Armed Defense in American National Parks

It was only recently that Americans have regained their right to carry firearms in their national parks and wildlife refuges. The new bill was signed into law by President Obama on May 22 of last year, marking one of the few things that he's done right in his presidency thus far.

If this law hadn't been passed, we'd likely be reading about a dead Alaskan hiker. Instead, we get to read about an outdoorsman who defended himself and his female hiking companion against a charging grizzly bear, one of the most dangerous animals in North America.

(AP) – May 31, 2010

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A backpacker shot and killed a grizzly bear with his handgun in Alaska's Denali National Park, officials said.

A man and woman reported that they were hiking Friday evening when the bear emerged from trailside brush and charged the woman, park spokeswoman Kris Fister said in a statement.

The man fired nine rounds from his .45 caliber, semiautomatic pistol at the animal, which then stopped and walked into the brush.

The two reported the shooting to rangers, who restricted access to the Igloo Canyon area for fear that the bear was wounded and dangerous.

On Saturday, rangers found the dead bear about 100 feet from the shooting site.

Park officials are determining the justification for the shooting. It's legal to carry firearms in that area of the park, but illegal to discharge them.

Rangers said it was the first known instance of a grizzly bear being shot by a visitor in the wilderness portion of Denali, formerly called Mount McKinley National Park.

Source: The Associated Press

9 rounds of .45ACP didn't even put the bear down right away. Fortunately for the hikers, the bear retreated before initiating a potentially lethal attack. I recommend carrying the biggest caliber available in your woods handgun for a reason.