Frequently in reviews of the Taurus Judge and similar firearms, I read about the effectiveness of these weapons in dispatching poisonous snakes.
River fishing is my first passion and in 20 plus years of wading shallow streams I have encountered a multitude of snakes, including all but one of North Carolina's poisonous species. To date, every snake took evasive action rather than being a problem for me. Contrary to some opinions, there is not one breed of snake in the US that will pursue or attack a human unprovoked. If I carelessly step on a snake and get bitten, a "snake defense" gun merely becomes a retaliatory weapon.
I'm not a tree-hugger, I enjoy hunting. But I've kept a variety of snakes in my home over the years as pets for my kids and I'm a little partial to them. Partial or not, snakes serve a very useful purpose - venomous or otherwise.
So... why promote these weapons as "snake defense" weapons?
River fishing is my first passion and in 20 plus years of wading shallow streams I have encountered a multitude of snakes, including all but one of North Carolina's poisonous species. To date, every snake took evasive action rather than being a problem for me. Contrary to some opinions, there is not one breed of snake in the US that will pursue or attack a human unprovoked. If I carelessly step on a snake and get bitten, a "snake defense" gun merely becomes a retaliatory weapon.
I'm not a tree-hugger, I enjoy hunting. But I've kept a variety of snakes in my home over the years as pets for my kids and I'm a little partial to them. Partial or not, snakes serve a very useful purpose - venomous or otherwise.
So... why promote these weapons as "snake defense" weapons?