If you can field bear spray you can field a gun (as a generalization, handicaps etc... aside). If you field bear spray it may work to redirect the bear, maybe... or you may, due to wind or weather spray yourself or your friends or the bear and he may or may not care, like the kayak lady at Berg Bay or the bears at Yellowstone etc...  It may not penetrate the heavy rains we are known for in Southeast. All of which may happen to a fully competent and prepared user. Compare that to a fully prepared competent user of a firearm and there isn't even a contest. Bullets don't care about wind or water and don't stray from where they are put (to any degree relevant here, though they may deflect after getting there).

The firearm doesn't automatically stop bear attacks from happening nor shoot the bear for you before it can do harm. No sane person argued such. If there is no time to deploy there is no time to deploy.

But if you want to pretend you're making a valid point don't let me stop you.