text: Wow, this whole response is a strawman. I'm not discounting the use of a shotgun or other firearm to protect against a bear attack but I'm saying that if you're not comfortable and proficient using a shotgun it would be extremely dangerous to be carrying and also be ineffective against a bear attack. Bear spray has been overwhelmingly proven to prevent bear attacks, does it work 100percent of the time? No. Neither does a shotgun. This isn't about taking away guns or anything else.  The statistics of the efficacy of bear spray are very convincing and to make fun of people who choose to use it is bullying. This isn't a macho pissing contest.