Hosptal ER

[Texasdoc]

Well I have a question, what happens when your taken to the hospital ER with lets say chest pains,

OK your wife drives you to the ER and when your taken back to a bed they find your legally carried handgun in your waist band ???

there is a reason for this question, I have read or heard that a nurse took the legally carried handgun and gave it to law Enforcement and the handgun was not returned and the LE filled charges on the gent for a 30.06 violation .

What do you do in this situation????? your wife is not a CHL holder and she is worried about getting you to the ER and you aren't thinking as the chest pain has your attention.


300shooter

[Commander]

300, I seem to recall a post here a few months ago that dealt with a similair situation that happened to the poster. The hospital wasn't identified, but I believe it was Baylor in Dallas. As I recall, the situation was resolved without a problem.

[Cosmo 9]

It was Carlson1. The hospital he went to was not posted. 300 I hope this story is not about you????

[seamusTX]

As a more general question, what if you're in a car wreck or otherwise injured or incapacitated? Do the EMTs search you? What happens in the ER?

- Jim

[Texasdoc]

Not me but a Close friend, he sues the PD to get his gun back.

I am trying to get him to sign up and tell his story first hand.

300shooter

[Cosmo 9]

I'm glad it was not you having chest pains!!!

[GrannyGlock]

If I may, in carlson1's case, nurse found it, called in police who escorted Mrscarlson1 to her car to secure the gun there. Very smooth transition with no hassles as I recall.

[Texasdoc]

this was at the new hosptal in Bastrop, and the PD there is Anti-gun.
I know there Chief and he and I went to school togather and is a real ******* about guns and the general folks .


But frank my Bud got it back afte filing the suit.


so Life id good and he now has a Pace maker and is doing great.


300shooter

[Piney]

Curious-- I may have missed it .. but was the ER entrance at the hospital posted properly with the 30.06 signage ?

[Texasdoc]

Well at the front doors, and the main ER doors are well marked but where the Ambulances enter is not posted and that's the door his wife used to take Frank into the ER at.

I was wondering how often this happens, like Car Accidents ,Heart attacks, and other general reason you would have to be brought in by EMS??

300shooter

[carlson1]

If I may, in carlson1's case, nurse found it, called in police who escorted Mrscarlson1 to her car to secure the gun there. Very smooth transition with no hassles as I recall.

Correct! They were very understanding and helpful. I am thankful someone had some common respect in our case

[sparx]

I was wondering how something like that would play out myself, as one of the things that our CHL instructor (a Sgt. for the FWPD) said to my wife when she called for information on the class was that she should really get her CHL, too, just in case I'm in an accident and have my gun on me.

When I got home from work and she was telling me what he said, we were curious (but not concerned, as she was going to be getting her CHL, too) if he was talking about if an ambulance had to take me away and that would allow her to legally take possession of the concealed handgun, or if he was talking about if she needed to use the concealed handgun I had on me to stop a threat and for some reason I was incapacitated and wasn't able to.

Anyway, I'm glad he got his gun back. It's a pity that he had to go to that extreme though! Did he get reimbursed for the court filing costs, or was that a loss?

[KBCraig]

Unfortunately, PC 30.06 is pretty plain, and does not have disqualifiers like "knowingly, intentionally, recklessly".

So, technically, a comatose patient could be charged with a 30.06 violation for arriving in an ambulance with a pistol.

My local Christus hospital (St. Michael) is fully posted, of course. I know a couple of the security officers there, who are retired BOP. They've told me their in-house policy for patients who arrive armed. They secure the gun and lock it away in the Security office until the patient can leave. If they have reason to suspect illegal possession, they'll call the local PD; otherwise, they return the firearm to the patient upon discharge. Or, they'll make appropriate arrangements for family members to take possession if the patient stays incapacitated.

I disagree with Christus posting all hospitals via 30.06, but I appreciate that in Texarkana, you won't wind up in jail for showing up at the ER with a heart attack.

Kevin

[KevinK]

Having worked in several ERs in the past, if we received a patient that was carrying with a valid reason (LE, CHL, etc.) we generally just called Hospital Security and asked them to hold the weapon until the patient was cared for. If an LE, we turned the weapon over to the first representative from his/her department that appeared.

The worst thing about confronting firearms in an Emergency Department is the person carrying may or may not be aware of their surroundings or have all of their faculties. I've been spit on, bitten, lost my front tooth, etc., I have no desire to face a weapon that a patient with an altered level of consciousness has carried in!

If the person carrying did not have a valid reason (as above), we called the local PD and had them take over.

[TxFire]

As a more general question, what if you're in a car wreck or otherwise injured or incapacitated? Do the EMTs search you? What happens in the ER?

- Jim

In my city we will secure your weapon in a gun case and tag it and then it will be turned over to our local LEO's to be checked into the property room I presume. I do not search persons unless I feel it neccessary, so unless you are unconscious and badly injured and I am removing clothing for treatment, I am unlikely to find a weapon.

Personally, if you are a CHL and have a competent person to take charge of your weapon in my presence then I will likely go that route. Less paperwork on my part anyway.