Your friend is a delta bravo but that doesn't mean their is not some truth.
I run field crews in light bear country and provide bear spray and training for my crews. There are scientific peer review journal articles that find bear spray is more effective. Are they bias? Maybe, I think their results are true in some areas. Folks are much more likely to throw down some spray then fire rounds at bears (PF forum members are probably not part of that population) and a giant cloud of pepper spray is pretty easy to lay down and get a win by chance/luck/or the bear just deciding I'll find something easier.
My agency runs crews in Alaska and those folks go through firearm quals.