SolarBear asks "How many people die a year on the AT because they were unarmed?"
Answer: According to the article, no more than 384 in 2006.
SolarBear says "The Trail is a safe environment and it is used by [people who] don't need a piece."
Hmmm: 10 reported murders and 10 reported rapes on or around 2176 miles of trail. So for every 108.8 miles a murder or rape has occurred. That sounds like an unsafe environment in which innocents by all means need a piece.
From the comments posted in response to the article it seems that there are a lot more people carrying concealed than one might think. So let's ponder. How many innocent people have been shot by all these "fetishly illogical" armed hikers? Zero cited in the article. How many innocent people have been raped/killed/robbed/assaulted/kidnapped on this "safe, peaceful, serene" trail? The article cites 384 in a single year.
Consider the data not the hype. The danger lies in being unarmed, not the reverse. Safety, peace and serenity apparently do not naturally follow being unarmed, alone, in a wilderness area, days from help.
Interesting how those who would not dream of going on the trail for days at a time without a first aid kit and moleskin to use after something goes wrong, use disparaging terms to describe those who would carry preventive measures for even worse tragedy.
Chattanooga: Hikers packing concealed heat
Yikes. Just realized how old this thread is!
Chattanooga: Hikers packing concealed heat
SolarBear asks "How many people die a year on the AT because they were unarmed?" Answer: According to the article, no more than 384 in 2006.
SolarBear says "The Trail is a safe environment and it is used by [people who] don't need a piece." Hmmm: 10 reported murders and 10 reported rapes on or around 2176 miles of trail. So for every 108.8 miles a murder or rape has occurred. That sounds like an unsafe environment in which innocents by all means need a piece.
From the comments posted in response to the article it seems that there are a lot more people carrying concealed than one might think. So let's ponder. How many innocent people have been shot by all these "fetishly illogical" armed hikers? Zero cited in the article. How many innocent people have been raped/killed/robbed/assaulted/kidnapped on this "safe, peaceful, serene" trail? The article cites 384 in a single year.
Consider the data not the hype. The danger lies in being unarmed, not the reverse. Safety, peace and serenity apparently do not naturally follow being unarmed, alone, in a wilderness area, days from help.
Interesting how those who would not dream of going on the trail for days at a time without a first aid kit and moleskin to use after something goes wrong, use disparaging terms to describe those who would carry preventive measures for even worse tragedy.