Excellent info.  I have pondered purchasing a hand gun specifically for the
westy.  I am most concerned about possible toruble out in the outback...away
from civilization and rangers and police.  (Remember the applachian trail
killer.)  And i have run into some scary people far off the beaten path here
in Calif.  The FBI says that the sierra foot hills and mountain region has a
high density of ex felons and criminals and is no  safer than san francisco.
Probably an overstatement, but his point is valid based on parol and probation
records, etc.  Still, i have kids, and far more kids fall victim to accidental
shootings than to homicide while camping.  I'll leave the gun at home.

Ian Cameron wrote:

> Re the discussion over whether or not to take a gun on a trip.  Several
> years ago the Canadian government started talking about stricter gun
> controls,  thus occasioning considerable controversy.  For purposes of one
> of the sociology courses I teach, I started tracking all gun-related
> stories in the 16 searchable newspapers in our library.  Here you go:
>                                         US              Canada
>
> Number of wounds or deaths:             4561            228
> Domestic related:                       1240            86
> Hunting accidents:                      1116            78
> Unloaded guns:                  875             21
> Murders, robbery, etc.          788             14
> Mass shootings                  386             14
> Police                                  82              10
> Protection of property (business)       41              1
> Protection of property (home)   12              0
> Protection of self                      0               0
> Misc                                    21              4
>
> Conclusions: If you carry a gun it's not likely to save your life, but
> there's a chance someone near and dear will shoot you with it.