said Ms. Dobbs, a 28-year-old hairdresser, who plans to take a 9 mm handgun with her on her next trek.

“I think you should be allowed to legally carry a weapon for defense purposes. If someone comes after me, what am I going to do?” she said.

Well, you could start by recognizing that no matter what the feminists taught you, the rules are different for attractive young women and hiking alone is an invitation for a disaster whether you carry a gun or not. America is not that civilized. Take a group of friends or stay home.

[dljordan]

I started hiking in the Cherokee National Forest and on the trail back in the early 70’s. I always carried a firearm with me even where I wasn’t supposed to. It can be dangerous up there.

[MaxMax]

There are federal laws in CA that allow you to carry a weapon
"going to and from" fishing. As long as you have a fishing license.
It's the work around when I pan for gold, I just carry a pocket fisherman
and a license.