Do you pack heat?

[TransportJockey]

10mm auto? i guess its ok, if you like increased recoil, increased muzzle blast, larger framed firearms, and higher cost.

I can get the same ballistic performance out of .40sw loads as i can 10mm in a smaller package for much cheaper.

The whole reason .40SW exists is because of the short commings of the 10mm, according to FBI at least.If you compare the high powered loads of each, you might get an extra 200 fps out of the 10mm, but at typical combat ranges where a pistol would be used, that is a negligible difference

I have yet to see a 1300fps 200gr .40sw round that feed reliably. And I do actually like increased muzzle blast and recoil. Plus my preferred size of carry gun is a full frame pistol like my Witness, which is a CZ clone.

Like I said, I have no problem with .40sw, in fact I plan on getting a conversion barrel for my 10mm so I can shoot both, along with .357SIG and 9x25 Dillon. I just prefer 10mm more, especially due to me carrying it for a woods gun as well instead of a large frame, long barrel revolver

Besides, the 10mm shoots beautifully flat if you ever wanted to use it for long range shooting. I've knocked off a few coyotes at about 150 yards with a properly sighted in Delta Elite and the flat shooting makes it oh so nice

question: for those of you that carry all the time, why is that?

and how come once you step on the ambulance, those reasons for carrying all the time don't apply?

and if the reason you don't carry is department rules, why do you allow your personal safety (if that is why you carry all the rest of the time) to be given up by your agency's rule?

for the record, I don't carry a gun with me everywhere, nor do I carry on when at work.

I feel that we as medical providers do not need to carry. If we are considered an unarmed party on the streets, chances are we will be left alone. It's the same type of reason that I feel EMS needs to move away from uniforms that look like PD (And that includes moving away from wearing a badge). Even when I pulled shifts in the worst parts of Denver and ABQ we seemed to be able to walk freely through those areas, while PD and to a certain extent FD, had to be more careful. That's not to say that I don't keep my head on a swivel and try to know what's around me at all times. That's just common sense and good situational awareness

Although I'll never fault a provider for wearing armor. Just in case.

 

[MrBrown]

Brown wants some sort of firearm to protect himself and Mrs Brown against the New World Order, perhaps a Springfield Armory XD .40 17+1 .... or some sort of long range tactical snipering weapon to take out the New World Order before they find him

 

[DrParasite]

Brown wants some sort of firearm to protect himself and Mrs Brown against the New World Order, perhaps a Springfield Armory XD .40 17+1 .... or some sort of long range tactical snipering weapon to take out the New World Order before they find him

I bet Brown also wants a weapon to protect him from Mrs. Brown when that time of the month happens, or when she gets pissed at him for not taking out the garbage when he was supposed to

 

[CAO]

When I do carry, I'm usually by myself anyway. At work, I have a partner, and hopefully police on any scene I need them.

 

[MrBrown]

I bet Brown also wants a weapon to protect him from Mrs. Brown when that time of the month happens, or when she gets pissed at him for not taking out the garbage when he was supposed to

No Brown has other ways of dealing with Mrs Brown during that time of the month

.... or if that doesn't work nothing a little 5mg/ml midaz in a 3ml vial can't fix

 

[Themyst]

I have my concealed carry license. I'm pretty active about going to the range for practice, etc. I'm a woman and I wear my .38 LCR in a concealed belly band (no one would suspect it, heh, as it should be), and on occasion I'll wear my SR9 iwb mob. I love it, I feel naked without a gun.

That said, I am currently an EMT-B student and have been informed that you may not carry while on the job. This greatly distresses me. I really don't understand it - as my training so far has emphasized SAFETY, SAFETY, YOUR SAFETY FIRST. Yet, you are not allowed the basic right to protect yourself? :huh: I still really don't understand it.

 

[CAO]

The idea is that you shouldn't be in an unsafe situation to begin with.

Of course, we all know that the scene is never completely safe. In that case, we should always have a plan to get out of the situation.

Let the men in blue do their jobs; we're not getting paid for it anyway.

 

[Aidey]

That said, I am currently an EMT-B student and have been informed that you may not carry while on the job. This greatly distresses me. I really don't understand it - as my training so far has emphasized SAFETY, SAFETY, YOUR SAFETY FIRST. Yet, you are not allowed the basic right to protect yourself? :huh: I still really don't understand it.

That is becuase the focus is on preventing ever getting yourself into that sort of situation.

 

[FrostbiteMedic]

Better get strapped up myself then I suppose.

Well, just think about this. If you lived in Kennessaw, Georgia, the law REQUIRES you to be armed. And they have a really REALLY low violent crime rate.....I wonder why......

 

[JPINFV]

That said, I am currently an EMT-B student and have been informed that you may not carry while on the job. This greatly distresses me. I really don't understand it - as my training so far has emphasized SAFETY, SAFETY, YOUR SAFETY FIRST. Yet, you are not allowed the basic right to protect yourself? :huh: I still really don't understand it.

What's your weapon's retention like when taking a blood pressure?

Since the vast majority of EMS uniforms are button shirts or polo shirts tucked into heavy duty pants, unless you are planning on wearing a jacket every day, how do you plan on staying concealed?

Will the concealed firearm present a snag hazard when you are working close with patients, especially when moving patients from where ever to your gurney?

 

[Aidey]

There is also the question of what do you do when you go somewhere where guns are not permitted, like a school, mental hospital, or jail?

 

[FrostbiteMedic]

And just to comment on an earlier post (i'm too lazy to go back through the pages to quote it) I live in an area where police response time running code 3 can be a half hour or more.....so yes, I have guns, and yes, if you come to my property and I feel that you pose a threat to my life, you will find yourself at the business end of one of them. If I feel that you pose an imminent threat to my life, the last thing you will see is a pretty bright flower coming from the end of one.
Just a thought......

 

[Akulahawk]

JP, I could probably find a way to conceal a pretty good sized firearm on my person while wearing a typical EMS uniform and you'd probably never know I'm armed. The ways that I'm thinking of would NOT present a snag hazard or a lifting hazard. Chances are, you'd never see, feel, or hear some of the concealment methods that I might employ during the course of a normal day. Some of those concealment methods would require some greater awareness to get to drawing the weapon earlier as the speed of draw is slower than typical IWB or OWB.

 

[JPINFV]

The only thing I can think of really is an ankle holster, but that is not how Themyst describes how she carries.

 

[Aidey]

An ankle holster is the only thing I can think of also that wouldn't involve access being hindered by a uniform.

 

[Akulahawk]

There is also the question of what do you do when you go somewhere where guns are not permitted, like a school, mental hospital, or jail?

Once I receive my CCW license, the only two places on your list that I would have "trouble" with is a mental hospital or Jail/Prison. I would also have a problem with carrying at "sterile" areas of Commercial airports and court houses. CA PC 171b generally prohibits carrying in government buildings but there is an exemption for CCW license holders. In those situations, I simply would present my CCW license to the Officer and ask to be escorted to wherever I can secure my weapon while I'm there. Post Office carry is a gray area for CCW holders. It's legality depends upon how the relevant USC and regulations are read.

 

[Akulahawk]

The only thing I can think of really is an ankle holster, but that is not how Themyst describes how she carries.

An ankle holster is the only thing I can think of also that wouldn't involve access being hindered by a uniform.

Ankle holsters are slow... and at the bottom of the list of methods I'd use while in uniform. Belly band is popular, some IWB is tuckable, and have you heard of "thunderwear"? Geez... you two need to explore the carry options a bit.

 

[Aidey]

Right, which is all fine if you are off duty. I was referring to someone carrying on duty, responding to 911 calls. I don't see "Hang out here for 10 minutes guys while we go take care of this" flying very far.

 

[JPINFV]

Once I receive my CCW license, the only two places on your list that I would have "trouble" with is a mental hospital or Jail/Prison. I would also have a problem with carrying at "sterile" areas of Commercial airports and court houses. CA PC 171b generally prohibits carrying in government buildings but there is an exemption for CCW license holders. In those situations, I simply would present my CCW license to the Officer and ask to be escorted to wherever I can secure my weapon while I'm there. Post Office carry is a gray area for CCW holders. It's legality depends upon how the relevant USC and regulations are read.

Of course the reality is if you're doing it properly, except at the jail or locked down mental health facilities, it shouldn't matter unless some sort of search is performed. After all, it's supposed to be concealed.

 

[Akulahawk]

On-duty, the only places that I've ever been asked to remove items that might become a weapon are mental hospitals and Jails/Prisons. I've been in the Capitol Building before, wearing readily accessible tools that could be used as weapons (my shears and a knife). Nobody batted an eye. When I went to a mental hospital or a Jail or a Prison, the people guarding the place simply asked us to secure any potential weapons in the ambulance. My shears and folder stayed in the bus...

In any event, were I to return to ambulance work, I'd leave the firearms secured someplace else. I rarely go anywhere truly completely unarmed. I usually carry a knife or other implement that can find use as a weapon (flashlight anyone?) almost everywhere. I just have to be aware of the places that I can't go with them on me, and those places are actually pretty few and far between in my travels.