Nurses carrying weapons

[KittyLovinRN]

Wanted to get some thoughts on inner city nurses carrying a concealed weapon? My husband is a city policeman who's dealt with his share of undesirables in the same neighborhoods I venture into and is pushing for me to start carrying a gun.

Are there any nurses who carry one? I'm comfortable with weapons, I've been around them the entirety we've been together and the neighborhoods I go into are pretty rough. I'm not sure of a policy my agency has but the husband doesn't seem to care if there is one, just wants me prepared.

Thoughts?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I just realized that I have been waaaayyy too complacent when it comes to my safety. I used to carry a knife in my car and sometimes on me, but I have not been carrying as of late. I only occasionally go into sketchy areas, but a visit yesterday made me reconsider. Was in very bad part of Canton (OH). Car slammed on brakes as I was walking to house and young man jumped out and ran after. Turns out it was patients son whom I have never met, but what if it wasn't?! I think I am going to start carrying mace until I get my CCW.

A can of aerosol hair spray and a lighter is an effective blow torch

[IrishErin]

I think that we should have tasers at triage...

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I think that we should have tasers at triage...

do you not have a panic button?

I have found a chemical fire extinguisher effective for...how shall I say...severe crowd control issues (waiting room brawl) on occasion.

[LaRN]

The probability of a situation turning disastrous is much greater when carrying a weapon. Guns escalate things, and you may over react and shoot someone when running away or calling for help would have been sufficient. There aren't many cut and dry situations that justify shooting someone, and yours will most likely be no different.

Consider the line of questioning you will be put through if you have to defend yourself in court. Why did you have the weapon? if your answer is that the neighborhood is unsafe, they may ask why didn't you opt for a police escort instead? If your attacker was unarmed, they will want to know what non lethal measures did you attempt before blowing him/her away. Also, if your company has a no weapon policy, you are starting out in the wrong.

Less drastic solutions are available- Take a real self defense class, carry pepper spray. Find another job if it's that bad, because no job is worth that much, especially when there are other options.

[Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B]

I am a gun enthusiast. I shot competitively for years. I own guns for home defense. However I do not carry in public. There are only a few situations where a pistol is absolutely necessary for me, mainly an active shooting incident, and assault with intent to harm or kill. I find my risk of being in either of these situations to be so small as to not justify the hassle of carry. However I am a man so the list of people who want to sexually assault me is much shorter than some of you. There are things to consider when carrying, mainly accessibility. That gun in your purse may give you a sense of security but if you can't get to in in 3-4 seconds it's useless. A small of the back holster is good, but can really do you some damage if you fall down the steps and it jams the gun into your spine. An ankle holster has accessibility issues. This hip holster is hard to conceal with my wardrobe. Next on the list of concerns is stopping power verses what I call potential for collateral damage. The .45 hand cannon will certainly stop anyone, but will sail through walls and potentially hit an innocent. This is especially concerning in an urban environment. A 9mm is pretty balanced as far as stopping power and low penetration, however I still wouldn't want to fire one in an apartment building. Also the thought of loosing control of the weapon in a struggle is concerning. People don't just fall over after they are shot, a person can take as few 9mm and still physically attack you until they run out of steam, especially persons who are pharmacology enhanced. So those are all the reasons I don't carry. Now let me tell you what I do carry. A C2 tazer with a laser sight. I can carry it on my hip (it looks close enough to a cell phone if people aren't paying attention) so it's easy to access. It has a range of 15 feet and instantly disables pretty much anyone. The laser sight is a psychological deterrent, and helps accuracy under pressure. If fired it scatters chaff with my tazers number on it. This means the police can confirm my side of the story, exactly where I was when the device was fired. No worry about collateral damage. If attacked by multiple persons the

[Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B]

Sorry I accidentally posted early... Mods if you wish to merge this post with the above that would be awesome.

Taser can be used as a stun gun. The best thing is when I get to my case I knock on the door and place the taser in my bag. It's off my person when entering the clients house. If I'm there for an entire shift, or I'm concerned about someone (read undisciplined child) snooping in my bag I can secure the front compartment where the device is stored with a luggage lock.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I think I love you, Al.

[ChristineAdrianaRN, BSN, RN]

I have my CCW and hope to get into HH soon. I plan on carrying when I do. It's part of your training to learn when it is and isn't appropriate to use deadly force and I plan on trying to stay very mindful of that.