A recent bear attack, in which one person was killed and two others were seriously injured highlights the value of gun ownership for self defense against animal attacks:
Wildlife officials in Montana have captured the female grizzly bear who officials believe rampaged through a campground near Yellowstone National Park before dawn on Wednesday morning. Two of the bear’s cubs were also captured. The mama grizzly, who weighs between 300 and 400 pounds, killed one person and injured two others at the Soda Butte campground around 4 a.m.before campers sought shelter in their vehicles.
To be clear, it is rare that a bear will attack a human. However, that fact is cold comfort to those people who are attacked, and the loved ones they leave behind after a fatal attack. To those people, all that matters is the harm that occurred, not the fact that the harm was statistically unlikely.
Having a gun for self defense when camping is akin to wearing a seatbelt when driving: both are prudent choices that help reduce the risk of harm, should an unlikely and unfortunate situation (be it a bear attack or car wreck) occur. The important thing to remember is that it is far better to have a gun and never need to use it, than to need a gun but not have it on hand.