1) Aren't climbers required to register at places like Rainier and Hood before attempting a summit? Is this not the best "window of opportunity" for educating folks as to the realities of winter mountaineering? If there were a law requiring climbers to use a beacon, the point of sale could also be authorized to require a mandatory safety class.

2) All of the rescues on Mt. Hood this winter have involved injuries that kept the parties from rescuing themselves.

3) Volunteer rescuers can decline to venture forth if the weather is poor. A rescue isn't an entitlement, it is something humans do because they feel it is the right thing to do (and face it, those of us who are on SAR teams do it because we enjoy what we do - but we're not stupid and we take safety VERY seriously).

4) Research on the use of PLBs in Alaska showed that many many lives were saved and virtually none of the calls for help were frivolous. I don't think you can compare beacons to cell phones, radios or sat phones... people do seem to abuse those more because it is "easy" to talk to someone else and call in a rescue, and you get instant feedback to know the cavalry is coming. OTOH, when you set off a beacon you don't know if anyone is actually getting your signal. It seems like pulling the cord would be an absolute last resort.

MNS