I think the idea that a handgun cannot penetrate a Grizzly's skull is a myth anyways. Plenty of accounts of people shooting attacking grizzlies dead with a large calibre handgun. Bear-spray can work but what if it doesn't or what if there's wind working against you?
> Handgun can work, but what if it doesn't?
The point is not that it should be forbidden to bring guns when you hike in grizzly territory, but that by experience, many people who do are also the least knowledgeable about bears (and I say it that way to stay polite). Who cares if I let meat leftovers next to the campsite, I have a gun! Who cares if I go down a trail rangers explicitly told me not to because of the bear presence, I have a gun!
And in serious bear country, serious people carry serious long guns, a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs, or a centerfire rifle with a significant payload. And it's easier to shoot those well under stress.
> "Red pepper spray stopped bears’ undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90% for black bears, and 100% for polar bears. > Of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters.
Which then raises the question: which deterrent is the most successful, gun or pepper spray?
> And in serious bear country, serious people carry serious long guns, a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs, or a centerfire rifle with a significant payload. And it's easier to shoot those well under stress.
Source? Sure, I guess it's "safer", but also way less practical in many situations. 99% of the time, just making noise and let the bear do its stuff without bothering him suffice to avoid any issue.
>The investigators’ reconstruction of the attack made it clear: even if, somehow, Valérie had had a loaded gun in her hand when the bear made his move, she wouldn’t have had a chance
Really bad luck and a tragedy either way.