On Thursday, 19 March, 2015, a woman with a .44 magnum stopped a polar bear from attacking Jakub Moravec, 37, in the Svalbard archipelago. Polar bear attacks are expected there, and tourists are not allowed unless they carry a high powered firearm. In this case . . .
the rifles were left outside the tents, but inside the protective alarm wire. The armed woman, mother of Zuzanna Hakova, shot the bear three times with the revolver. From telegraph.co.uk:
They were lucky to be alive after a polar bear broke into their tent on a remote Norwegian island and tried to maul them.
But tourists who shot the animal three times with a revolver have now been fined nearly £800 by the local government – because they failed to put a member of their group on “polar bear watch.”
The group, from the Czech Republic, were travelling in the Svalbard archipelago when they were attacked by the bear during the night.
Jakub Moravec, 37, said he awoke to find it “standing over him” in his tent.
“It went straight to my head. Luckily my colleague shot it,” he told local radio NRK shortly after the incident in March.
Zuzanna Hakova, who was part of the same tour group, said her mother then shot the bear three times with a revolver and it fled.
An earlier account mentioned gunfire, but did not mention that a revolver was the firearm used.
The Czech Republic is one of the most gun friendly countries in Europe. The local publication in Svalbard did a better job on reporting details. From svalbardposten.no:
The Governor of Svalbard is continuing to keep some details under wraps about the confrontation between a group of six Czech tourists and a two-year-old polar bear last Thursday. One man suffered slight injures after the animal, which later had to be euthanized, entered the tent camp at Fredheim early in the morning.
What is known:
• 5:30 a.m. (approx.): The bear entered the campsite without triggering the flare alarm system set up around the two tents. It appears the group did not have a guard watching for polar bears at the time. Jakub Moravec, 37, the injured man, said he was dragged out of the tent and another person in the group fired three shots with a .44 Magnum at the animal. The bear subsequently fled.
The local account mentions that local authorities had to euthanize the wounded bear.The polar bear was wounded in the neck and body by the revolver shots and was leaving a blood trail when the authorities dispatched it.
The attack appears to have been a predatory one. Predatory attacks are often slower and the bears more willing to flee than territorial or sow with cub attacks.
If bears suffered significant harm each time they predated on other large animals, they would not survive long. Bears often test unfamiliar prey to determine if the prey is a significant danger.
©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch
This time of the year the moms are known to be really dangerous , specially when they fear their children are about to be harmed.
Some of them even carry .44 magnums.
This is happening. Easy way or the hard way guys. You can either be part of the conversation and help make sure the ban is limited to bump stocks, and doesn’t wind up worded so aftermarket triggers get banned too, or you can stamp your little feet and pout and whine “not one inch” and we’re all screwed. Time to make up your minds.
Just let it happen, Roy? Spoken like a true victim. How do you pathetic cowards live with yourselves?
Well trump is now a one term president
fuck him….
Thank you so much for the write up. Cannot believe how many writers give IMO with only cursory glance at some data usually not even there own or relative to the contest of the weapons use. Great to see a clearly presented and honest appraisal of things with solid data to back the argument! Appreciated for Australia
It’s over. Wayne, I hope you and Chris choke on your seven figure incomes. NRA: A joke. It’s members: fools.
So many “new” posters today… It’s almost like the trolls are coming out of the woodwork trying to start shit over literally less than nothing.
If they want, they can stay home and clean my guns.
The lesson here: If it pertains to firearms and it’s not illegal yet, then just wait.
I have read articles about how for the most part, modern law enforcement people are poorly trained as shooters, and often miss, even at fairly close range. When I read the comment:
“With an 1853 Enfield, skilled riflemen could hit man-sized targets at 500 yards.” maybe, but I am incredulous. Certainly there would be very few guys who could shoot that well.
More thorough research indicates that the high casualties were due to the fact that no one had any tactical training. Imagine if the South had used these sorts of tactics at Gettysburg. One problem was the sheer weight and bulky nature of these rifles; you’re a sitting duck while reloading. Would have made it much harder to practice these sorts of SAS tactics. How much do did these things weigh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydA5Y86crsw
A friend says “Nobody needs a 30 round magazine!”
I say “Is that what they told you to say?”
End of conversation.
It won’t make much difference to anyone determined because there are easy alternatives, but if it appeases the liberals, fine.
Why doesn’t he direct the Justice Department to ban covering-up for politicians instead of playing the appeasement card to the anti-gun agenda Commy crowd made up by the politicians and others his Justice Department are covering-up for? On the surface it sounds and looks to be unconstitutional, but with such a corrupt court system, Congress & Justice Department the law of the land of the free has been vacated & replaced with law of the jungle………………………….We-re done here in America…..!!!
You’re complaining of the safety issues.. and blaming the Serbs?? Those are on it because they are REQUIRED in order to be sold here in the USA. Don’t like it? BLAME CONGRESS and the ATF…..
Also you beef about a little “roughness”?? What.. you expected a hand fitted and polished weapon for $200 ?? Really? Geez… This is a gun that if you have a clue how guns work.. with a small amount of elbow grease can become acceptably smooth and reliable . If you’re the type who have to hire every little thing done.. then maybe you need to spend 2 to 3 times more?
“Neo-Communist playbook…”
Excerpt:
Action comes from keeping the heat on. No politician can sit on a hot issue if you make it hot enough.
Saul D. Alinsky, Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals
The regulations are there for a reason. Break them at your own peril. Shot placement is the major determinant of a fatal shot regardless of other factors. A .22LR will take down a bear with the right shot. Any surprise attack by a large predator is extremely dangerous and most bets are out the window but the Monday morning quarterbacks will have lots of time for the “should haves” and “what ifs.”
There are no Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives or Liberals. There are only tyrants. Government has one role, and that is to restrict your rights – that is the only reason to have a centralized power that threatens to capture or kill you if you do not obey. Can we please start opting out of this awful, backward system?
The NRA will not speak until 17 days have passed. It’s their policy not to jump into the cooling blood. Unfortunately our opponents are far better prepared to take advantage of these situations.
Like many others have said, if my son (he’ll be 18 by then) were to skip school on March 14, it would only be to go to the range.
I’m pretty sure if it were suggested to him to ditch in support of the #enough ‘movement’, he’d chuckle. He wears a 5.56 dummy round on a chain around his neck (tucked under his shirt because that kind of stuff is frowned upon at his school).
His mother works at the school and holds compatible points of view (on skipping and firearms).
In related news, Algore is secretly fuming, “why don’t those damn polar bears just DIE already?! their continuing existence is making me look bad!”
Not much has been written about reliability. I carry either a revolver in 38+P, or an autoloader in 9MM+P. I can count on the 38 to be more reliable, that is: not to have a failure to eject, not to have a failure to feed, and of course, who ever heard of a “stove pipe’ in a wheel gun. I didn’t mention missfires, because is can happen on both type of weapons, however, my carry 9 is DA/SA and I have the option of re-firing without the need of racking the slide again. Does your striker fired autoloader have that option?
Admittedly, a revolver takes longer to reload, but I stay away from areas where I might encounter a large force of gang members.
I also carry a mousegun in my pocket 24/7
I would point out that this statement wasn’t made by Trump but rather his spokesperson and that the answer was in response to a question. The reply was what is commonly called a “dodge”.
That is to say that if you actually look at what was asked and the reply the reply is so vague that no meaning can be drawn from it. Effectively what it says is “I have recieved no guidance on how to answer such a question so here’s a non-answer to placate the media but not get me in trouble with my boss”.
We need more voices that assert the second amendment with all other rights Americans enjoy. If they want to raise the age to buy a rifle to 21, we’ve got to suggest or insist they do the same for voting.
Hypocrite repeal hughes adment any federal gun law not more goverment regulation !!
Yet another firearms company that doesn’t respect their customers rights. Can’t say I’ve spent any money with them, but this guarantees that I never will.
We cannot allow the age limit to be raised without demanding all adult activities like voting and military service also be delayed until 21. That’ll either kill the debate, or, whipe out a huge portion of the liberal voting block.
Yeah the AR 15 is cool. I don’t have one. I’m in my mid 60’s and I ain’t cool…anymore. Every gun I buy is just a tool to me. Meh…