It's very rare in the United States, as well. There's a small number of folks who carry rifles for protection against bears, particularly in places like Alaska where you're extremely likely to encounter bears and also possibly angry moose; most just carry bear spray, or just have a bell and talk or sing, so they don't accidentally sneak up on a bear.

I've hiked in probably 30 of the 50 states, and have met a very small number of people openly carrying guns of any sort (maybe some had concealed pistols for defense against people; that's a reasonably common thing, and there's a permit for concealed carry in most states).