I've been a lurker for awhile, and I know that this post has been brought up 1-2 times in the last 2 years that I've been an RN. So... you grouchy old farts that would rather I'd revive an old post can just stuff a sock in it. I want to gauge opinions based on our CURRENT situation after the shooting yesterday in San Bernadino, CA.
Truth be told, One single caregiver with a concealed carry permit could have shut this couple down before they hit 14 fatalities.
I plan on getting my CC in January, but I know as an RN, should my handgun be discovered, I'll probably lose my license. It will stay in my car when I am at work. If someone wants to carry out mayhem at my workplace, we are ALL sitting ducks. It is not ok or fair. What are your thoughts?
Being able to defend yourself is ALWAYS a better option than waiting for a terrorist to just kill you. So yes, by all means, get your CCW and we'll continue to pray that it will not happen again but we all know it may indeed happen again.
I have carried for 5 years now without incident. I am ex-military so I do know how to use a firearm under duress. But everyone can practice and attain a level of proficiency that will make a difference if you find yourself in a situation such as the one recently in CA.
Article attended if y'all are interested. What may be even as devastating as the issue itself is the oppressive and hysterical rhetoric being so unapologetically and bravely spewed about in the media. [emoji20]
And also, just because one aspect of an issue may decrease does not mean it is no longer a significant issue. When people die of preventable causes, I would hope that nurses will always be concerned.
I very strongly believe that CC should be permitted in healthcare settings of all kinds except of course psych or something outrageous like that. Security can indeed take 10-15+ to show up and plenty of situations could be prevented if responsible staff CC'd. Not that just anyone should be allowed to carry; I think monitoring should be strict within the hospital itself but I think CC should be available to anyone able to handle it responsibly. I also live in Texas and I plan to carry as soon as I am 21.
My "oppressive" government took away my "freedom" by creating strict gun laws back in 1996 following a shooting massacre.
There have been no massacres here since.
It's just not fair, I have the right to carry a gun and protect others! I shouldn't have to have a background check and apply for a license and follow maintenance rules!
HAHA my pants are already falling down with all the junk in my pockets, the last thing I need is for a heavy gun to add to it.
This is a realistic concern; because of the nature of the clothing we wear and the movements we do during work (bending, kneeling, etc) combined with the equipment required for safe retention of a firearm, concealed carry can be difficult to accomplish in scrubs.
It'd be pretty terrible to have someone see the "printing" of a gun in a staff member's waistband during a psychiatric/behavioral crisis, disarm said staff, and turn a situation from a bad one to a nightmare.
It's just not fair, I have the right to carry a gun and protect others! I shouldn't have to have a background check and apply for a license and follow maintenance rules!
Beyond the exception of a very few specific states (Arizona comes to mind), anywhere concealed carry is legal, to do so requires verification of a state approved training course, as well as an application that includes a background check through the local chief of law enforcement or sheriff.
Someone buying a gun and carrying it around like a vigilante without the approval via license from local law enforcement, and then using it even in defense against someone committing a crime is itself a crime.
This is a realistic concern; because of the nature of the clothing we wear and the movements we do during work (bending, kneeling, etc) combined with the equipment required for safe retention of a firearm, concealed carry can be difficult to accomplish in scrubs.
It'd be pretty terrible to have someone see the "printing" of a gun in a staff member's waistband during a psychiatric/behavioral crisis, disarm said staff, and turn a situation from a bad one to a nightmare.
Beyond the exception of a very few specific states (Arizona comes to mind), anywhere concealed carry is legal, to do so requires verification of a state approved training course, as well as an application that includes a background check through the local chief of law enforcement or sheriff.
Someone buying a gun and carrying it around like a vigilante without the approval via license from local law enforcement, and then using it even in defense against someone committing a crime is itself a crime.
The list of states that allow "Constitutional Carry" is growing. That list is now 7: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Maine, and Vermont, with Wyoming allowing it for Wyoming Residents only. The other 6 states do not care if you're a resident, just that you're in the state.
Incidentally, in California (and every other state that I'm aware of) I can defend another person against lethal force just as if I were the one receiving that lethal force. That doesn't mean I'm going to protect YOU if we're in the same place. You might benefit from me protecting myself, but I'll be looking for a safe place to go and only engage the threat if I must. Here's where the law gets dicey. If I were illegally carrying my firearm but then had to defend myself or another against lethal force, I would be relying on the competing harms doctrine to keep myself from being charged with a crime. Reality is that I wouldn't carry unless I had some kind of authorization to do so, making it not a crime for me to carry.
If you look at most of the recent mass killings, the shooter usually stops killing people around them when they're engaged by someone else with a gun. On a few occasions, that's been someone with a CCW, otherwise it's usually when law enforcement arrives. What happened in San Bernadino was very different, it was well planned and executed and included leaving the scene before the cops showed up.
Now remember it took 23 SWAT team members over 380 rounds to stop the San Berdoo terrorists. Still think your 6-9 shots could have made a difference?
When two ISIS terrorist showed up in Garland Texas with Assault Rifles and body armor, a off duty cop working security make 2 head shots with a Glock 45. End of Story..........
When two ISIS terrorist showed up in Garland Texas with Assault Rifles and body armor, a off duty cop working security make 2 head shots with a Glock 45. End of Story..........
Are you saying that all concealed carriers have the skills of that particular off-duty cop?
When two ISIS terrorist showed up in Garland Texas with Assault Rifles and body armor, a off duty cop working security make 2 head shots with a Glock 45. End of Story..........
Are you saying that all concealed carriers have the skills of that particular off-duty cop?
I suspect that the point is that sometimes multiple cops and hundreds of rounds of ammunition are NOT needed to stop a threat. Sometimes it just takes one person, and that has been the case in several shootings that could have been very bad but were interrupted early on by a good guy with a gun (CCW that chose to get involved or close by cop). While not all CCW holders have that level of skill displayed by the Texas cop, some are better. How do I know this? I have done competitive shooting with some darned good shooters, some of them are cops, and of the top 20 or 30 people I shot with, every one of them is that good on a bad day. The "average" cop or CCW holder isn't anywhere near that good. I almost guarantee you that the Texas cop was probably known as the department "gun nut" where worked and was likely only one of a handful of guys like that there. In any event, even if that one guy hadn't killed those two ISIS terrorist right away, just engaging them changes things for the terrorists. If they're being shot at, they have to pay attention to whomever is shooting at them and not at doing the task they set out to do initially.
Think of things like this: You have a bug zapper. You want to swat flies. You start swinging the bug zapper and start killing flies. Then wasps get into the mix and you're allergic to their venom. You now have to spend your time going after the wasps... the flies end up being generally left alone.
I'm NOT a cop by any means, though I do have some LE training. The old standard for dealing with active shooters (terrorist or not) was to contain the scene and wait for SWAT to arrive. Now as soon as you have enough officers on hand, they're assembled into a team and they go searching for the shooter with intent to engage immediately once located. Other responders establish a perimeter. This doctrine was put into place and it does minimize loss of life vs the old doctrine.
I want to gauge opinions based on our CURRENT situation after the shooting yesterday in San Bernadino, CA. 
mlcastaneda
13 Posts
Being able to defend yourself is ALWAYS a better option than waiting for a terrorist to just kill you. So yes, by all means, get your CCW and we'll continue to pray that it will not happen again but we all know it may indeed happen again.
I have carried for 5 years now without incident. I am ex-military so I do know how to use a firearm under duress. But everyone can practice and attain a level of proficiency that will make a difference if you find yourself in a situation such as the one recently in CA.