I find it interesting that the National Park page says to talk softly to the bear to let it know that you are a human. IIRC, bears are near-sighted, and I suppose to them an approaching human might just be a mysterious blurry shape.

Singing old ballads might work just as well, and that way you don't have to worry about what to say.

There's a problem with that handgun idea, Rap. If you shoot into the ground and the bullet hits a buried rock, the bullet can shatter, sending fragments in unpredictable directions. The fragments are travelling fast and can be just as lethal as they bullet they came from. What if there's somebody on the trail ahead of you and you haven't seen them yet?
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Last year we visited Shenandoah National Park, and we were told we wouldn't see a bear because the bears are shy and keep to the deep woods. Then one night about ten o'clock we were driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway and a bear crossed in front of us.