Firearms

[cracklingkraken]

I thought this was an interesting discussion that happened to pop-up on a certain social media site. How many of you conceal carry? And what do you think about prohibiting firearms on hospital property?

I think with the increasing violence these days, safety is a major concern for everyone. How do you protect yourself and still abide by the rules set by your facility?

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

I do not own a gun and I don't plan to ever own one. My reasoning is I don't think even if I was in the situation to where I would use it, I could pull the trigger and kill someone. Even if my own life was being threatened. I honestly don't think I could do it. I admire people who can, I really do. I do not think gun laws need to be stricter. Even if I did conceal and carry, I would never on the job.

As a person who was sexually assaulted 18 years ago, I do not think you can ever be too safe. So what if crime rates are down? Doesn't mean it doesn't happen and won't happen to you. I don't understand that rationale. And it's not paranoia to ensure one's safety at all. Not being aware of your surroundings and what is happening because crime rates are down is putting your head in the sand. It just is.

I have been taking Brazilian Jujitsu which teaches you self defense. It's not about who is the stronger person. It's about using your body as leverage to have the advantage. I have learned what to do if say I have a man on top of me and trying to rape me. I know how to get away and severely hurt him. And no, it's not about kicking him where it hurts. I know how to gouge eyes properly and how to choke and armbar. If someone where to grab me and try to get me into a car, they would not be able to because I know how to leverage my body so it doesn't move. And yes, I have had some big men try to move me and they cannot. I've only been doing it a month but I am so much more confident as a woman right now.

Being attacked and stalked 18 years ago was the most terrifying time of my existence. I had previously been so naive to my personal safety. I sat in my apartment for 3 days and was just numb. I could not believe that had happened to me. I kept telling myself I was smarter than that and how on earth could I let that happen. A gun was pulled on me in that situation. I never reported it to the police. I couldn't go through the humiliation.

I am acutely aware now of my surroundings. I watch where I am at, especially at night. I avoid places like parking garages and walking alone at night. I don't let very many people know where I live. Only my inner circle knows. My house is locked at all times, even during the day. Windows on the lower level of my house are always locked. I may open a window at night in my room at this time of the year to get some chillier night air and lower my air conditioning bill. My room is on the upper level.

Always advocate for your safety. I don't live my life in fear, I live my life in confidence that what happened before will never happen to me again.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

I'm so sorry that happened to you, Heather. I think the self-defense class is a great idea. I know a little Taekwondo and have always been interested in my personal fitness, so, although I am small in stature, I have pretty strong arm and know how to give a man a good kick to disable him.

I'm planning on taking a self-defense class when I relocate. You never know when you'll be targeted.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

I would never want to have a firearm on me while working as a healthcare provider in a hospital.

Keeping a weapon protected when giving full concentration to other tasks in intimate proximity to many people makes it ludicrous to be armed while working in the hospital.

Armed healthcare providers are best found in the realm of tactical medics and the military.

As a Canadian, the idea of owning a gun is totally foreign to me. I don't give it a second thought. If you are carrying a weapon, be prepared to use it. No thank you.

There are 30 guns per 100 Canadian citizens. Perhaps if you expanded horizons a bit it wouldn't be foreign to you.

Someone who robs houses clearly doesn't care that it's illegal, should we just do away with the law that says it's illegal to rob houses?

It is illegal to rob houses to provide a mechanism to correct offenders and keep them out of society until deemed safe to rejoin.

However, we don't make it illegal to own crowbars and glass cutters because they could be used in a crime.

We have speeding tickets, but don't ban cars because someone might speed.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I don't know a ton of people who concealed carry now, but when I was in rural Georgia, it was just astounding how widespread guns were.

A lot of people think NC is the South, and parts of it certainly are, but NC especially in urban areas is not very southern compared to parts of Georgia. I'm talking the town I lived in that first year out of nursing school was the perfect ridiculous stereotype about rednecks and guns. There was an Air Force base right outside of the town and I swear at least 75% of the people over 30 in the town were veterans. Probably a good 10% at least of the nurses on my unit were vets, and just about all of them carried. And a lot of them brought their guns onto hospital property.

Many, many people had guns in their cars, but when we were all sitting around and talking, a good 3-4 coworkers on my unit admitted to keeping guns in their lockers. I'm quite sure a few of them kept guns on their person as well. Anyone trying to attempt violence on my unit would probably get shot by at least six different nurses if the nurses had time to raid their lockers while the person was up there.

I'm all for people having the right to bear arms, but the thought that the person standing next to me helping me turn my patient was hiding a gun was a little unsettling.

[hawaiicarl, BSN, RN]

I'm also Canadian, I differ from Joanna in that I grew up in northern Alberta where guns were commonplace. A mandatory class in middle school was hunter education, including gun safety, and time was spent firing weapons. That being said, assault rifles and pistols are illegal in Canada without a special collector's permit. Gun violence, is very low. Baffles me how Americans think that easy access to firearms will make their country safer. I am including a couple links from how the Australian Premier instituted gun control laws.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/17/opinion/australia-banned-assault-weapons-america-can-too.html?_r=0

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

@Summit RN if I expanded horizons a bit? What exactly does that mean? I have lived in more than a few Canadian cities and traveled extensively outside of Canada.

The concept of owning a gun would still be foreign to me. It isn't something I think about, or discuss with friends and colleagues.

By the way, do you have that reference (s)

To each his own, but I am fine with this.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

@Summit RN if I expanded horizons a bit? What exactly does that mean? I have lived in more than a few Canadian cities and traveled extensively outside of Canada.

The concept of owning a gun would still be foreign to me. It isn't something I think about, or discuss with friends and colleagues.

By the way, do you have that reference (s)

To each his own, but I am fine with this.

Per your request:

Gun homicides and gun ownership by country - The Washington Post

Canada has 1/3 the guns per capita of the US, but still 30 guns per 100 people. Canada has 1/6 the per capita FIREARM homicide rate. BUT, if someone murders you in Canada they are twice as likely to kill you with something other than a gun vs the US, as if such a statistic mattered.

Discordantly, look at Jamaica which has 1/10 the US guns per capita, but 13x the per capita FIREARM homicide rate and the murder weapon is more likely to be a gun than in the US.

Reminds me of some saying... correlation something something causation... these stats don't inform us of much... except that Canadians have a lot of guns.

I don't think people should own guns if they don't want to.

I also think people fear what they don't understand. That is all I meant by expanding horizons, wasn't meant to be offensive. Someone who hasn't driven a car and comes from a segment of culture that lacks exposure to cars might read horror stories about car wrecks, drunk driving, and auto wrecks and conclude that cars are dangerous things and the concept of owning one might be foreign to them.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Thank you for the reference.

[noyesno, MSN, APRN, NP]

I can scare people away with my dance moves.

No guns needed.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

I conceal carry, my husband conceal carries and I don't take my gun on hospital property. Our security are all retired military or retired police (the facility pays more than ALL local law enforcement. It's not too hard a decision). They all carry. And they are better shots than I am. I trust them.

Besides, with my luck, I would have my gun stolen while I was working

[MierKat]

I love concealed carry threads! They always get interesting. I do not carry on my person, but I do have a pistol in my purse at all times. I do not work in a hospital and there are no signs out front prohibiting firearms. What if an enraged patient or family member comes in with a gun? That happened at a psychiatric clinic in Pennsylvania. I'll be prepared.

And a hospital in Utah where my brother is an MD.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Just wanted to mention that while the Washington Post is an interesting article re: gun stats, you would have to provide much more data to determine that 30 out of 100 Canadians carry guns. That's a rather high statistic, and probably skewed depending which region of Canada the authors are referring to.