RE: [Paddlewise] Guns and Polar Bears/ pepper spray and shotguns

In response to Steve Brown's question about pepper spray, I was sprayed 
during some law enforcement training. My experience was the same as 
Steve's: it's distracting and discouraging, but it wouldn't stop me if 
I was seriously intent on my "mission". People's reactions are very 
varied-- The Word was to be wary of spraying people (i.e. particular 
ethnic groups) who are likely to be accustomed to pepper-spiced food (a 
very high tolerance can be built up). But I suppose we can take 
re-assurance from the fact that bears probably don't order jalepenos on 
their pizzas...

I don't have any experience with polar bears, and fervently hope that I 
never do. For a firearm in the situations we have been discussing, 
though, I would chose a 12-gauge with slugs. No one will ever laugh at 
you for bringing one of those to a fight. As for those large-caliber 
hunting rifles, it seems to me that they would be great if you wanted 
to drop a bear at 300 yards (note: I don't have any big-game hunting 
experience, either). If you were facing a charging bear a shotgun would 
be reassuringly simple, and the "stopping" power of a 12-gauge slug is 
legendary. Shotguns are also, arguably, safer to carry, since you don't 
have to have a round chambered to be able to deploy the gun quickly.

Another consideration in all of this is legalities. A shotgun often 
incurs less notice from the authorities than any other type of firearm, 
especially when crossing international borders. I believe there's a 
marine version of the Remington 870.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 05:44:37 -0800
From: "Steve Brown" <steve_at_brown-web.net>
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Guns and Polar Bears

...
I haven't been pepper sprayed, but did go through tear gas training in 
the
USMC. It was seriously distracting, but not immobilizing. Irritation to 
the
eyes made seeing difficult-to-impossible, but everything else worked 
fine.
It's painful, but the pain can be ignored if necessary. Maybe someone 
else
has had pepper spray experience to share???
...

Steve Brown
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