What the heck should I do?

[supersophie]

keep fighting.

man... could you imagine the headlines if a medic ever shot a patient? whooo... plus now there's that talk about possibly hiring convicted felons. not really a good combination.

[Richard]

I've been thinking about this all day.

and I keep getting more angry.

What the hell?

Wanna carry a gun? become a cop. Join the army. I did, and then I got sick and tired of cleaning the damn thing all the time.

Get with the friggin program. This isn't Saving Private Ryan here for God's sake.

We're medics goddammit, Not cowboys.

The dumbasses packing in a rig should be fired on the spot.

And furthermore, If I ever caught my partner with a weapon, I hope I would have the chance to pistol whip him.

Thus endeth the sermon.

[Ridryder 911]

Asysin2leads, you have already read my response in there. I would love to be the families attorney that the medic shot... "not in line of duty, not properly trained, unlicensed concealed weapon.. Like I said, the D.A. tole me, chances of charges & prosecution would be likely....

Be safe,

Ridryder 911

[watervliet2193]

I say keep fighting. Its not a matter of being a cowboy, but when a situation thats a normal safe scene goes to hell and your getting shot at with no cops around i dont want to just have an O2 tank to defend myself. As long as it is concealed from view I think it a good idea, as long as education and qualifing goes with the right.

[Richard B the EMT]

FDNY EMS, and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation EMS before it, had, and have, rules on the books telling all personnel that having a firearm in department vehicles, or department buildings, is considered an offense that will get you canned!

Our jobs is to do no harm, but I agree that it is also your job to get to go home at the end of the tour.

The instructor at my girlfriends' Karate school says that my means of self defense is always a workable option: RUN AWAY.

If a patient who didn't have a bullet hole in them before transport started, has one on arrival at the ED, and it wasn't put there by a LEO, there's going to be a big problem, for the crew, the service, and a whole bunch of other people. Even if it was put into them by a LEO, same thing. Bad notoriety, and we really want to maintain low profiles (except when we do something that earns a mention for getting some kind of medal for the actions).

If the nasty folks think they can get guns from the EMS crews, ALL EMS crews, especially those who don't "pack", are endangered, as the one who carried a piece causes them to think we all carry. I'm already a target of the al Queda, because I'm an American, I don't need a local punk to target me for a nonexistent firearm.

[AZCEP]

Don't take anything into a fight that you don't want to have taken away from and used on you.

[nscfd22]

Besides, are they willing to pull the trigger? They may say they are, but I bet my bottom dollar they'd hesitate and wind up getting shot.

Or hey, take a more proactive approach, and try to find out who they really are and report them to their respective services.

But on this one, I agree. Leave the damn things at home for God's sake.

Okay, here we go...

1) Yes, I have thought long and hard about this question and feel I could pull the trigger if my life depended upon it.

2) Go ahead and report me...then when you're report comes back unfounded, I will get rich off the slander/libel suit I'll slap against your ass. For all those in the cheap seats, I NEVER SAID I CARRIED ON THE AMBULANCE!

I agree that guns have no place in EMS. I was just pointing out to Asys that what he said was illegal was not illegal in all areas. I never disagreed with him on the ethics or the moralitiy of it. He has his own set of ethics and morals, and I have mine.

My disagreement with Asys about the legality of this and my comment that it is a sad world when people in EMS should even have to consider carrying a weapon somehow led to me carrying a gun on an ambulance just waiting to kill somebody. Not so.

[Asysin2leads]

Well, actually, its a moot point now, since the thread has been locked, but all in all it turned into a really good arguement. What actually REALLY started it in the first place, wasn't so much the idea of carrying a weapon on an ambulance (this is bad, trust me) but more what it was about was the guy's attitude. First it was the passive remark about carrying, like it was no big deal, then his oh so important "tips" for if you do decide to carry (these were forehead slappers, really), coupled with the phrases that sounded like they came right out of a Jean Claude Van Damme movie, coupled with the repeated queries by him of 'What, do I INTIMIDATE you?', coupled with well, a lot of other things, was really what got under my skin. Having grown up on a farm in Vermont, along with interactions with a roomate who is a professional law enforcement officer, along with my studies into trauma and ballistics, and of various self defense issues, I believe I know a good deal about firearms and their uses, and I can tell you, this guy was not someone you would want to have a gun in any capacity. He just could not seem to grasp the first, and possibly most important rule of firearm safety, the very first thing I was ever taught when I was taught how to shoot growing up, and that is, NEVER POINT A GUN AT ANYTHING YOU DON'T INTEND TO KILL. I just wish someone else could have backed me up on that point. As for the whole legality issue of it, sure, I didn't check into every single state's specific statutes on carrying a concealed firearm, but I think it was just a bit short sighted to say "Because there isn't a specific law against carrying a firearm on an ambulance, its perfectly legal to do, and because the law provides for defenses against homicide in certain situations, its okay to use deadly force when working professionally in EMS." which is what your arguement was. You may be able to sleep soundly with those notions, but I wouldn't stake my career or my life on them.

(By the way, I added a vote for Patrick Buchanan and now its up to 7%. Someone call the Florida Supreme Court! )