Rainier rangers: A sharp eye on the slopes

You're right, Stugie, on all counts... I carry both. I don't have 100% confidence in the handgun, never having "shot to kill" at a bear with a pistol. It's a last resort, and generally there to give me a sense of (false?) security.

I used to be of a mind that if I don't have a weapon, it will alter my behavior, cause me to be cautious or whatever. I still believe that, to some extent, but now that I own it, I can't justify leaving it at home if I feel it could possibly be of some use. Especially out in bear country with my son, I will take every precaution that is feasible.

I don't expect people that don't live around grizzlies to necessarily share my view of the situation. My perspective shifted quite a bit when I moved to the mountain West from suburban Boston.

I used to be of a mind that if I don't have a weapon, it will alter my behavior, cause me to be cautious or whatever.  I still believe that, to some extent, but now that I own it, I can't justify leaving it at home if I feel it could possibly be of some use.  Especially out in bear country with my son, I will take every precaution that is feasible.

Totally. Supposedly, during berry picking season, hikers planning on collecting huckleberries from Huckleberry Mtn. (GNP) must meet two safety requirments.  One, every member must be carrying bear spray, and two, at least one member must have a shotgun.  Don't know if that's true verbatim, but I wouldn't be surprised and I'm sure it's something along those lines.

Although I don't carry a gun, I actually feel safer (maybe falsely) with having someone that knows how to use one bring it with.  I'm in agreement with you, deterrence and then protecion.  Mark of the Grizzly (Scott McMillion) helped me to solidify any part of me that may of been on the fence about the issue.  Reading that book, in my tent in the Bob Marshall Wilderness gave me the kind of goosebumps I never again want to experience.

Gotta say though, same hike, about 10 miles in we met a guy dressed in some dirty Carhartts and a flanel with a big shaggy beard. Total lumberjack looking fellow.
Drunk as drunk can be, carrying out two things: a shotgun and an empty 18 pack, cans and all. He was packing it out and he was friendly - definitely quite a ways in for a day hike though!

The liberal Seattle perspective just doesn't work for everyone and there's a lot of good people from Texas.

Montana too.

Not surprisingly, guns in Parks has been a very hot topic on NPT as well.  Here are links to some of the more interesting articles and comments:

Violent deaths In Nat'l Parks:
www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/03/vi...eaths-national-parks

Survey of federal law enforcement attitudes to gun rule change:
www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/10/su...shootings-management

Effectiveness of guns vs spray:
www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/03/st...ns-against-grizzlies

Amazingly, bear spray is illegal unless specifically authorized by lower 48 Park Superintendents:
www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/04/na...ity-allow-bear-spray

Totally. Supposedly, during berry picking season, hikers planning on collecting huckleberries from Huckleberry Mtn. (GNP) must meet two safety requirments.  One, every member must be carrying bear spray, and two, at least one member must have a shotgun.  Don't know if that's true verbatim, but I wouldn't be surprised and I'm sure it's something along those lines.

Although I don't carry a gun, I actually feel safer (maybe falsely) with having someone that knows how to use one bring it with.  I'm in agreement with you, deterrence and then protecion.  Mark of the Grizzly (Scott McMillion) helped me to solidify any part of me that may of been on the fence about the issue.  Reading that book, in my tent in the Bob Marshall Wilderness gave me the kind of goosebumps I never again want to experience.

Gotta say though, same hike, about 10 miles in we met a guy dressed in some dirty Carhartts and a flanel with a big shaggy beard.  Total lumberjack looking fellow.
Drunk as drunk can be, carrying out two things: a shotgun and an empty 18 pack, cans and all.  He was packing it out and he was friendly - definitely quite a ways in for a day hike though!

Montana too. 

Sorry Stugie, you know I love ya but got respond to you and ScottK's "Seattle Liberal comment".
There's a growing tendency to streotype people when it comes to discussions such as this. Seattelittes are liberal, birkenstock wearing, hemp clothed liberals and Montanians and Texans, gun toting, cowboy booted, denim wearing republicans. Well I'm not a liberal ( independent is how I classify myself) and I ain't from Seattle and I am sure there are many Seattle people who disagree with me on my gun views and even some Texans and Montanians who agree with me.


How we got from Cimbing Rangers to gun control/ bear attack/ regional stereotyping just shows how daft we all are! Interesting discussion though. Gotta love the interwebz!

these rangers ARE federal law enforcement agents, carrying a weapon IS part of their job.

why are you guys so obsessed by their GUNS?

It must be some sort of envy thing, they probably just see it as training weight...

why are you guys so obsessed by their GUNS?   It must be some sort of envy thing, they probably just see it as training weight...

  You may be right on.    I think my gun may be bigger than that new ranger's gun
God help us all :

Indie voter, clinical social worker by profession, not Idaho native, but my son is...lived here long enough to blend in. Iconoclastic by temperment and personality.