The grizzly took Jerry Ruth by surprise, bursting from thick brush and biting his jaw almost completely off.On the ground and barely able to see, Ruth grabbed his .41 Magnum-caliber revolver and started shooting. The third bullet pierced the bear's heart and spinal cord, killing it from 25 feet. [More]
Dang. Don't you know the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees would rather see you dead?
We're told Ruth's actions "provided fodder for a long-standing debate."
No debate about it. We have the right to the best means of defense. And we as individuals get to decide what that is. Looks like Ruth decided right.
And then there's this argument:
"Experience shows that putting firearms and grizzly bears in the same place ends up with dead grizzly bears," said Steve Cain, senior biologist for Grand Teton National Park.Experience also shows that allowing government functionaries to disarm citizens ends up with dead humans, Steve-O.
Lots and lots of them.
Still, I can't help but wonder if anyone did an environmental impact study...or found any bells nearby.
[Via Ed M]
Even the Tampa Bay paper is anti-gun and would rather see a dead human than a dead bear.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I'm staying on top of the food chain. Carrying pepper spray may work, or it may not. the bear may think that he just picked up a Mexican-American lunch.
Carry pepper spray if you want to. But carry a bear-killing gun for backup.
Amazing how many armchair bear fighters try to assert that Mr. Ruth did the wrong thing by effectively defending himself with his gun.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many of them would have chosen bear spray instead of the gun had they just been mauled.
"Smith said tourists at Katmai often would tell him they'd been charged - but that after reviewing video footage they provided as evidence, he never saw a grizzly charging, just bears walking about and minding their own business.
ReplyDelete"The point is, people can't read these animals at all," Smith said.
Oh I think Mr. Ruth read this bear damn well since the bear was doing a braille number to his face.
Oh, i think Miguel's absolutely right. If it's ripping me to shreds, I can read it well enough. It wants to kill me. And I damn sure am gonna tell it, "Oh, HELL no!"
ReplyDelete