Many of these people will never be able to use a firearm to save their own lives because they won't believe they are in trouble until its too late. They are simply not trainable in lethal violence. They hear the words but nothing registers even though they might have the manual dexterity to conduct the drills. Mind set is a huge part of this, arguably the most important part. It is certainly more important than the endless discussions of this cartridge over that or of rifle vs shotgun. One often hears from the fellow with plenty of bush experience who doggedly refuses to believe that bears can be dangerous, and opines that if we can't go into the bush without a gun, then perhaps we should just hide under the bed. I agree a bear isn't a African lion, but refusing to acknowledge that these guys can be a problem doesn't make much sense to me. That unshakeable view that bears aren't dangerous is in itself dangerous. Just one dangerous bear encounter, assuming you survive it, will leave a long lasting impression. What is a dangerous bear encounter? A dangerous bear encounter is when the bear is thinking, I'm going to do something bad, and I'm going to do it to him! The proper mindset is that I might have to kill a bear today, and it might be that one.
There's a place east of town that folks flock to in the fall to view bears that hang out with a large string of sled dogs. You might have seen photos on the internet or in a book or magazine of polar bears and huskies interacting, those were taken there. Anyway, one year the CO figured that things were getting out of hand, and he and his boys swooped down and darted every bear in sight and hauled them out. We're talking maybe a dozen or more bears. I'm watching this young Resources guy, get out of his truck and walk towards a darted bear perhaps 25 yards to his front. He's not carrying a gun! A bear off to his left that either he didn't see, or that he assumed was darted, gets up and starts walking towards him from a quartering behind direction. Now I'm getting a kick out of this, because I've got my .416 Rigby, and I figure within the next 30 seconds I'm going rug this bear, and despite much yelling, I'll be totally justified. I let out the clutch and just let the truck idle forward, to put myself between the bear and this day dreamer. The bear keeps coming, and I've already chosen my aiming point. I was just going to bring the Ruger to my shoulder, and he abruptly turns and walks off in another direction. "You tease!" From time to time I get the feeling that bears are telepathic, this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
Anyway, the point of the story is that here's a guy who regularly works with bears, but is in a totally inappropriate state of mind. To this day I don't think he realized he was in any danger. Later on he was in a situation where he had to shoot, was urgently told to shoot, and muffed the shot, resulting in a near death experience for the CO. I haven't seen him back here since then. His mind set was such that he never was willing to kill a bear, or even accept the notion that he might have to.
This is exactly the kind of thing I expected to happen with some of the people that I've 'trained', or had differences over firearms policy at work with. It results from silly attitude. The problem is that the Company is responsible for the employees' safety in bear country, and the Employee confounds those safety measures with an inappropriate, unrealistic, even discriminatory attitude.
The first attitude that really grates, is that some think that this kind of silly avoidance behavior makes them somehow superior to someone who demonstrates an affinity for being proficient with a firearm. It's like some kind of Starbuck-swilling, hippy-collar pride. Like expressing disdain for firearms makes you more civilized somehow...
Then you have to explain how the 'don't want to know anything about guns' attitude makes them a danger to themselves and everyone around them through inattentiveness, improper handling procedures, and poor marksmanship (which can endanger everyone through wounded animals). I have specific examples of silly buggers behaviour which could have got someone killed, and I have trouble not spitting them through my teeth when I get this kind of attitude.
These people can't shoot for s**t. They're scared of the very implements they are supposed to be proficient with to save their own hides while walking alone with clipboard and hammer. They sometimes won't check a firearm to clear it when it crosses their purview because they 'don't like guns'. These people don't seem to have trouble with handling pepper spray around helicopters, but abrogate responsibility when it comes to firearms. They do everything in their power to ensure that there is never a gun around them, bear in proximity or not. This includes making sure that other employees don't carry them even if advisable.
Fine, get mauled. See if I care. But if you were around me when a bear showed up, you had an armed sheepdog that was proficient enough to save your bacon. You took the job, and unfortunately the job entails proficiency with tools you may not like including volatile fuels, chain saws, helicopters, acids, caustic bases,weather, cold water, and other necessary workplace hazards. As with all the other useful tools that present potential for hazard, not doing your job endangers your co-workers.
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The second attitude that disturbs me is the asinine assumption that because (s)he is a Geo or worse, a man, that somehow proficiency and safety is built-in. Or because they took the safety course they know "all about it".
I had one dude in camp who wouldn't learn anything new, because he already knew all about it. I would not have let that man handle a firearm under most circumstances.
If you don't think you can handle a firearm safely, and wish to not do it at all, then fine. I won't force you to carry one, but I may send you out with someone who is proficient. Optimum safety is the goal here. I will be asking you why you are telling me you can't perform this part of your job after being trained to do it with the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, You should at least be able to point one in a safe direction at all times, keep your finger off the trigger and PROVE clear if a firearm crosses your path, and I will do everything in my power to help you master at least that skill as it has life-long value.
But if you express one of the two atttitudes above, I'll be a bit blunt in what I will say. Einstein was right about the limitlessness of human stupidity.
Sorry about the rant!
