Concealed Carry...as a nurse?

[mcknis]

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?

[Music in My Heart]

This is awesome! You can shoot someone, and then save their life. Wait, is that a conflict of interest?... That said, if you have a carry permit and like to carry off-duty that is your right. On-duty (except in a war zone) I believe it is incompatible with the ethics of nursing.

I'm guessing you don't work night shift in an ER...

I used to work in small, rural hospitals and was several times in fear of my safety and believe it would have been totally appropriate to be armed. It was only the lack of statutory authority that kept me from it.

[twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN]

Actually they don't ask if you are carrying, of course they don't. Ask a criminal if they would try and carry out a crime on a person who was carrying, of course they wouldn't.

According to an article published by the University of Chicago, studies have shown that societies that have an increase of weapons permits have a decrease of crime. Not just a tired old argument...

Interview with John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime

[tewdles, RN]

This is a tough issue for us...I believe in our right to bear arms.

I will go back to my comparison of large capacity magazines to hand grenades...they are too dangerous in the hands of joe blow. We, as a society, have DEMONSTRATED their danger when unregulated at our current level.

It is true that those who wish to cause mass injury and death will choose a big ugly gun with lots of bullets over a baseball bat...if they didn't we would likely be talking about regulating bats.

[twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN]

Here is another site with some good bare bones information, just statistics.

Gun Control - Just Facts

[uRNmyway, ASN, RN]

This is a tough issue for us...I believe in our right to bear arms.

I will go back to my comparison of large capacity magazines to hand grenades...they are too dangerous in the hands of joe blow. We, as a society, have DEMONSTRATED their danger when unregulated at our current level.

It is true that those who wish to cause mass injury and death will choose a big ugly gun with lots of bullets over a baseball bat...if they didn't we would likely be talking about regulating bats.

Since this thread is about nurses and concealed carry, I don't think that bats are really an issue. If a gun is hard to hide in scrubs, I would think a bat would be darn near impossible

But since you speak about regulating, I will just repeat what has been said many, many times. Regulating them will not take guns away from people who are likely to engage in violent, criminal activity with them.

[tewdles, RN]

Since this thread is about nurses and concealed carry, I don't think that bats are really an issue. If a gun is hard to hide in scrubs, I would think a bat would be darn near impossible

But since you speak about regulating, I will just repeat what has been said many, many times. Regulating them will not take guns away from people who are likely to engage in violent, criminal activity with them.

You are not required to conceal your bat as you would be to conceal your weapon in many states. So you could just openly carry that.

No, just like traffic and DUI laws don't prevent stupid and irresponsible people from harming others with the vehicles, it does serve to decrease the incidence.

[dinobotprime]

Actually, they are in a way, depending on the victims and the circumstances. Remember swords, knives and baseball bats can kill large amount of people in a short amount of time especially if the victims are all children and the one or two occasional adults. Please remember, the primarily mass killing weapon prior to guns were swords especially when armies sack cities in ancient and medieval times.

The answer to your question is this, mass murderers favor guns over baseball bats for one simple reason, they can hit their victims quicker. But remember, shoot quicker does not mean kill quickly . Ask any combat soldier or law enforcement officer about that little fact. Unless you can put a bullet into the brain or the heart at the right spot or even major blood vessels, there is a good chance that many victims of gun violence might survive their injuries especially with today's modern medicine. Heck, a lot of criminals who got shot during home invasions get to drive to the hospital on their own power to get treated for gun shot wounds.

It actually depends. In some places, car bombs are the weapons of choice to kill a large number of people from a very safe distance in a very short period of time. Seriously though, mass murderers always get the choice of weapons to use from guns, swords, knives, baseball bats, to explosives, to molotov cocktails, chemicals and vehicles, the choice of time, the choice of locations and the choice of victims. Those who will use baseball bats, knives or swords to use as a weapon of mass murder will usually select the weakest like children and old people.

Many assailants who want to kill a large number of people with a gun typically have an advantage knowing the location, the type of people who frequent that location and sometimes, the response time of law enforcement. That's the reason why gun free locations always attract mass murderers because they know that the response time will permit them to kill x amount of people before they kill themselves, get killed or they surrender.

[billyboblewis]

Interesting opinion for a nurse.

[billyboblewis]

and you never know when your best friend or relative is going to go craz

[maelstrom143]

All in support of CCW, also self defense, and fitness. Love weapons and bodybuilding. Don't take to work cause against policy (but nothing illegal about keeping in truck w/proper safeguards), but just because you don't have a weapon to hand does not make you helpless

[uRNmyway, ASN, RN]

and you never know when your best friend or relative is going to go craz

Relevance please?

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Relevance please?

^There IS a relevance...

The person that shot me had a acute psychosis attack that went untreated, was suicidal, came to a point that he shot me seven times and subsequently committed suicide.

He went through the proper channels to be a legal gun owner, yet, the gun he used was a "straw" gun...serial numbers were sawed off, so the investigators couldn't trace the gun sale.

I have heard more stories of people who were "gun enthusiasts" and family people and pillars of their community, but then gun down their family and kill themselves. There are at least 1-3 incidents in my state per year.

No one never knows when a personal "crisis" is going to occur, and how they are going to react. That's a reality. People do "snap" and react violently. And some make a choice to use a gun.