Study: Guns Don’t Make a Statistical Difference in Bear Attacks
By Rocky Thompson on March 7th, 2012
Gunning down a charging bear might be a great way to stop it. If you happen to hit it in the right spot. A study conducted by BYU found that in 269 close-quarter bear-human conflicts in Alaska from 1883 to 2009, having a firearm made no statistical difference in the outcome.
“Guns are great, but for a gun to be great you have to be very, very good. No one ever practices on a 500-pound animal charging at you through the brush at 10 meters. They practice on paper targets,” he added. “That’s a big, big difference from being in the moment of stress.”
He goes on to say that it’s more about how you conduct yourself than if you carry a gun. The study makes no mention of how much fun it is to shoot at empty beer cans with the gun you’re toting through the backcountry, so that will be your gun-toting friend’s only legitimate argument next time you’re planning a trip.
Not if your proficent.
I’d like to see the results from a study on gun ownership and grammar proficiency.
Booyah!
After you finish target practice, try learning english.
It makes a difference, if the bear is the one who has the gun.
This doesn’t say if it’s with handguns, or rifles, or a shotgun with a slug. Massive difference. A large handgun won’t even phase a bear unless you hit it right in the eye and strike the brain. But a 12gauge shotgun slug will stop a bear almost dead in its tracks.
Maybe you can shoot it with a fazer..