Firearms at workplace

Here is a news story of a gun toting psychiatrist who likely saved lives in 2014 after his patient brought a gun on the psych ward and started shooting. The hospital later said they would welcome the doctor back with open arms despite breaking policy:

Armed Doctor Saved Lives in Hospital Shooting Near Philadelphia, Police Chief Says : People.com Mobile

I get the spirit of a 'gun free' policy at hospitals, schools, wherever, but it kind of guarantees, in theory, that the only folks with a gun in those places would people who mean to do harm, i.e. if they are bent on committing murder, they sure won't care about breaking a rule.

Ah, a topic near and dear to my heart. I could publish volumes on this.

I'm against "no gun" policies. People who are bent towards harming others will carry a handgun or other weapon despite the signage or policy involved. Criminals and homicidal people don't generally follow the law. This is why legislation and "executive action" are typically ignorant approaches to solving problems.

That being said, in my state, I used to conceal a gun and badge on a daily basis. Now that I'm in healthcare, there's no longer a badge, but I still find that I frequently carry or have ready access to firearms. Here, signage prohibiting concealed handguns must be stated a precise way and be of a certain size as well as affixed in a given location. A no smoking looking sticker with a pistol instead of a cigarette doesn't mean squat. Having said that, if the management of the building (whatever it may be) doesn't want you in there with a gun then you can be asked to leave, sign or not. If you don't, you're merely guilty of criminal trespass. It's a given that if a handgun is concealed, no one else is going to know about it. You can also not be prosecuted for breaking your employer's internal policies. Many states have limitations on where handguns can be carried. If you carry on a concealed basis, you need to know all of the stipulations. You can also be exempted. If a building's management puts up a sign that says you can't carry concealed there, even if it's a legally precise sign, you can be exempted from it by said management. You should get it in writing, but a lot of ushers at my church carry firearms. This happens at a lot of churches, for example. The pastor might allow a given selection of the church congretation to pack their heat.

So in essence, if it's legal and you can safely carry and conceal the handgun then DO IT. But to step up on my soapbox, if you don't know how to accurately operate the weapon then you really have no business leaving your house with it. I see too many people on the range that don't know diddly squat about their firearms. From unholstering it to reloading it to clearing stop in actions most people seem largely incompetent. Marksmanship is also a perishable skill, and it's also a time consuming and expensive skill to maintain. I can also attest that using a handgun in a "tactical scenario" is not remotely akin to shooting holes in stationary paper.

Additionally, I should add that sheepdogs should possess a keen situational awareness. There's nothing wrong with sitting with your back to the wall in the corner of the room, but unless you already know how you're going to get out you're likely just cornered and on the long end of the kill list. Proximity isn't a bad thing. Being close to an assailant provides some opportunity that you can leverage when you don't have a handgun at your disposal. If you're training yourself to be attacked, and you carry a concealed weapon with the intent on using it against a close range attacker then there's a good chance your plan will fail. You can indeed dry fire your gun, and the world's expert marksman will tell you this is the BEST way to train yourself to make accurate shots. If you're inclined to carry a weapon and use it then you should read Dave Grossman's books. They're great. Of note, if you think you'll ever "need" to shoot someone (or otherwise intentionaly harm them) you should have an idea of the physiologic and psychologic effects that YOU will soon embrace.

I get the spirit of a 'gun free' policy at hospitals, schools, wherever, but it kind of guarantees, in theory, that the only folks with a gun in those places would people who mean to do harm, i.e. if they are bent on committing murder, they sure won't care about breaking a rule.

Exactly. And this is why the Democrat-approach to "gun control" won't ever work.

Guns are not allowed in hospitals and neither are they allowed in the clinics where I work.

Every place where I have ever worked has a no-gun policy for employees and a code 'active shooter' that encourages you to run and hide. But let's consider why they have a code active shooter protocol in the first place. Visitors can walk into hospitals with guns. Even those facilities with metal detectors won't catch all of them because not all guns are made from materials that those detectors will pick up. And, yes, visitors do walk in from time to time and shoot up the place and kill people. This has happened more than just a couple times over the years.

Sorry, but I think that everyone should pack. These are different times.

Well, the good news is that there are probably lots of good guys with guns in clinics and hospitals that CC so routinely that they don't even think about it. Most places I'm familiar with just have signs up with no facilities to actually detect a firearm. Some law abiding dude helping his wife with two lousy hips from the car to the front door thru ice and snow isn't going to turn around and go back because of a sign with no teeth.

Nor will some folks who navigate their way thru the maze that is the modern medical center to visit a sick friend make the 20 minute return trip to their car because of a sign that bad guys are sure to ignore.