America has had a love hate relationship with guns for as long as I can remember. The Appalachian Trail is no different. Violence on the trail is rare. Most people hike the entire trail and then say that the people they met along the way were one of the best parts. Sadly, incidents do occurs and last month in Virginia, murder came to the trail again.
Whenever something like this happens, debate ignites amongst hikers as to whether or not to carry a gun when hiking. Both camps make good arguments and I am certainly not going to end the debate here. I would however like to offer a few reminders for everyone who loves to hike.
First I want to remind you of the commonality we all share, we all love hiking on the AT. Plain and simple, we want to be there and enjoy ourselves out in nature and enjoy the company of other like minded hikers. This means we will all have the best possible outcome by being aware of how our actions effect those around us. This applies to both camps in different ways. For those who choose to carry a firearm on a hike, consider carrying it concealed. Not everyone is comfortable around guns and for some people it will be all they see when they look at you. Why would you want to push people away before you ever meet. After all, if the person is a crazed killer then you’re probably going to have some inclination anyway at which point you would likely place your hand on your weapon anyway. Are you so slow a draw that you have to keep it on you hip cowboy style just to make sure someone doesn’t get the drop on you? The same goes both ways. If you don’t carry and are apprised to it, show a little kindness to those that do. Remember that we all hike our own hike and we pack our fears. Some people may be more afraid of bears and crazies than you are of guns. If you see someone hiking with a pistol on there side, try saying hello! You may find them to have more in common with you than you think. You may find that they are in law enforcement or have a military background. Most likely you will at least find that they are one of millions of Americans who responsibly own firearms and represent no threat to you or any other hikers. That said, if you see someone brandishing a gun, run like hell!
Remember too that no matter what your position on guns is, this is America and we can’t even keep guns out of churches. There are going to be guns on the trail every year no matter what. We all get emotional about the topic and for good reason. No one wants their rights or their lives taken away from them. It saddens me to see the arguments on social media turn so ugly. Pages and groups where people are supposed to come together in love for the trail, but end up lashing out at the very people you may encounter in the woods. I hope we are all nicer to each other around the camp fire. Anyway, that’s my take on it. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and I’ll see you on the trail.
