I wouldn’t go hiking through a lot of forest service land in California without a gun, and I would have a preplanned egress strategy with members of my group if we stumbled on a grow. It is only a matter of time before some boy scout troop gets attacked by Mexicans in the National Forest.
I know someone who goes into random spots in the (non-CA)NFs occasionally for work. They go as a team of two and one has a dog that walks point. My recommendation is that both humans carry, but it’s a work in progress.