Posted on 06/29/2023 5:10:43 AM PDT by marktwain
U.S.A. — Seven times as many people have been killed by bears when bear spray has been sprayed in defense than have been killed by bears when a handgun has been fired in defense.
Any comparison of the efficacy of bear spray and firearms is difficult. There are many variables. The data is subject to selection bias. The analysis of the data is subject to confirmation bias. Similar problems exist with the defensive uses of firearms.
We nearly always know when bear spray was sprayed in a fatal bear attack. We nearly always know when a handgun was fired during a fatal bear attack. This correspondent and colleagues have collected all the incidents where handguns have been fired in defense against bears, which we can document since 1890. We have published records of the 170 documented cases. We had not collected documented records of when bear spray was sprayed in defense against bears.
We cannot objectively compare the efficacy of bear spray to handguns in general because there are many, probably a large majority, of attacks/conflicts that are not documented and will never be documented for both bear spray and handguns.
Failures in defense against bears are news. Most of them are recorded. It is reasonable to assume the vast majority of fatal failures of either handguns or bear spray are recorded.
Since 1890, we have documented one incident where a handgun was fired in defense against a bear, and a person was killed. The incident was in the Svalbard Archipelago in 1995.
The numbers are very small.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
One fatal bear attack where a handgun was used.
Bears don’t attack people, its all lies. Its those vorpal bunnies framing us!
Bear spray is for the thugs that vandalize artwork in museums and chain themselves together to block roads to protest oil.
An important factor missing in evaluating bear spray effectiveness is whether or not the spray can was expired. People may not know it’s only good for about a year and at a cost of over $30 they may try to use it anyway.
I just had a young black bear the size of a large dog come onto my back porch and front porch right up to the sliding glass doors. He didn’t try to get in but if he did I wasn’t holding a can of spray.
I keep bear spray handy for rogue leftists.
I carry a .45 for bears. Copper jacketed tungsten core rounds.
I thought Grizzly bear poop was more likely to contain bits of people.
Peach
Nature-nuts would be prefer that you are killed and eaten by a bear than the other way around. According to the Bible, we are called to be stewards of the earth in which we live, “not” to be eaten by a bear! Bear spray don’t cut it. If you go out into the woods, carry a “substantial” firearm lest some passer-by find you in some bear scat, in the woods!
Don’t take deodorant to a bear fight. Like tobasco sauce for them. 🐻🍛
Soylent Green is People.
.
I like mine Overeasy.
Spray ticks them off. Bullets keep them at bay.
“Age of bear spray canisters did not have an extreme effect. There was a slow, gradual, loss of propellant over years. It appeared most bear spray would be effective for at least a decade.”
Thanks for that review. Age does NOT appear to be the factor I suspected it was. Maybe the expiration date has more to do with selling more bear spray than insuring effectiveness? Nah, that would never happen.
Bear Spray = 308
I survived determined charge by a young male black bear. I hit him 4 times at close range with a .308 loaded with 150gr jacketed soft points. The first shot homogenized his brain and he kept coming. I presently live in NW Montana with black and grizzly bears. I will never trust my life to Bear spray.
That's what a vorpal sword is for!
There is no substitute for 44 magnum or a 10 mm.
Don’t dare go into brown bear territory without carrying pepper spray and wearing bells.
How do you know when you’re in brown bear country?
The bear scat smells of peppers and has bells in it.
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