Guns

I promised a post on firearms in the US in my bear post and here it is.

Again, I'd like to apologise in advance to my American friends, but peeps - we here in the land down under are just kinda freaked out by guns. 

It's not that we have no exposure. I grew up in the country and my dad had a few guns -including a semi-automatic. I even shot a tin can once or twice. But the danger of them was always instilled and when the gun amnesty was introduced in 1996, where the government actually paid cash for all and any gun handed in, even Dad parted with his small collection.

The policy was sparked by the Port Arthur massacre that occurred earlier the same year - where 35 people were killed. And how many massacres have there been since? That's right - none. So you'd have to concede, it's been one of the most effective policies the Australian Government has ever introduced.

I find it heartbreaking to hear of all the shootings in the States. So many of them seemingly caused by easy access. The two year old who pulled a gun from his mother's handbag in Walmart and shot her. The five year old boy in Kentucky who was given a gun for his birthday - and promptly shot his two year old sister dead. 

I was also really touched by the Australian baseball player, shot in the back while jogging in Oklahoma because his teen murderer 'was bored'. I felt for everyone in this case - the victim, his family and friends, the circumstances that let the 17 year old shooter to do such a terrible thing and his family. An all-round modern-day tragedy.

So weren't we surprised when we went into the general store in downtown Wragell, Alaska (pop 2,400) to see a wall of guns displayed behind the counter. The girls and I could help ourselves. We asked the middle-aged, bird of woman behind the counter some pointy questions. You just need to imagine the answers in a drawling American accent and overly girly voice, not befitting a women in her 50s.

Not the store, but very similar!

How much are they?
Oh... you know... they range. From about $280 all the way up to about $600.
(Not nearly enough for our liking!)

Do you need a licence?
Oh yeah, you do. 
(Obviously not too tricky to get one.)

What do people do with them?
They like to hunt. Bear, deer, moose, you know...lots of things.
(No, we don't actually. And no wonder we haven't seen a moose!)

Do you hunt?
She looks wistful....
I do. I like to hunt. I like to hunt elk....

You get the gist.

Back on the boat, we share this story with another couple (could be biased, he's an Australian ex-pat). His wife confesses that when their daughter is invited for play dates, she's compelled to call and ask if there are guns in the house and if so, are they locked up. Now there's a call you don't get here!

Maybe I'm just naive. Of course there are people in Australia who own guns - it's just we now assume they're criminals or law enforcers. Okay - I'm sure there are some gun owners who  belong to shooting clubs and are farmers. But our culture, on the whole, is so gun free, that even the sight of a gun is freaky. I was at Parliament House, Canberra a couple of weeks ago and we non-regulars were gawking at the security guys, 'oooh... look at the guns!' like kids seeing an exotic tiger at the zoo. Perhaps that's not a bad thing.


PS Apologies for the highlighting thing - can't get it to turn off!!!

There's a bear in there.

We were repeatedly remind of 'bear safety' on our recent trip to Alaska and Canada. Should you come face to face with a bear in the wild, here are the top tips:

• Do NOT make eye contact
• Let the bear know you're human (although exactly how you do this was never explained)
• Do NOT run
• Talk to the bear quietly and calmly as you back away slowly

Other bear safety includes being noisy when you hike (no trouble there with Sass not ever having had a volume button and the ability to talk under water) and stay together as a larger group so the bear thinks you're a big animal. (This sounds a bit far fetched to me - bears can't be that silly.)

We did see quite a few bears and I will regale you with a couple of tales.

Bear Spray.

Sort of like fly spray, this capsicum-like substance can be used to deter an attacking bear. The guides on our Alaskan cruise all carried bear spray when we regularly ventured off the boat and into the wilderness. They also kept it in a zip lock bag deep in their bag packs.... hmmmm.

Many guests had attempted to bring their own bear spray only to have it confiscated at airports - who'd have thought??

One guest (an Australian ex-pat) told us when he bought his, the cost of the spray was about $30, or you could get the can of spray PLUS a holster for $70. He elected to just take the spray until the cunning salesman said, 'Sir, if you were in a situation requiring you to use bear spray, how fast do you think you could get it out of your bag?' He left the shop $70 poorer.

The kids and the bear.

We took an excursion off the boat in the hope of seeing Black bears. It was early in the season so no guarantee. We arrived by boat to be escorted to the viewing platform by our guide. He clearly didn't bother too much about bear spray - he and his side kick just had big rifles slung over their shoulders. (Seriously, the casualness of people in America and firearms was shocking to us - but that deserves it's own post.)

Given the usual brief and strict instructions to stay together as a group, we hiked up to the viewing platform, all chatty and relaxed with a gun-totting guide, Denny, at the front and one at the back. Denny, told us how he and a group had recently startled a bear on the path and, following the calm talking and slow backing away procedure, he glanced behind him to discover the group had all racked off around the corner leaving him out there to face it on his ownsome! Yes, it sounds bad, but can you blame them?

Anyway, back at the viewing platform there are bears a plenty! I'd never seen salmon swimming up stream and they were equally as fascinating. We also discovered that when there's a dead fish up for grabs, those elegant, majestic and proud Bald Eagles are actually nothing more than a good-looking bunch of vultures.

It's almost time to leave when naturally, the kids want to use the loo. An outhouse arrangement with a small hole in the door where the occupant want wiggle their fingers when their done so someone from the platform can give them the all clear to come out. Denny decides he'll escort them, which was just just as well given a Black bear did stroll between we fretful parents and the posse of cowering kids, packed in tightly behind Denny and his gun. Although why that worried us I don't know, as within minutes we were all off the platform and heading back down the path. It was certainly a more anxious walk back!