Why carry a firearm in wilderness if it can't be discharged?

[rlown]

I carry my brass out. It is a revolver. It wasn't Hyatt. Not a legal method of take but if you shoot next to a trout, the concussion makes them float and you pick them out of the water.

[CAMERONM]

Hell, why bother with a gun when you can stun the whole pond with an M-80?

[rlown]

Sport?

[Jimr]

I didn't like the extra weight and especially the extra caution I needed to take with it in my pack. It detracted from my wilderness experience.

Same here. I brought a revolver with me once when my wife and I took our 5 and 7 year old on their first backpacking trip. She insisted I take it. I figured it was easier to lug a hunk of steel around than it was to argue. The extra weight didn't bother me, but babysitting it was a pain, especially while fishing.

[balzaccom]

I once fished with a .357 for trout in the emigrant wilderness. Got a limit. Trust me, most gun owners aren't irrationally scared. We just have the right tools for when others go irrational.

Which is, of course, illegal. Why should we trust you about gun ownership exactly?

[rlown]

I really don't care what you think. I know how to take care of myself. Do you?

[Troutdog 59]

I once fished with a .357 for trout in the emigrant wilderness. Got a limit. Trust me, most gun owners aren't irrationally scared. We just have the right tools for when others go irrational.

Which is, of course, illegal. Why should we trust you about gun ownership exactly?

[c9h13no3]

This is timely.

[Jimr]

The OP asked a simple question; What would be the benefit of carrying a firearm in the wilderness where it is allowed when it is illegal to discharge it?

Please be civil and stay on topic.

Personally, the only benefit I can imagine would be in the lower forest areas on lesser traveled paths. There are quite a few illegal growers that do not take kindly to being seen.

In higher country where we normally see the bulk of backpackers, I see no benefit. So why do they carry? I suppose some carry to feel safe in case of an unlikely threat, either two legged of four legged. Some, I suspect carry just because it's one of the few places where they can in this state. Or, like me, it's easier than trying to convince the wife that what she fears is a very remote possibility.

As long as it's done safely, I have no issue and don't care about the why's.

As far as discharging a firearm vs self-defense, it's just like in your own home. Firing off a round in your home is a criminal offense even if it was a negligent discharge. Firing off a few rounds into a person who means you imminent harm is not a crime if your affirmative defense holds up.

Give or take a quart.

[John Harper]

My friends came across a woman with a 9mm in her pack who was a pass-through hiker to the South from TM. That weapon wasn't meant for bears. It was meant for unfriendly hikers, most likely men.

A pistol stuffed into your pack is unlikely to do any good for those situations. She should have just carried a can of bear spray. I've owned firearms for over 55 years now, and have never seen a reason to "pack heat" anywhere at anytime. A lot of these gun owners do seem irrationally paranoid.

John