I don't think anyone here would take the position that no crime has ever occurred at any time to any hiker anywhere, nor that a handgun could not possibly do any good under any thinkable circumstances. So, your citing one heinous crime that happened to someone somewhere is not exactly going to change the argument, or even change many minds. It is already factored in to our conclusions.

But that isn't to say you should never carry a weapon, if you do so legally and responsibly. I don't think anyone here would mind if you did.

Just two days ago I was hiking on a fairly empty trail, when I met a man coming down the trail with a Doberman on a leash and a sidearm in a holster. The dog was friendly and well-behaved. So was he. We chatted. The gun made no difference to me. To each his own.