Okay to Protect Myself From Bear, From Humans Not So Much

Fall is in the air and I find myself spending more and more time in the woods and on the trails. I've been cutting firewood, scouting deer hunting spots and doing a little bird hunting. All of this with a sidearm on my hip. Not so much for protection against two legged adversaries, but for the four legged kind. Mainly black bear and gray wolves.

A run in with a black bear was the tipping point for me to get a concealed carry license in the first place. While Wisconsin is an open carry state, I liked the idea of concealing my handgun when I walk the dog, simply to avoid a glare & snide remark from some of my hippie neighbors. Helps us coexist to keep them in the dark.

But most around here are very warm to the idea of having a "woods gun" with you. Even those who frown upon someone carrying when not in the woods; which I find very odd. It's okay to protect yourself from wild animals, but not from another human who is deliberately putting your life in danger?

The animal is most likely following it's instincts to protect itself from you, do to you either surprising it, or getting too close to it's young. The human is trying to, or is threatening to harm you for more selfish and sinister reasons. Despite this some people I personally know are fine with me carrying a handgun in the woods in case I have a run in with a black bear, yet don't approve of me wanting to carry elsewhere to protect myself from a criminal.

How come there isn't the response of "you don't need to carry a gun when you go hiking, if you run into a bear call a game warden" from these people in my life?

I think it comes down to that people can justify one protecting themselves from wild animals easier because, well, we're dealing with wild animals. We hold ourselves collectively higher and don't want to believe that many out there do not hold value of life as highly as the rest of us. That some out there are truly as or more dangerous than a wild animal, and that's hard to accept.

It's hard to accept the fact that no matter how nice we have things and how well we overall treat our fellow man; the world is a dangerous place. A dangerous place with dangerous humans. It has always been that way and it will always be that way in the future, no matter how hard we deny it.

Does that mean I think everyone should carry a gun? Hell no! For starters there are plenty of people who should be near a gun, let alone own and or carry one. But the general public shouldn't look down upon those who responsibly do.

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