Concealed Carry...as a nurse?

Nurses Activism

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  1. Do you have a concealed carry license?

    • 148
      Yes, although it stays in the car/home while at work.
    • 68
      Yes, it is always on me no matter where I am.
    • 104
      No, I do not see the need.

227 members have participated

With the current news over gun control and gun rights legislation being pushed through Congress as a result of the tragedies of Aurora, CO, Newtown, CT and the others like them, the thought of concealed carry among healthcare workers has got my attention peaked. Recently, another Allnurses member started a thread (up to 22 pages presently) about what nurses can do as a result of these horrific events.

This post is not meant to reflect my personal stance on this issue, although I can inform that I am not a CCL holder (however interested), nor is it meant to be a bashing session from either side, but I am interested in seeing how many individuals have their concealed carry license, and if they carry while they are at work (and, yes I am well aware of the legal stance healthcare facilities take as being gun free zones)?

I, also, am aware of some of our members being both nurses and current/former law enforcement officers, so what is your take on this issue?

You know it is amazing that so many people blame weapons for all the things that people do with them, the problem is not the access to guns it is a mental health issue to where we as society has gotten to the point that every problem needs to handle with violence. I have my conceal carry and I will use it to defend myself if I am placed in danger and that is that I do not show it off or display it unless I have the all intent of using it and I will only use it to protect my life or those around me are threaten. As nurses we work in a volatile environment and we are the first to get blame and there is no security or protection against violence directed at us the facility we work will not protect us nor will they side with us if we protect ourselves.

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I used to drive long distances for the job I held about a dozen years ago as a regional nurse consultant for several ALF buildings in Washington and Oregon. I'd taken a police firearms safety course, and had my CC license as well as a snub-nosed .38 in my car. I figured a woman alone on the road needed three things to be safe: a cell phone, a credit card, and a gun. I was also glad the weapon lived in my glovebox when I worked 11P-7A at the hospital and had to navigate the parking lot at night with no security and a cast of motley characters hanging around the ER entrance.

In all the years I've had my .38 I've never even come close to drawing it, but it's like having extra candles and lamp oil around during a severe storm: it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

0 Votes
Specializes in Med Surg.

Anyone wanting to carry at work should check their local laws. My husband got his concealed carry license and in MO it's illegal to carry in public buildings like schools, hospitals, and churches, though the pastor or other church leadership can change that. I have no problem with anyone carrying concealed, but it should be done legally.

0 Votes
Specializes in Emergency Room.

I have a CCW/CHL and carry where possibly, legally. Although I don't carry at work, if given the opportunity, I would. As an ED nurse and sometimes working in triage, things have often ended in armed police response... 15-20 minutes later. I can't imagine an active shooter situation, the police would be there after the fact. I believe individual safety is an individual responsibility.

0 Votes
Specializes in OR and Midwifery.

Wow, here in Australia, it's illegal to carry a gun and you have to jump through so many hoops to get a license it is near impossible. It really scares me that people think it is ok to carry a weapon.

We don't have a fraction of the shooting that you guys have in America & you know why? Less guns in circulation!

2 Votes
Specializes in Med-Surg.

Well of course it is. We've got Canadians here saying how well more guns are solving the problem. More guns in Georgia than Canada, and Georgia has more gun violence. So obviously more guns is working, or, wait...

The difference between Canada's and the US's violent crime rates has less to do with availability of guns and more to do with demographics. Chicken or the egg I guess. Are there less guns in Canada because Canadians are less violent and so we are less concerned with protecting ourselves, or is there less crime there because there are no guns as opposed to because people are just less violent to begin with?

0 Votes
Specializes in Private Practice- wellness center.

I have my CHL. I am highly considering a position in Laredo, TX. You BET I plan on carrying in my car. The hospital is a gun free zone, so it will not go in with me, but I have an excellent lock box in my truck that is well concealed and you'd have to be a master lock pick to get into it if you don't know my 11 digit code. :D (If you wonder why I'm paranoid, Google Zetas or the Mexican cartels...the rental I'd take is a bit in the country. Quiet but potentially scary.) I lived near the borer in Arizona, about 40 miles south of Tucson. I started carrying when I was awoken one night with several Border Patrol vehicles blaring lights into my house, a helicopter, and the sounds of people shouting. They took two "coyotes" into custody, seventeen illegal aliens, four of whom were carrying drugs and heavily armed. From what I understand, Laredo is not a very safe area once you get outside of a couple areas of town. I want to be sure I can defend myself on my drive to and from work.

0 Votes
Specializes in Med-Surg.
Wow, here in Australia, it's illegal to carry a gun and you have to jump through so many hoops to get a license it is near impossible. It really scares me that people think it is ok to carry a weapon.

We don't have a fraction of the shooting that you guys have in America & you know why? Less guns in circulation!

I beg to differ. In Switzerland every male is required to have a gun and do yearly training. Women are now given the option as well. Care to guess what their violent crime rates and standard of living ratings are like?

0 Votes
Specializes in Emergency Room.
Wow, here in Australia, it's illegal to carry a gun and you have to jump through so many hoops to get a license it is near impossible. It really scares me that people think it is ok to carry a weapon. We don't have a fraction of the shooting that you guys have in America & you know why? Less guns in circulation!
You also have a very different homogenous population than us in the United States. When a small population of people are responsible for a majority of crime, the problem is not guns, it's socioeconomics. Comparisons alike, your country also has a much higher violent crime rate compared to the US. Since deleting guns from our culture is near impossible (and Constitutionally protected), until every criminal stops carrying their guns, I won't stop carrying mine.
0 Votes

So the problem is "demographics" and "socioeconomics." How does easy access to guns make that better?

1 Votes

It is sad to see that so many nurses seem to have a need to carry guns when their purpose is the opposite of what our mission is.

It is unfortunate that the NRA has been able to brainwash so many people. I guess it is my problem to have been brought up in a Quaker atmosphere.

1 Votes
Specializes in Med-Surg.
So the problem is "demographics" and "socioeconomics." How does easy access to guns make that better?

Wooh, come on....you think that those who are committing crimes are going to be affected in any way? Like, those who already resort to illegal, unregistered weapons? How does wanting to have a way to PROTECT yourself come off as a bad thing?

0 Votes
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