[moooose102]

How Many Of You Doctors Have A Ccw Permit? And Carry?

[doc2rn]

A lot more than will admit to it.

[ryan in maine]

My doctor has his CCW and carries sometimes. He's actually some sort of an NP though.

[gcrookston]

I know an anesthetist down in Louisiana that is a real Class III Steyr Aug Fan.....

[12131]

I ccw carry. I'm blessed that my staff are pro-2A and strongly believe in the right to self defense.:D

[shooter429]

but anyway, I carry when not on hospital grounds.

Shooter429

[The Bushmaster]

Does being a "Doctor of Motors" count?

[moooose102]

bushmaster, sorry, i am also one of those, well, i used to be. anyway, i was refering to physicians. people who have to plug up all those holes left in bodies from bullets.

[RyanM]

I heard from one Class II that Serbu Super Shorties are very popular with doctors, at least in his area. Why, neither of us know, but they are.

[HM2PAC]

I am a PA-C. I CCW.

It's funny, one hospital I work at, just about the entire Med Staff are liberal and pacifistic. A different hospital I work at Per Diem, they are all conservative and Pro2A.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. One place looks to me for advice on hunting and firearms, the other place looks at me as though I am a Neanderthal.

To steal a quote from a friend:

"Good, bad, or other.....I'm the guy with the gun."

[chihuahuatn]

Without grossly elaborating my leather satchel sits a Kahr PM9 with easy access, usually X-rays and various chart components always by my side (due to Hippa) or locked up. I have often experimented with it in my "inner" lab coat pockets, the majority of the time its not practical and illegal in county hospitals, private practice is another story.

[Cannonball888]

To steal a quote from a friend:

"Good, bad, or other.....I'm the guy with the gun."
Your friend stole it from Army of Darkness and it's
"Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun"

BTW, I'm not a MD, but I am a state licensed healthcare professional. Many of us have CWPs or are at least pro-gun especially in FL.

[HM2PAC]

CannonBall

Yeah, that seems more like it.

[ccarnel]

I have a CCW here in Alabama. In fact several of my collegues were "character references" on my application. Unfortunately, I am unable to carry at work due to the rules at these facilities. At all other times I never leave the house without the PF-9.

I would say many people I work with are pro 2A. Some of those folks did not realize that the the 2nd amendment has nothing to do with hunting.

Most people ask me if I hunt and are suprised to find that I've never been.... they are even more suprised that I own an EBR.

[au1776]

I would like to know the answer to this re: lawyers.

[rc135]

I'm a Docotr of Law (J.D., aka an attorney) and would LOVE to be able to carry, but since I'm in California...can't.

That's why I'm moving in July. Looking for a job somewhere between AZ and ID

R
619-807-5382

[mikec]

There was a doc at the shooting club I used to belong to that carried. He even used it to defend his life. No shots fired, the bad guns realized that THEIR life was more important then trying to get the guy's wallet. (They also brought one knife, two guys, to a robbery attempt. The "victim" had a gun.)

[tpaw]

how many DOCTORS are CCW?

Before I retired from the PD, one of my assignments was the review, processing and granting carry license applications. MD's always scored high on the list.

[Cannonball888]

Doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals really need to carry. I know a personal account of a doctor and his office staff who were killed by a patient. I also know a pharmacist who nearly died when a drug addict stabbed him in the throat while trying to rob his pharmacy.

[moooose102]

au1776, if i were a lawyer, i wouldn't even BREATH without a 45 on my hip!

[spwenger]

...with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, I carry wherever I legally can. I have had many students who are physicians. They tend to reflect specialites.

When I taught with LFI, most of our physician student were orthopedic surgeons (who tend to be jocks) and obstetricians (who often feel threatened if they have been identified as abortion providers).

ER physicians, some of whom I've had as students since I've been teaching on my own, tend toward one extreme or the other - enthusiast or prohibitionist. Family-practice docs also seem to polarize in similar fashion.

Pediatricians usually are prohibitionists but I recently had one tell me that he had taken the training to obtain an Arizona CWP.

Back in California, where I worked for the nation's largest HMO, I once met an internist I knew from work at an indoor range. When I exited the shooting area he was waiting for me, with a request that I not mention at work that I had seen him shooting. On the other hand, Timothy Wheeler, founder and director of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership is a head-and-neck surgeon with the same organization and holds a California CWP.

[glassman]

I'm a registered nurse working in an operating room. The hospital where I work expressly prohibits carrying (firable offense) so I put it in the trunk before going into the building. An orthopedic surgeon I work with is known to be a gun enthusiast and has a fanny pack on his person at all times. I once asked him what caliber he had in the bag..he just smiled and didn't answer the question.

[michiganfan]

One of my docs carries. Discovered it when my kid and his kid, and all th parents showed up at the same mutual friends house (call it a McMansion) for before the high school dance pictures. I had on my sig sauer shirt. Next appt all the doc wants is to talk guns. LOL.

[Waitone]

Several years ago in Charlotte there developed a hostage situation in a medical office building associated with one of the big hospitals. It was resolved without difficulty. Word on the street afterwards was there was a surprising number of firearms in the building starting with the receptionist despite NC law.

[Khornet]

carries at all times. Local hospital proposed a rule of no firearms on campus. Several staff, including me, pointed out that a sign won't stop a criminal, and would only ensure that any gun brought inside would be in lawbreaking hands. Rule was never passed. But a shooting colleague just signed an employment contract with them which specified no guns. Don't know why he signed. I'm independent, but if it were me I'd have them assume in writing responsibility if I were ever shot in their building.

Pediatricians and FPs here are all gun-fearing sheep.

[El Tejon]

What's an "FP"?:confused:

[Conqueror]

Family Practitioner.

I'm a med student with a CCW here in NC. I cannot legally carry into the hospital because it is on a university campus, but I carry in legal places. I believe a doctor who's afraid of guns suffers the same irrational/emotional reaction as anyone else who's afraid of guns. The ones who believe gun control will lessen the number of GSWs they have to stitch up haven't really stopped to think about who is causing those GSWs and where they probably got their firearms.

[LeonCarr]

One of my former doctors is a big gun guy (we were members of the same gun club) and would neither confirm or deny ;) that he carried a Glock 23 loaded with Hydra-Shoks while seeing patients in his office.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[Snarlingiron]

My wife is an RN. The hospital where she works does not allow any firearms on the premisis, including hospital owned parking lots (They have signeage to that effect, as well as improper 30-06 signs on all doors). I suggested to her the other day that I get her a pepper spray unit at the very least. Nope, that too is a fireable offense. Where she works, all you can do if confronted by emminent death is roll over and pee on yourself. I had opportunity to take my son to their emergency room recently, and I had to park about 1/2 mile away on the street, and lock my pistol in the trunk before I could join him in the emergency room.

[HK G3]

Well I just registered here, and I guess this is an odd first post, but I must say I'm happy to learn that a lot of docs support the 2nd Amendment, because I would not have guessed it prior to reading this thread! I'm a medical student, and do not CCW, but am planning on eventually getting one at some point. Since I don't actually own any pistols, figured there would be no point yet.

One of the things that really surprised me, was that on the first day of learning how to conduct patient interviews prior to physical exams, they instructed us that during the "High Risk Behaviors" section of the interview, we are required to ask every patient if they own a gun, and if they say yes, ask them multiple questions about whether or not it's locked up, and try to make them feel bad for owning one, and try to convince them to store the gun unloaded, in a safe, with a trigger lock, and move all the ammunition out of magazines and somewhere far away. While that may protect kids at the home (if they have any) I fail to see how this would help individuals living in crime infested regions from rapists or home invaders.

The general view that my classmates have towards guns is rather sad as well. When practicing the interview with actors, one of them pretended to have a gun at home, and carry. When one of my classmates asked them the gun question, and the old actress said she had a gun, and carried it with her in her purse, he was visible shaken by this, even though it was an actress and nothing she was saying was real! He had to collect himself for a bit before doing the standard "lock trigger, remove ammo, lock in safe, don't carry" routine, which btw, if we don't do, they grade us down for. :cuss:

[Conqueror]

I also disliked that portion of our curriculum. They didn't place HEAVY emphasis on it, but we were told to at least ask. Personally, if a patient of mine has kids and guns, my only question will be "have you taught them gun safety and marksmanship skills yet?" If the answer is yes, I will tell them to rock on.

The part that has pissed me off the most was the "domestic abuse day" where they told us that under no circumstances should a battered woman purchase a gun because it will be taken from her and used against her. :cuss: :banghead:

SOME of my classmates know that I shoot, but I have to be careful about revealing that. I've had some fairly vocal "debates" with some of them over the value of firearms.

[Deer Hunter]

I'm a freshman in college right now, but I am working on becoming a doctor. Way before that happens, however, I'll be obtaining my CHL when I turn 21.

[tpaw]

I investigated a shooting in Chinatown, NYC, about 15 years ago. It was a hold up in a doctors office. When I got there, the culprit was on the floor DOA. The doc shot him with his Walther 9 mm.

[jestic]

I'm a third year medical resident and I have a CCW. Unfortunatley, I can't carry in school nor the hospital I'm doing my residency at. Other than that, I'm alsways carrying my EMP.

[cornman]

A Doc carrying is a gun contrary to what a Doc is supposed to be about. I would not be supprised to see a conversation on these boards about how it was too bad Jesus did not pack heat.

[mokin]

Attitudes around 2A aside, what about "safety" issues around MRI (and other electro-magnetic field generating) equipment and accidental discharges while carrying with one in the chamber? It seemes like I read something about this possibility with double action autos and Glocks, especially those with light/short trigger pulls. Has anybody else heard something along these lines?

[Thernlund]

A Doc carrying a gun is contrary to what a Doc is supposed to be about.

And what is that exactly? To heal I expect you'll say. A gun, on the other hand, is to protect. Not to harm, as I expect you think.

One thing has nothing to do with the other. I find your comment to be rather ignorant.

Attitudes around 2A aside, what about "safety" issues around MRI (and other electro-magnetic field generating) equipment and accidental discharges while carrying with one in the chamber? It seemes like I read something about this possibility with double action autos and Glocks, especially those with light/short trigger pulls. Has anybody else heard something along these lines?

What would the action have to do with anything relating to a magnetic field?


-T.

[Rokyudai]

Most of the Docs I work with are pro 2A and I know of at least 4 that have CC permits and are avid hunters/IDPA shooters. Part of our morning meetings cover topics such as these...and the patients of course. Then again we are in Texas.:rolleyes:

[The Bushmaster]

Aah but cornman...Jesus did advicate self defence and several of his deciples carried swords...

[12131]

A doctor is a human being, just like you. If you want to be sheep, that's fine, that's your choice. But, I'll be damned if I'll let any criminals attempting to harm me, or my loved ones. Not if I can do something about it.

[Autolycus]

Jesus was not an advocate of self defense. He was a very adamant pacifist and disliked the idea of violence. Not to mention his actions illustrate this.

[Thernlund]

Thread tanking. Lock imminent.


-T.

[Packman]

moving back on topic, my friends dad is a heart surgeon in FL and has a CCW, but I don't know when or where he carries.

Nice guy. I'd trust him to work on my heart, I guess. At least I know he understands some of the concepts I hold dear.

[Conqueror]

A Doc carrying is a gun contrary to what a Doc is supposed to be about.

That is pure nonsense. The Hippocratic oath is about not doing harm to one's patients. It has nothing to do with stopping MDs from plugging armed assailants to protect their own lives or the lives of others.

[AndyC]

One of my immediate family-members just started practising as an anesthesiologist - both he and his wife are looking to get their CHLs (after a gentle nudge from me by giving him "Dial 911 and Die) ;)

[Feanaro]

A Doc carrying is a gun contrary to what a Doc is supposed to be about.

Living is contrary to what a Doctor is supposed to do? To deny them self preservation because they heal others is... I can't think of suitable High Road words.

[TimboKhan]

My favorite doctor I have ever had not only carried but used to get his .50 cal reloading supplies sent to the office! His brother was a lawyer and actually helped write some of the right to carry legislation here in the state. He would still be my doctor if it weren't for the fact that working for a jerk wore him down, and he finally quit the VA.

For a short, informative look at the Jesus and SD argument, check this link. It gives the essential positions of both sides of the argument.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/qselfdefense.html

[porkysan]

Quote:
Attitudes around 2A aside, what about "safety" issues around MRI (and other electro-magnetic field generating) equipment and accidental discharges while carrying with one in the chamber? It seemes like I read something about this possibility with double action autos and Glocks, especially those with light/short trigger pulls. Has anybody else heard something along these lines?

What would the action have to do with anything relating to a magnetic field?


Actually there was quite an interesting article which was published in the last few years in some medical journal - radiology related. It was a case report of a 1911, cocked, with thumb safety in place, which discharged after a police officer carried it into an MRI suite and lost control of the weapon. The article was obviously written by someone with a background in weapons/ understanding of the mechanisms at work in a SA 1911/ understanding of how the safeties work.

What was interesting was the way in which the 1911 discharged in the magnetic field of the MRI. The field pulled the firing pin of the weapon into the primer with enough force to ignite it. It did this despite being "on safe" . The hammer did not drop. The grip safety was not depressed.

After one round discharged, the weapon did not cycle, as the slide was caught by the thumb safety.

It's such an outlandish series of events as to seem impossible, but apparently did happen.

I'll try to find a link to the article and post it up.

[porkysan]

Link to the article - http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/full/178/5/1092

Link to THR discussion of said article - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=240590

[porkysan]

Back on topic....4th year medical student, I carry as often as possible, but off limits inside the hospital.

The notion that a physician would be any less of a physician if he carried a weapon is foolish at best.

[XavierBreath]

I'm a registered nurse.
I carry a gun.

If you are in health care, in any capacity and you want to help support the second amendment from within your profession, consider joining Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws. (http://www.dsgl.org/default.htm)

DSGL lobbies and writes to health care professional organizations in an attempt to bring the anti-gun types in health care at least back to middle ground.

Here is an excerpt from a letter:
Because of this, we must use all the data available, lest we advocate something harmful. That is certainly the case with firearms. While criminal or seriously mentally-ill patients certainly shouldn't have access to a firearm, I don't want to be part of an organization that advocates mandatory waiting periods for gun purchases, only to have my defenseless patient be attacked or killed by her estranged husband on the 3rd day of her mandatory waiting period. Studies have shown that women that resist rape with a firearm are least likely to be harmed. How do I tell my female patients that my professional organization has kept them from using the best defense possible against a rapist?

And let's not forget that the Second Amendment is about the right of the people to defend themselves against tyrannical government. While such an out-of-control government may seem unlikely here in our relatively young country, once we surrender our rights to defend ourselves, we have also surrendered the rights of our heirs as well. If the people are disarmed, and 100 years from now the country is transformed into a dictatorship, it will have been our rash decision that left our great-great-grandchildren defenseless. As a physician, I think I need to play a role in preventing this, for the good of my patients.

And while you're discounting the idea that our government could ever become this controlling, do you think our ancestors would ever have imagined the governmental mandates imposed by Medicare, Medicaid, the ADA, the EPA, and OSHA? Or that the government would ever compile such a vast array of data on it's citizens? (Let's not forget that the Social Security Number was simply an account number, it was never meant to be a personal identifier, but it's usage in that role is now ubiquitous. The law says you are not obligated to use your SSN for anything but the Social Security program and taxes. Try not using it and see what happens. That was never envisioned by the politicians who created the Social Security program.)

[Tim Burke]

Thanks for the link, XB, I'll contact them today.
As for the religious and moral arguments, the Catholic Catechism (http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/fifth.html) clearly states that self defense, even killing in self defense, can be justified. I wouldn't mistake obedience to God's will as pacifism. I don't think a pacifist would have given the instructions contained in Luke 22:36.

[Shrinkmd]

Working on getting my Florida CCW, but no good here. When I visit PA will be another story.

[Thernlund]

Link to the article - http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/full/178/5/1092

Link to THR discussion of said article - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=240590

That's incredible. Thanks for the links.


-T.

[HK G3]

That's really interesting that an MRI could do that. I always knew that they were powerful magnets, but wow. I still haven't stepped into an MRI room yet, however, usually we just get to see the MRIs of patients after the fact - I've been down to radiology just once before, and that was to hear the radiologist analyze the results of a patient's stress test.

I remember when we had to enter a mass-spectrometer room in undergrad, they told us to remove all of our wallets and other metal items. Apparently the field that thing gave off was powerful enough to destroy all the magnetic strips on bank cards/drivers' licenses. I bet that would discharge any firearm around it as well!

[jdmbackdoc]

My Kimber Ultra Carry II is always with me in my private clinic. Never know when some mug is gonna try to take me cash or think I might have drugs he could use. That big .45 bore tends to deter.

[mokin]

Thanks porkysan

I don't remember where I saw what I originally saw (it certainally wasn't what you found) but when I looked for more about that article but it never surfaced. I didn't think to search for information here. It is a very interesting and well written article.

[hirundo82]

I'm a current medical student, have had a CHL for nearly 2 years, and carry regualrly. Like so many others here though I cannot carry when at school or in the hospitals due to Texas's laws prohibiting lawful carry in a school or school activity. Hopefully those laws will soon change.

I have never had any instruction in our H&P class regarding asking patients about gun ownership. That may be a result of where the school is located, but if it were going to occur in Texas I would expect it here (probably the most liberal medical school in Texas).

I have met a couple of doctors who carry. One was an orthopedic surgeon on whose service I rotated. I had gotten the impression that he was very pro-gun, so when he asked if I hunt I replied that I'm not a hunter but I'm a shooter. We had a couple of good discussions regarding guns after that. The other was our neuropathology professor who gave us a lecture on the various types of firearms and the types of wounds they would create (easily one of my 2 favorite med school lectures, the other being a forensic pathologist). At the end he was giving some statistics about how many people are estimated to carry in their cars in Texas and said "It may surprise you who is carrying a gun," and projected on the screen a scan of his CHL card.

I am extremely circumspect about who knows I am a gun owner and that I carry. Nobody at school knows. I have heard people at school make ignorant and/or anti-gun comments and try to correct them. I wish I could stand up more for what I believe, but it is very hard as I tend to be a very privae person and also care too much about what people think of me.

[UnTainted]

I'm not a doctor, but my old man is, and he carries a 5 shot snubbie most of the time. He carries a G31 sometimes (traveling etc...)

He uses a Styer SPP in 9mm and a G31 for HD.

He always tells me (often enough that I believe him) that the bullets are his scalpel and he just has to "cut" his enemy in the right places to achieve the desired "stop." His understanding of anatomy, his first-hand experience gathered by operating on gun wounds, both combined with his consistent marksmanship have convinced me that he's just as deadly with his 9mm as most could be with any other caliber. In other words, his understanding of placement and effects of wounding goes way beyond mine.

[EastKY_DO]

I'm a doc and I carry 24/7 in all places it's legal for me to do so. Doing no harm is, as previously mentioned, concerned with patient care. Popping some dirtball attempting to do harm to me, my family, friend and / or patients is not affected by the oath.

[pernicus]

first year medical student

i carry my sig p239 everywhere i legally can, unfortunately i'm not allowed to carry on campus

as for letting people know whether or not i carry, if someone asks i tell them but i don't walk around waving it either...i'm not the most PC person that ever walked the earth and will defend what i believe in, if someone wants to argue with me or try to make me feel guilty for owning/carrying a weapon they're welcome to waste their breath

[762plinkster]

I have never heard of a Doctor being denied the right to carry. And i live in California!

Any doctor who has access to drugs will get theirs with no problem. even local pharmacy techs get it fairly easily in comparison to others.

Surgeons on the other hand might get second guessed but will ultimately get there CCW. I heard that a reasonable argument for this is that family members get pissed when doctors can't save their family member and might take it out on them for being a bad doctor.

Of course i am not a doctor yet i'm still in school.

And i may consider doing a stint in the army as a doctor.

something to consider: local hospital where i live is notorious for having gang bangers come by to finish off an already wounded gangster.

so when i'm done with school and take that oath...i plan to carry

[redactor]

After one round discharged, the weapon did not cycle, as the slide was caught by the thumb safety.

I always wondered if the slide would cycle if you somehow managed to fire the thing in the holster with the thumb-safety on... Sear failure... Cook-off... etc. I always assumed that I'd be going home with a perforated leg and a few broken ribs.

[GLOOB]

You can count me in, as of yesterday. :)

[AndyC]

Whatever the story is behind that, I'm sure it involved a lot of hard work - congrats! :D

[AVESguy]

Lots of veterinarians carry too, I do. I know of one in Maryland who, with his wife, was killed in a robbery at his clinic 7 or 8 years ago, most likely by drug seekers. I knew him when I lived there, a peaceful, nice, hard working family man of, I believe, Indian descent. Defenseless, unfortunately. Vets often have controlled substances in their clinics and junkies and criminals know it.

We used to have people exhibiting drug seeking behavior using their animals as a front, trying to get anabolics (for the skinny dog), or ketamine, valium, painkillers, etc. "for their pet".

I am not in clinical practice right now but if I was I'd carry every day all the time at work.

Many MD's, chiropractors, etc. I know very well are pro 2A and either carry or are gun nuts or both . My kids ophthalmologist is our local NRA rep and works all the gun shows at the NRA booth-with his wife. When I go in for my boys' annual checkup we talk guns....

Lots of MD's I know are sheep, though. I guess like every subset of the population, it is a spectrum.

[Squawker]

Another PA-C here, and I also carry 24/7, unless prohibited by law. To me, a hand gun has become my version of the old American Express Card ad- I don't leave home without it. I realized that this world has become a dangerous place, and I have to take an active roll in not only my defence, but my family's. The wake up call came when my wife and I were having lunch with a friend at a San Francisco fast food restaurant. W noticed a drunk man in the median on a very busy street. He would step off like he was going to walk in front of a car, then pull back. He would also stumble around, and almost fall into the roadway many times. I called 911, because I was afraid that this guy was either going to be hit, or cause an accident. I was placed on hold for over 5 minutes. I can imagine a frightened person trying to call for help with someone after her. I knew then that I could not count on the police to provide protection. While in California, I kept a shotgun around for home protection, and as soon as I moved to Nevada, I got a hand gun, and took a CCW class. I now have 4 hand guns, 2 shotguns (1 is a new pistol grip model), and an AR 15. In addition to Nevada, I also have a Utah and a Florida CCW, the combination allowing me to carry in over 30 states.

[Odd Job]

When I was still doing radiography in South Africa I carried 24/7 (even on hospital premises). It was just a matter of whether I had the mousegun or the 9mmP.
Many doctors out there carry, and many of them are reserve policemen too. I have personally covered an orthopaedic surgeon's back while he was leaving the emergency department because some low life threatened to take him out because he didn't like the treatment his friend had got. I have been on handgun and rifle courses that were made up entirely of medical staff, including doctors. Some of them were highly-skilled consultants.

Don't forget that doctors and other medical staff get abused and killed just like anybody else. We had an ENT consultant killed as he was driving off hospital premises: he was shot through the windscreen and could not be resuscitated. We've had an ER nurse shot in the face after an ATLS course. We've had assaults on staff in the hospital, we've had staff stabbed in the lifts in the hospital and we've had all manner of nastiness where medical staff could be hurt or killed.
So, I say let the doctor carry.

Don't forget one thing: if the doctor is killed or hurt, then indirectly all of his patients suffer too. He can't carry on his duties and another guy has to take over. It affects many people if you harm just one staff member in the hospital.

[TAB]

I have never heard of a Doctor being denied the right to carry. And i live in California!



must not have been in a county that does not issuse... like LA, Sac, most of the bay area, and several in the LA area.

Why should being a Dr have anything to do with rather or not they get a CCW? Compared to lots of other jobs, they are realativly safe( as a whole).

[WC145]

I am a respiratory therapist and LEO and I work in a very small hospital (25 beds) in rural Maine. I carry everywhere, all the time. I know several doctors with concealed carry licenses but the hospital I work at does not allow employees to bring "weapons" to work, including doctors. However, since I am also a police officer (and the closest thing we have to security) the hospital and I have a sort of "don't ask don't tell" agreement. The assumption is that I am armed but no one talks about it.

A sort of funny thing happened one day when a package needed to be opened in a hurry and another therapist couldn't get it. At work I carry a Kel-tec P3AT inside my scrub pants on one side and a HK automatic knife on the other. Anyway, I took my knife out, opened it and cut the package open. My boss was standing there and her eyes got wide and in a panicked voice she asked, "Is that a weapon?!". I replied, "No, it's a tool", and she sighed in relief and said "Oh, well that's okay, as long as it's not a weapon". I just shook my head and went back to work.

[AVESguy]

Tim:

My wife joined DSGL a few years ago, and has been barraged with fund-raising pleas and newsletters from The Claremont Institute ever since. The last straw was an invitation to their big annual dinner/fundraiser this past December where they were honoring their man of the year, Donald Rumsfeld. I found that quite unbelievable.

They had a direct link to Claremont when she joined, the organization was based (for mail) at Claremont, it doesn't seem to be now, though, but I am not sure what, if any, the association is now.

[pernicus]

WC145, i was under the impression that LEO were immune to the no carry rules of hospitals/goverment property etc? i know they are in alabama

[JustinL]

I am a resident at a large Florida hospital and have been carrying since I was a medical student. I cannot carry, though, on hospital grounds and have never seen a hospital that allows it. I am aware of one other resident and 3 attending physicians who shoot on a regular basis, though I do not know if they have carry permits.

[TurboJeff]

My 70 y.o. Father, an Orthodontist, has his hangun permit and carries. To make it a family affair, so does my 68 y.o Mother, my wife, sister-in-law and her husband. Several of my Father's hunting buddies, all in the dental field, etc. Then again, we all live in beautiful crime-ridden Memphis.

[Russ]

My first cousin was an Orthopaedic Surgeon. One day he was driving and someone cut him off. He gave them the 1 finger salute. Those persons forced him to pull over and beat him up. Ever since then he carried. He passed away in 1999 but he always had a gun with him. He even slept with one under his pillow.

[guitararmy]

My hospitals ban handguns on the premises. Otherwise I carry whenever possible.

[commygun]

Over the years I've seen our optometrist, our pediatrician, our ENT doc, and my wife's OB/GYN (an African American women with a stainless 1911 no less) at the local gun show. Well, it is Lewis County after all.

[bikerdoc]

I will never tell

[WC145]

WC145, i was under the impression that LEO were immune to the no carry rules of hospitals/goverment property etc? i know they are in alabama

That's true here if you're in uniform/on-duty, off-duty is a different story even though we all have arrest powers on or off-duty throughout the state. In my case, when I am working for the hospital I am their employee and subject to the same rules as everyone else. My dept's authorization to carry off-duty, and their expectation that I will, doesn't supercede the hospital employee policies. So, like I said, they know I'm a cop, they assume I carry, but nobody asks me not to in spite of the policy. I suppose the idea is that potential benefit of having an armed off-duty officer on staff is greater than their desire to enforce that particular rule.

[alpha6164]

I am a physician and own my private practice. I carry 24/7. You just never know when that crazy drugged up patient will show up at your office.

[BlisteringSilence]

Wow. Docs with guns. Let's see....

My dad's a trauma surgeon. He carries his sig with him everywhere he goes.
My orthapedic surgeon is a HUGE 1911 guy. Also the only person I've met who carries a tricked out Wilson Commander daily.
Most of the ER docs carry. And their choice of carry weapon is dictated by personal preference and body type (as it should be).
I walked into the ER nurses lounge one time to get some coffee after a run, and *unintentionally* waded into a very heated caliber war. One that would make us here look like a bunch of sissies.

I'm a paramedic. And most of (if not all) the guys I work with have a CHL and b*tch about the fact that we aren't allowed to carry on duty (when we're way more likely to be shot at).

I see docs at the range all the time. A bunch of radiologists got together and formed a skeet team. And they're really good.

And I hunt with a drug rep.

So yeah, I'd say there are lots of docs with CHL's.

[YakCZP01]

First off commyman, that is too funny because it is true.

Second, I will have my doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) in about 3 months and I CCW, but not at the hospital as it is a serious offense.

[kubmiester]

This is an AWESOME thread! I think a lot of people look at doctors solely as healers. But a gun can be considered ‘preventative medicine’ for good people just as much as immunizations. Why would a doctor NOT want to help keep someone from sickness or injury?

[12131]

alpha6164 wrote:
You just never know when that crazy drugged up patient will show up at your office

No doubt about it. When I was doing locum tenens at one of the local clinics, a doctor got the crap beat out of her in the parking lot by a crazy dude demanding drugs from her, as she was leaving the clinic at the end of the day.

[xsquidgator]

I know someone who works at a local veterinary clinic where multiple vets and staff carry, including or especially while at work. Very covert, I only know because I've talked guns with a few of the people there but I feel a lot more secure once I get inside the building there from the parking lot.
As has been mentioned here, a lot of controlled substances in the clinic and people on the street know it. The clinic I'm thinking of isn't in a bad area but it's kind of on the edges of a not-so-good area, so it only makes sense. Once or twice in the last year they've basically gone to a clinic lock down when the police were (on at least two or more occasions) searching for an escaped criminal/fugitive within a block or so of the business.

[HK G3]

Here's a somewhat amusing story of a doc using a CCW to defend himself: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/tcoast/epaper/2008/02/08/m1b_sldoc_0208.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=77

[grimjaw]

The hospital where I work now specifically prohibits CCW on the campus and is marked as such. I'm sure that prevents some doctors from bothering. Also, "security" is very visible at most times of high traffic during the week (but try finding a guard patrolling the lot where I park at 7:30P on a Saturday night). Some people probably think, lots of security I don't need a gun. You know how it goes.

jm

[MillCreek]

Something for healthcare providers to think about: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23143942/

Several years ago, a very nice plastic surgeon of my acquaintance who practiced in Bellevue was killed by one of his patients who was unhappy with her surgical results. The patient then killed herself a short time later.

[mrreynolds]

Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws (http://www.dsgl.org/)

[thekomet]

I have my CCW permit...was surprised how many guys in my residency program have their permits. Guess I shouldn't be since this is Alabama. In med school a number of professors seem to have really bought into the gun as pathogen arugment and think more guns=more crime. theu SHOULD know better and be able to look at all the evidence, but this is just another sad example of how personal bias distorts one's ability to reason.

[MillCreek]

I am reminded of an unpublished study done a few years ago at the family practice residency at the University of Washington medical school. They found that 1 in 7 patients owned a handgun. Of the physicians and staff at the residency program, 1 in 4 owned a handgun.