1) I was not in any way suggesting that I or anyone should, or would, violate a valid "no guns" posting.OldCannon wrote:Possibly, but consider two things:olafpfj wrote:http://news.yahoo.com/police-man-kills- ... 28455.html
Murder suicide in the intensive care unit.
The antis always want guns banned from "emotionally charged" places. Those are precisely the places I feel most threatened.
1) Most hospitals, especially emergency rooms, are posted 30.06. If you're caught concealed carrying, expect to pay the price.
2) My wife is an RN at a large hospital in North Austin. We talked about this before and she brought up some interesting points. An ER is usually crowded with staff, patients, and families pretty much 24x7. If you were in a defensive situation, you're in an very awful predicament anyway, because
a) Armed police are likely just 100ft or so away. You can be certain they still stop ANYBODY with a gun and sort things out later. They are there precisely to handle these kind of situations. I assure you that at my wife's hospital, one word from a nurse or doctor and an unruly patient or visitor will get some hot taser lovin. They even have special intercom codes for different situations (every hospital has these procedures in place)
b) With thin walls, oxygen lines/tanks everywhere, and medical equipment that can possibly have radiation issues, a shot that misses the bad guy has a high chance of hitting another person or dangerous item
c) Unlike a threat situation in the open, the closed environment gives little room for families to take cover, and the patients themselves are often non-ambulatory - not even a fighting chance to find cover if multiple shots are fired.
I am not Rambo. I am not Batman. I understand that I have obligations on when to carry and when NOT to carry. A hospital, in my opinion (and my wife's) is not the place (and she has a CHL too).
2) Every enviornment provides unique ROE's and I am always thinking about what my reactions would be and what ramifications my actions would have.
3) After my experience at Cook Childrens yesterday I have also come to the conclusion that a hospital is no place for a gun fight and I felt uncomfortable (mentally) all day having it on me. However, just because I have it on me does not mean I am obliged to draw it and engage and its far more scure on me than in my car. I am more likely to flee or bunker in place if something gets wonky and I am a big fan of letting the pros deal with things.