Bearing Arms Against Bears

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Our last Black Bear Blog poll asked readers if they should be able to bring a gun into parks where they are banned in order to protect them against bears.

Do you think people should be able to arm themselves in parks to protect themselves from bears?

At the time I put the poll up, the U.S. seemed to be having a run on bear attacks on humans in many places, including campgrounds, state and national parks. These attacks also resulted in some deaths. Being that many parks, including our state and national parks prohibit anyone, including concealed weapons permit holders from bringing any guns in, I thought it would be a good idea to hear from readers on the subject. 684 of you weighed in.

The results of the poll are:

* Absolutely: 81% (557)
* No way: 14% (99)
* I am not sure: 4% (28)

Total Votes : 684

Our Second Amendment guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms. It doesn’t say we can’t arm against bears nor does it say we shouldn’t be allowed to protect ourselves and our families only in areas designated by the state and federal governments.

Perhaps another poll for another day would ask if we should be able to bear arms in our state and national parks for self protection….period?

Thank you to all who participated in the poll. We will have a new one going up shortly.

Tom Remington

http://www.simplyoutdoors.net Arthur

I think the results of the poll are right on. We should definitely be able to carry some sort of protection into state parks and other places. I don’t think it should stop there either. We should also be able to carry in church’s, stadiums etc. Any place where protection might be needed. I don’t think the government should be able to pick and choose these locations. For one, we not only run the risk of not being able to protect ourselves from predators, but also provide very visible and accessible areas where criminals can cause harm knowing that people are not able to be armed in these areas.
Maven

I sure would like to be able to carry!
Found this in my in-box this am…
——————————–
Rabid bear killed trying to enter Garrett Co. home
The Associated Press

4:39 PM EDT, September 5, 2007

HAGERSTOWN

A rabid black bear trying to rip out a window air conditioner lost its tug-of-war with a terrified housewife when her husband blasted the beast with a shotgun, the woman and a state wildlife official said today.

The bear rushed the house after Charlotte Stanton yelled out her screen door to try to scare it away from a goat pen. Stanton, 39, of rural Grantsville in Garrett County, said she was losing her tussle with the 134-pound sow when Michael Stanton pulled the trigger.

“I finally yelled at my husband, because I couldn’t hold on to that air conditioner much longer,” she said. “It seemed like forever, but I’m sure it was just seconds.”

The load of buckshot didn’t kill the bear, which lay bleeding and moaning in the yard of the western Maryland home for about 30 minutes Aug. 29 before a state Natural Resources Police officer arrived to dispatch it.

All four family members — including daughter Caitlin, 10, and son James Winebrenner, 15 — will receive a series of rabies shots because of their exposure to the animal’s blood and saliva, Mrs. Stanton said.

“We cleaned up the blood and stuff from the house,” she said today in a telephone interview. “All of us had pretty much blood on us.”

Michael Stanton, 49, won’t be charged with a wildlife violation because the state allows killing bears out of season to defend people and livestock, The Cumberland Times-News reported.

The bear was the first known case of a rabid black bear in Maryland, said Harry Spiker, who heads the state’s bear management program.
Rabid bears have been confirmed in Pennsylvania and Canada, he said.

Spiker said the agency tested the bear for rabies because she was so aggressive.

“That behavior was just completely out of the ordinary,” Spiker said.

Stanton said bears often come into her yard and most are easily chased away. But now, “when I see a bear in the yard, I’m not going to think twice about running for the house or even getting a gun out,” she said.

Copyright Â© 2007, The Associated Press

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