In Alaska and the lower 48, backwoods people like a handgun such as a 44 mag for bear. A rifle will not put a bear down like a 44 mag or even 45 ACP. A 357 mag or 40 cal is OK for blacks but not for browns or grizzlies. Try swinging a long gun in tangled brush or thick softwoods where a bear surprise is most likely. Plus, a long gun only holds 3 rounds. Many dead hunters have been found with empty mags and a bear that ran off and died with lots of holes in it. Even a heart shot will take a minute or so to take a bear down.

btw, I have a safe full of various long guns and a few handguns. I only need a permit to conceal carry a handgun and my permit is for me, not a specific gun. Even my wife and one daughter have CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon) permit. My other daughter lives in California where carrying a concealed weapon is highly restricted in most counties.

She takes a dog with her into the back country. They are good for chasing off bears but useless for mountain lions. She just pulls her food cache up into a tree that a bear can't climb and sleeps away from the food smells. She only sleeps indoors when there is snow on the ground and not even all the time. If the snow is deep enough, she loves to sleep in a snow cave.

I can see how once you get the license for the first gun in Canada, getting a second license should not be so difficult. Then, you need to make sure you have the correct license for the gun you are using that day.

I like our Second Amendment. It makes life easier. I moved away from California because it was getting so restrictive for everything.