I pack a handgun while hiking; if it's legal, why not? It's sure nice to supplement your diet with some fresh meat when the fish aren't biting or you've been eating trail mix and MREs for several days. I understand the "going as light as possible" idea, but to me a gun is a pretty important tool to have along.

Whether using it to signal for help, defense against critters and bad people, or to collect food - sounds like a multi-purpose tool to me.