I do not give up my natural right to self-defense, nor my God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness just because I step into a state forest.  Making any place, indoor or outdoor, a gun-free zone makes it a free-murder zone.  Since criminals do not obey the law (that's what makes them criminals), they will ignore the prohibition on guns in state forests, leaving only law-abiding citizens unarmed and defenseless.  The paranoia of anti-gun people is irrational.  Seeing a person with a handgun should not cause consternation unless that person threatens with the gun.  If the person threatens, I would prefer to have a handgun to provide a balance of power.  I refuse to be a victim.