Warning: Sad story follows. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1363845 The Forest Service recommends anything but a gun.
Whew...good thing black bears only have 1 1/2" front claws, that way only the vitals near the surface will be punctured and torn apart. It's news like this that makes me (want to) take a gun, no matter how small, into the tent with me, misdemeanor not withstanding.
Follow up story. Earlier camper shot at it with 9 mm. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,665194896,00.html
That's horrible. Even if the parents were armed what could they have done in the middle of the night? They said they could hear him but they couldn't see him. I doubt they would have just sat back and watched the bear maul their child even if they weren't armed. That definitely makes me want to not go out into the woods to camp. Being ripped from your tent in the middle of the night is different from seeing a bear during the day or while walking around at night because you could actually get to your weapon before you get your face smashed in by 300 lbs of furry killing machine. I guess I'll never camp out in Georgia again. That is no job for a pistol, you need a rifle for those furry killing machines.
i always carry a gun camping/hiking, i was camping near blood mtn. this past weekend, the caliber i take (9mm) might not be enough to drop a bear but hopefully the report would scare it. maybe i'll win the ruger .454 for my new camping piece, that would probably change his mind