Harsh moments and our reactions.

I hope your son is ok. And yes we should all be prepared to administer first aid in an emergency.

Every one who carries should have quick tourniquet on them when they have a gun on them. I have often suggested medical training go hand in hand with responsible ownership.

Medical is a very important part of being prepared. Overall there are are very few times when we can use our carry weapon, but I end up opening my medical kit several times a year. I agree with Blkhet13 that everyone who carries a gun should at least have a tourniquet on them (and know how to use it). I would also recommend a pressure bandage as well for things that are severe but may not require a TQ.

I've always had a small IFAK type kit near by (as well as on my armor/chest rig - if I have something with that many pockets, might as well have Medical too). I'm considering adding a set to carry on my person, but come to the problem of having too many things and not enough space. Maybe one of those ankle IFAKs would be good...

Anyway, for the price of a good TQ (usually around $30, about the price of a spare pistol mag) there's no reason not to have at least one or two.

Wow, sorry to hear about this. Always a good reminder, and wishing your son full healing soonest.

We've got IFAKs with QuikClot or equivalent and CAT, SWAT-T or SOFFT-W tourniquets in the house and all three vehicles ... wife is a experienced trauma nurse (ACLS instructor) with a great kit on hand; yeah, we're prepared. Just gotta remember to have her with me! She wants to send me to Colorado for one of the Dark Angel medical courses.

I have carried a handgun longer than the majority here have been alive; however, except when I was working for Uncle Sam, the only times I have ever pulled out my first aid kid; that is located in my truck, has been for accidents not related to weapons. However, I do keep it stocked and up to date, including Quikclot (large and small packages and sponges) and have used it before (when working and in a few accidents). As for a dedicated tourniquet, I always have a belt, a belt can be used as a tourniquet as well as a piece of cloth cut/ripped off a shirt, pair of pants, etc.
I was also taught some serious first aid when working and we had to take a course every year on basic first aid including CPR.

Guess I am lucky, I have never seen an AD that resulted in a wound to any living organism.

Just completed a first aid/ CPR course. Instructor wss also a firearms instructor. Didn't take long for him to convince me of the need to carry a wound kit.

First I hope your son is ok. That is a horrible thing to witness. Let alone to a loved one.

Long story short I was not prepared until recently. I learned my lesson after witnessing a KB at the range that produced some severe injuries. I thought about what I had with me for a first aid kit and what I needed. But i hate to tell you guys it's not just firearms, although they have great potential for destruction, anything can happen. I figure my belt can always be used as a tourniquet. Now I keep a substantial amount of first aid supplies. My notable omission is an EpiPen due to cost. Be safe out there.

I do not want to ever see anyone shot; I want this young man to heal completely and be well. I witnessed one AD in my life; my barracks at Ft. Campbell, KY in 1973. I must say that I am absolutely unprepared (both mentally and medical equipment) for an AD in a group setting on Christmas Eve - would never even dawn on me until I read this thread. I will reflect on this one; very kind of the OP to share this kind of shock - makes one think.

Traumatic injuries of all types happen quickly, with little or no warning. The truly prepared know how to deal with them to the best of a layperson's ability. Like power tools, welders, and other tools, guns are inherently dangerous if handled/used without maximum attention to safety. Wishing your son a speedy recovery.

Scary stuff. Hope he recovers quickly.

I was just thinking about adding a better kit to my car. Work construction and recently became aware that all our work vehicles either have no kit or ones dating before the 90s. I have some training from getting my eagle scout but I'm curious what you guys all include in your kits? What would you carry on your person vs in a nearby vehicle? I hear good things about both Stop the Bleed and Dark Angle, what other medical training would you suggest?

To the OP, I'm very sorry to read your experience and sincerely hope your son is going to be ok. However, thank you for sharing the experience as a reminder that we can never be too careful.

This subject is something I've been reading and thinking about over the last year. A self defense page I used to follow always talked about how important it was to have first aid supplies and know how to use them. I am lucky that my job certifies me in first aid/first responder/CPR/AED training every 2 years for the last 25 years. However, I found that my supplies for such a situation at home or in my personal spaces are very lacking. I found some kits that I really like that include a decent tourniquet and other useful supplies (like a pair of flat bottom shears to cut through clothes) and want to add some quality compression bandages and quick clot. I'm also hounding my wife and son to go get certified in at least basic first aid and CPR. I might need them to save me some day!

A good kit is important. Good training is even more important.

Pure2nd said:

I was standing facing him and everyone in the room had a carry weapon on his person.

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I have trouble visualizing a situation in which everyone is carrying a gun, at a family gathering in a home, on Christmas eve. Alcohol was probably typically being consumed. The fact that an accident took place was not totally unexpected.

The important thing is to prevent things like this from happening in the first place. Any amount of first-aid training is a poor second line of defense.

AlexanderA said:

I have trouble visualizing a situation in which everyone is carrying a gun, at a family gathering in a home, on Christmas eve. Alcohol was probably typically being consumed. The fact that an accident took place was not totally unexpected.

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I don't have much trouble visualizing that. Family or holiday gatherings (depending on the culture of the group) can often have the majority of the attendees carrying...otherwise "BBQ Gun" would have never entered the vernacular. As to alcohol consumption...wouldn't be the norm in my family...but to each his own. Though, if the OP wouldn't mind, how did the AD happen? Could be a useful cautionary tale to us all.

My question is, "how did the AD occur, and how could a recurrence be avoided?"

As far as first aid goes... it's pretty simple. If the wound is in the chest and they can't breathe, try to cover or stop up the hole so they can. If blood is squirting, try to stop it. Anything else, "call 911."

You can play doctor and whip out the Mercurochrome and bandages, but it's not going to do anything useful as far as keeping the patient alive. Other than duct tape for sucking chest wounds and a tourniquet for squirting blood, the stuff in a first aid kit is basically placebo. And last time I looked, the Medical Experts had declared tourniquets doubleplus ungood. (if you decide to apply a tourniquet, be prepared for at least some bystanders to vehemently object)

Brains, eyeballs, or guts hanging out? If you mess with any of that, the ER doctor will curse your parents and children and your pets too. Screaming and thrashing in agony? Hey, they're alive and have good wind and aren't paralyzed. Yes, it's bad, but they're not going to Die Right Now, so forget those old Westerns where someone bites down on a bullet while someone tries to pry it out with a pocket knife. The bullet in the wound isn't a problem, and biting bullets is bad for the teeth. Other than making sure they can breathe and dealing with fountains of blood - and people can bleed a LOT before it's life-threatening - just leave things alone.


If there's no phone service and no EMTs are coming... you transport them to civilization if you can, or leave them behind and go get help.

Consider this scenario: You're out hunting or hiking, and someone with you is shot. There's no phone service.

A) do you have any idea where you are?
B) if you have to leave the injured person, can you find your way back again?
C) can you do it in the dark, if it's late in the day?

That's life-saving knowledge, way more useful than the made-in-Uzbekistan "trauma kit" with 27 different kinds of butterfly bandages.

If you're out hunting, ATV riding, or hiking, just being able to FIND the injured party again is important. My motorcycle crash kit had a a couple of chem lights and a reflective "space blanket"; not necessarily to keep someone warm, but because it's easy to see when unfolded. From the air, if it comes down to it.

Pure2nd said:

I'm posting this as a humble man who wishes to share and exchange information and experience on the lifestyle this forum's demographic represents.

My intent by posting this is to generate a serious discussion about our responsibilities as firearms owners as a whole, not regarding ballistics, point of impact, caliber semantics, etc.

On Christmas eve I watched from 8 ft away one of my sons AD into his thigh while he was seated on a couch in a room full of people. As a point of reference, he is without a doubt the smartest man in the room btw, but this still happened. I was standing facing him and everyone in the room had a carry weapon on his person.

At the point of discharge **** hit the fan like some of you know and many of you don't.

My specific point in this thread is simply to ask you if you are prepared to deal with a firearms related injury/situation? If you aren't you should be. If you aren't this should be your next gun ownership investment.

I was fortunate in that I knew what to do and in what sequence things needed to happen, not from experience but from research, and from this our family was able to make the absolute best of a potentially tragic situation (Thank you Jesus)

I deeply respect and appreciate all the input I get from THR and ask you as my peers to make a commitment to a minimal level of 1st aid training and law enforcement interaction regarding firearms. You owe this to the ones you love.

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How about telling us the details of how the ND happened - the gun and how it was carried - so we can learn about the real-world causes of NDs and perhaps how to avoid them in the first place. This information would be extremely useful.

Buy high quality holster designed for specific firearm and replace when worn. Don't play with guns because they're serious tools not toys. I like DeSantis but there are several good companies to choose from. Alcohol and or drugs that alter state of mind or produce certain side effects plus guns don't mix. This should help with NDs which I affectionately refer to as IDs.

@Odd Job brought a good point about CPR. Now here's a question that I never thought of related to CPR/AED usage. Trained in both but never remember it being covered in our annual updates
When doing CPR and the victim is CCW you don't need to worry about weapon removal during the chest compressions, but what about the AED? Although the electric current is to travel pad to pad, don't go near the pace maker and remove any med patches. If the weapon/metal on holster has contact near skin, will current travel to it? Never thought of it before, any professionals have an answer?

AD's happen, but one thing everyone must remember is Gunnies old saying, "keep your booger picker off the bang switch until you have the enemy in your sights!" Guns don't go bang on their own, there is a human element involved. I am sorry this happened to you and yours. Remember to praise the lord and pass the ammunition.

Part of why I quit carrying was the nightmare of hitting an innocent bystander with a passthrough shot. I absolutely believe I can make a shot, but I can not control where that bullet stops or where it goes after a bone strike. A tourniquet, tape, and a ziploc bag can go a long way on the worst handgun hits, but sadly it can’t save a person from every possible scenario. A tourniquet can stop arterial bleeding, and a person who knows how to essentially make a basic set of flap bellows can help minimize damage to a lung hit. Train hard, train right, train constantly. Pray harder that you never use your training.