by John Davis

Created on: December 10, 2008

Let us assume for a moment that you, the reader, are a civic-minded nature lover who enjoys the outdoors. Let us also hypothesize that, to pursue that enjoyment, you decide to camp in a national park. Here's where things get interesting.

While there, you have been enjoying a variety of picnic items like burgers, hot dogs, and chips. Unfortunately, despite your precautions with your food, the keen sense of smell possessed by the local grizzly bears, wolves, or other carnivores leads them to your campsite.

One morning, while sleeping, your carnivorous beast of choice walks into camp, and begins feasting on your plastic bag of groceries. Surely, this is no excuse to execute an animal there in a national park. But then things get ugly: the beast decides buns, meat, condiments, and chips are not his feast of choice, and, you guessed it, goes after their provider. Such incidents are not unheard of in the United States, particularly in cases where the animal is ill or infected with any number of different diseases.

For those who are thinking, "But I have a small spray canister of bear/coyote/cougar repellent that will keep me safe," allow me to respond with this: Don't kid yourself. Just as chemical agents have proven ineffective against human muggers, they are equally ineffective when combatting wild animals. First, there is the issue of accessing them in a timely manner. Most sprays come in a pouch or snapped canister of some sort, and the time spent getting to your defense could be your last surviving minutes. In the case of a firearm, specifically a handgun, the process is as simple as lift and shoot. The noise alone could be enough to frighten off your predator.

Then, of course, there's the issue of size. Most chemical agent containers are palm-sized or smaller, so that they are not only easily dropped or lost, but they also lack any sort of accuracy. With a firearm and adequate training, "point and shoot" becomes a matter of reflex. Ask yourself this: Would you rather be staring at a slobber-mouthed, long-toothed, sharp-clawed predator from behind a tiny cylinder of pepper spray or would you feel safer behind the trigger of .38 Special, capable of terminating or simply scaring off the animal in question? Those who oppose firearms normally do so out of a lack of familiarity or out of sheer fear of the inanimate item itself. But when push comes to shove and a human life is really on the line, suddenly weapons don't seem quite so negative.

When it comes to the matter of where guns should and shouldn't be, there is one answer. Guns, as a rule, should be allowed anywhere there is a perceivable threat. In today's society, that threat lingers everywhere we turn.

Learn more about this author, John Davis.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.