Column: In search of the elusive green nickel premium
Just about every Western producer will tell you metal produced to higher environmental and social standards should command a premium.
Having a gun in the field doesn’t provide anymore protection during bear encounters than encounters without, according to Tom S. Smith, a Brigham Young University biologist.
Comparing reported bear incidents with groups that were carrying guns and those who were not, Smith found no difference in injury or fatality rates. Rather, the differences were a matter of the group being aware of bears and taking precautions, such as hiking in groups, making noise and avoiding areas of poor visibility where bear may be surprised.
Smith, whose study was announced in early March and is set to be published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, said using a gun as protection in a bear encounter creates a host of problems:
Smith and his co-authors write that using firearms in bear encounters is difficult even for experts due to the need for split-second deployment and deadly accuracy. People should carefully consider their ability to be accurate under duress before carrying a firearm for protection from bears, they write.
“People should consider carrying a non-lethal deterrent such as bear spray,” said Smith, a gun owner himself. “It’s much easier to deploy, it’s less cumbersome and its success rate in these situations is higher than guns.”
In a 2008 study, Smith found that bear spray effectively halted aggressive bear encounters in 92 percent of the cases.
Read the news release here. Hat tip, Ezra Klein.
7 Comments
Madskul
Yeah – ask the USGS geo who had both her arms chewed off by a bear !!!
I’ll stick with Teddy Roosevelt’s advice – “speak softly and carry a big stick (gun !!!).
VeteranAKGeo
VeteranAKGeo
One of my coworkers, a young lady solo in field had a sudden close encounter with a bear. She was well practiced and prepared. One shot went through its heart, a few feet away. A bear spray may not save her life (if wind blew in opposite direction, but a gun did.
Tonygussie
People who know nothing about guns shouldn’t carry guns. People who do know guns and carry guns capable of stopping a bear realize it is a large target. Large targets can be struck very efficiently by people who carry guns.
People who don’t understand guns should shut up about what to do when threatened by a bear coming out of the bush.
2manyhobbies
B S! Grizzly + no gun = you are bear poop!
Oredigr
Hmmmm, “field geologists hiking in groups”, I think Mr. Smith should spend some time with a field geologist. Then he would learn they work by themsleves and that a firearm is infinitely more comforting than a spray can. The herd mentality might be the solution for BYU geologists but the rest of us can get the job done on our own.
AuAgExplr
Oredigr is right, most of my field work is solo. Carry bear spray – it works, but consider a firearm as backup. However, if you are going to carry a weapon, get trained and practice frequently – it is not easy to use it effectively in an emergency. Being aware of your surroundings and bear behavior is the best medicine – sort of like knowing which street you can safely walk down in East St.Louis (maybe none!).
Ripma
I have never heard such horse shit, what planet did you come from?