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?
I keep my 45 loaded with the "flying ashtray" rounds.
So do I, and because I'm not a member of the Military in a Military situation, my rounds are all JHP. Were I to carry 9mm, they'd also be JHP. Fortunately for me, I'm not very recoil sensitive.
Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
This whole event really struck home for me.
I was standing at one of the ICU nursing stations at Loma Linda when a staff member ran through telling everyone to prepare to receive mass casualties, there was an active shooter up the street, approx 20 casualties.
The initial reports that were received was that it was some kind of a healthcare related facility. Everyone immediately became worried considering Loma Linda is by far the largest and most high profile facility in the area.
Later on a everyone was notified of a bomb threat, which really freaked everyone out because we knew they had found explosives with he terrorists. People were locked down for hours.
When drove back to the hotel I found that the hotel was being barricaded. My hotel was on Waterman less than a block South of the attack. You know the news conferences you saw on TV and all the reporters? They were reporting from the lawn in front of the hotel. The SB police Sargent who was doing to hourly updates? She was in the lobby and conference room the police got (almost ran her over in the parking lot when she walked out between some cars while she was texting)
I left the hospital and pulled over when I saw the road blocks on Waterman and the 10 fwy. I was parked across from a church and watched about 15 police cars scream past into the church parking lot and an army of policy carrying super movie scary AR-15s run and secure the church. I was not sure if the suspects were shooting up the church so I decided it might be best to move along.
Tried to approach from the hotel from the North when as I was driving through a residential neighborhood I saw a bunch of kids running with their parents across the street. Look to my right and hundreds of kids are outside of the school herded on the lawn and parents are frantically grabbing their kids. Then I heard on the radio that a suspicious person fitting the description was seen hiding in the bushes by the school. Great.
I find that the road is blocked from the North so I go around and end up at a shopping center North of the freeway but just South of the hotel. I am eating at a Five Guys when I see police roll up into the shopping center and block it off. Then I hear that there is in active shooter in the shopping center. Great. Can't even enjoy my fries. It was later cleared but then an old Vietnam vet comes in asking to borrow my phone, his service is not working. I let him and he leaves a message for his wife. He tells me...with tears in his eyes...that his wife is stuck in a building they are clearing across the street by the hotel and he cannot get a hold of her and they won't let him in to pull her out. He sat there for 20 minutes holding back his tears until she came in. One of the most heart wrenching things I ever saw. You could feel his pain and anxiety.
I drive through some parking lots (and maybe over a median or two in the rental) and get to the hotel.
Sitting in the hotel watching the sharp shooter on the roof who is about 30 yards from me eat sunflower seeds. Then the world goes crazy as the helicopters and Homeland Security airplane go ripping past along with 20-30-maybe 40? police cars with 2 armored vehicles. Pop, pop, popopopopop, pop. About a mile away they get into the second gunfight. I can actually see the neighborhood from the top floor of the hotel I was in, couldn't see the suspects though due to the houses blocking my line of sight.
Just flew out today.
What I can tell you is that there was no one to protect anyone at the hospital or hotel until after the shooting began. The terrorists literally had to drive by the hotel to get to the office building and you can clearly see the hospital just South of the freeway.
I do carry a firearm when I am home in Arizona but generally do not carry conceal when I am traveling. I am reconsidering that.
I wouldn't want anyone with a gun taking care of me or a family member, and I feel I have that right as a patient.
My first thought was of the nasty, disrespectful, light leaning, demanding jerks that I currently encounter during a shift. I wonder if their attitudes would change if they knew that I was carrying at work. Hmm....
I remember that, it happened in Garland, two guys with assault rifles got out of a car and started firing at the Garland police officer and a security guard. The police officer shot both of them in the head, both of the attackers were wearing body armor, it was over in 15 seconds.
Here's another log to throw on this fire. Effective next month, Texas is going from Concealed Carry permits to License to Carry permits; yes if you have a CC permit you will be allowed to "open" carry so you'll start seeing a lot of Texans with a hand gun holstered on their hip or in a shoulder harness. And just for fun...in Texas you could be arrested for carrying brass knuckles or a Bowie knife in public but it's ok to carry an AR 15 in public. You do no need a permit to carry a rifle or shotgun in public in Texas, The Lone Star State.
I wonder what the rate of carjackings and home invasions are compared to other states with stricter laws?
Well, I said my piece in the previous thread on this topic and nothing I've read here has changed my mind. I still believe that many - not all - people itching to concealed carry have a fairly inflated idea of their own skills and ability to remain cool in a crisis situation. That there are so many cowboy wannabes around is the reason that I think concealed carry in the caregiving setting is a boneheaded idea and is more likely than not to result in a higher body count. And not a one o' yez has mentioned how you're gonna keep bystanders out of the crossfire or ensure control of your own weapon that you think no-one knows you have.
Well, I said my piece in the previous thread on this topic and nothing I've read here has changed my mind. I still believe that many - not all - people itching to concealed carry have a fairly inflated idea of their own skills and ability to remain cool in a crisis situation. That there are so many cowboy wannabes around is the reason that I think concealed carry in the caregiving setting is a boneheaded idea and is more likely than not to result in a higher body count. And not a one o' yez has mentioned how you're gonna keep bystanders out of the crossfire or ensure control of your own weapon that you think no-one knows you have.
I believe I can go along with you regarding carrying a concealed weapon at work - under the current environment. I do believe an exception could be for home health care - where during the course and scope of their employment, employees are subject to all aspects of public encounter. And I think there should be designated people, who would volunteer for specialized training to carry a weapon at work, to enhance the security of a facility and increase response time to a threat. For instance, there has been talk in Texas about designating one or more employees of a school campus to be armed and available to respond immediately to intruder/threats on campus. In all these cases I'm talking about these guys would have to undergo a more intense level of training, sponsored by their employer, than the John Q Citizen Concealed Handgun Permit holder. I will throw out some stats while I have the floor. There are 850,000 CHP holders in Texas. In 2013 there were 364 murders, by firearms, in Texas. 3 of the murders were by CHP holders.
And I think there should be designated people, who would volunteer for specialized training to carry a weapon at work, to enhance the security of a facility and increase response time to a threat.
We have those in the hospitals in which I work -- they're called "Security."
I want to gauge opinions based on our CURRENT situation after the shooting yesterday in San Bernadino, CA. 
akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P
3,533 Posts
So do I, and because I'm not a member of the Military in a Military situation, my rounds are all JHP. Were I to carry 9mm, they'd also be JHP. Fortunately for me, I'm not very recoil sensitive.