OP
OP
SandpitMedic
Crowd pleaser
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I think in an EMS uniform there would be printing at some point during movements of and/or around patients; with the exception of an ankle rig with something small like a small .22, .38, or a single stack 9mm. Full size, no way. I'd be content with 5 rounds for self defense since I'm not planning on "being a vigilante."
So, with that... I think, as Josh said, that some could carry a firearm, BUT the vast majority could not. While your view may be, let them have the drugs- let them have the truck... Others will not share that mindset. Josh is a person who understands the concept behind concealed carry- it is hidden, from everyone, until it is required (usually never). That's great- off duty.
The hard truth is, and this may be a hard pill to swallow, I wouldn't trust most of you on this very site with a can of pepper spray let alone a firearm. Let alone all the muckety mucks out there on the EMS streets. No ****ing way. They are just as likely - scratch that - MORE likely to accidentally shoot me or have an ND than for it to be of use beneficially in deescalating a situation. Furthermore, for most people, especially the know-it-all, paragod, tough guy, testosterone driven, 9/11 hero syndrome 23 year old in EMS- that gun on his hip changes his psyche to actually drive him to enter into or escalate a hostile situation that he otherwise would not. To put it another words, he would be more emboldened to initiate or increase the likelihood of a conflict rather than deter one or shy away from one.
When you carry, your first option should be to escape. Your mindset should be to avoid conflict, not seek it out. In EMS, conflict finds you- and that's no place for an amateur with a pistol and a "save-the-world" complex. And frankly that is (generously) 50/50 in EMS. Sorry to say; we get some wackos. If I need the police, I'll call the police.
I carry everywhere I go off the job, and I know how to use my weapons, and I am lightly familiar with combat tactics and how to close with and engage an enemy, get off the "x", find cover, etc etc.... But even I wouldn't bring my gun into an ambulance. 999,999/1,000,000 times it will do more harm than good. We don't need it- and no one before you in an ambulance did either. There are other ways to evade conflict and to protect yourself.
So, with that... I think, as Josh said, that some could carry a firearm, BUT the vast majority could not. While your view may be, let them have the drugs- let them have the truck... Others will not share that mindset. Josh is a person who understands the concept behind concealed carry- it is hidden, from everyone, until it is required (usually never). That's great- off duty.
The hard truth is, and this may be a hard pill to swallow, I wouldn't trust most of you on this very site with a can of pepper spray let alone a firearm. Let alone all the muckety mucks out there on the EMS streets. No ****ing way. They are just as likely - scratch that - MORE likely to accidentally shoot me or have an ND than for it to be of use beneficially in deescalating a situation. Furthermore, for most people, especially the know-it-all, paragod, tough guy, testosterone driven, 9/11 hero syndrome 23 year old in EMS- that gun on his hip changes his psyche to actually drive him to enter into or escalate a hostile situation that he otherwise would not. To put it another words, he would be more emboldened to initiate or increase the likelihood of a conflict rather than deter one or shy away from one.
When you carry, your first option should be to escape. Your mindset should be to avoid conflict, not seek it out. In EMS, conflict finds you- and that's no place for an amateur with a pistol and a "save-the-world" complex. And frankly that is (generously) 50/50 in EMS. Sorry to say; we get some wackos. If I need the police, I'll call the police.
I carry everywhere I go off the job, and I know how to use my weapons, and I am lightly familiar with combat tactics and how to close with and engage an enemy, get off the "x", find cover, etc etc.... But even I wouldn't bring my gun into an ambulance. 999,999/1,000,000 times it will do more harm than good. We don't need it- and no one before you in an ambulance did either. There are other ways to evade conflict and to protect yourself.
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