Gun owners need basic medical training

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drew332

New member
I found this compelling video online by Paul Gomez of Gomez Training titled 'Watching Someone You Love Die Sucks':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6b1v9lcmG0

I strongly believe that if you own a gun and keep it in the home for self-defense, carry it for protection or as a job requirement, bring it to the range, etc., you should also learn basic medical skills (shooter's aid) to provide basic medical care until EMS can arrive on scene. You must be able to stop and control bleeding and/or maintain an airway at a minimum until help arrives.
 
What? Next you are going to tell me I should have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in my house aren't you?


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edit: that was sarcasm. Unless you are one of the "shoot 'em in the dark without identifying them first" group, then there is zero chance you will need to know first aid for gunshot wounds on loved ones.
 
IMO, first aid and CPR is something everyone one should know - regardless of whether they own a firearm. There are more injuries from car accidents, falls, work accidents, home accidents (knives, mowers, trimmers, chain saws, power tools) and heart attacks than gunshot wounds.
 
Driving in an automobile is more dangerous than owning a firearm, does that mean all drivers need basic medical training? Sure its a good thing to know, but not entirely necessary.
 
Dragline45 said:
Driving in an automobile is more dangerous than owning a firearm, does that mean all drivers need basic medical training?
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I think most emergency response folks would say the answer to this is yes, drivers need basic medical training.

I'm not a first responder, and I think the answer is yes. And we even got that when I was a boy scout years ago.

I think the fact that probably 50% of the population are no more useful than rocks is sickening, and a pointed reminder of society's failure. But this isn't a political forum.

MB
 
Dragline45 said:
Driving in an automobile is more dangerous than owning a firearm, does that mean all drivers need basic medical training?...
Click to expand...
Actually, it does -- just as pretty much everyone needs some basic medical training. And in some countries, completing a basic first-aid course is a requirement for a driver license.

However, a lot of folks just don't want to bother learning some of the stuff a person reasonably well prepared for real life ought to know.
 
IMO, first aid and CPR is something everyone one should know - regardless of whether they own a firearm.
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Yes, I cannot imagine not knowing at least the basics and having a first aid kit on hand.
 
I think most citizens should serve a tour in the military. While they are there, they can learn their basic first aid and firearms skills. ;)
I also think that all drivers should have a basic idea of how their car works too.

So what should we all do while we wait for all these great ideas to come to fruition? :)
 
I agree with what seems to be the general consensus here: everyone should learn basic first aid. Literally a few minutes studying is all you need, it's not rocket science.

As a nurse I constantly see the effects caused by lack of knowledge in this area. But people often just don't care.. I'd say that the majority (way more than half) of the patients I see are return customers who didn't follow simple instructions the first time. Sadly, people take health for granted and depend on a pill or doctor to save them.. But that's another discussion.
 
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People, in general, need basic medical training--as in first aid/CPR. I've needed to know/use first aid a number of times in my life and personally know folks who have needed to know/use CPR.

None of those CPR uses were gun related and the vast majority of the first aid uses had nothing to do with anything gun related. The ones that did were things that could have happened with any sort of mechanical device and weren't really related to anything specific to firearms.
 
Quote:
I think most citizens should serve a tour in the military. While they are there, they can learn their basic first aid and firearms skills.
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I wish we could count on the military in teaching sound firearm skills. Sadly, too many (not all) are taught form that is less than desirable. I have worked with law enforcement and former military on shooting form. The results were more accurate and quicker shots with less felt recoil. They always ask why they were not taught this by their law enforcement or military training.

Back on topic - first aid and CPR is something everyone should know, but not something the government makes mandatory.
 
Like many others here I say it is good to know for use on your family or even yourself but think of this. You have just had to shoot an assailant bent on doing you grave physical harm. Are you going to get close enough to apply first aid to your assailant? Are you going to give them a second chance to do you harm?
 
357, what if its your friend, or naighbor that needs help? I have a 1st aid kit in every vehicle, even my bike! I even have a small one in my over night bag! Ya never know when you might roll up on an accident!
Never had to use one yet, except for boo-boos at the park with the grand baby skinning a knee!
 
Are you going to get close enough to apply first aid to your assailant? Are you going to give them a second chance to do you harm?
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I have thought about this very situation and cannot say for certain what I would do. Obviously it would depend on the specifics of the actual event and if it was even safe to render aid, but even then just not sure. I would like to think that I am the type of person that would assist if it were safe, but it would be a difficult decision.
 
+1

I wish basic training in first aid and CPR was more wide spread. I work in EMS. When we respond to a life threatening emergency, we have 8 minutes to get there. A lot can happen in those 8 minutes. Having someone on scene prior to our arrival who knows how to effectively control bleeding or start high quality CPR can be paramount to patient survival. I love to see everyday citizens who have equipped themselves with some basic training jump in and save the day while we are on our way to a call. I get paid to do that stuff...they don't. They are the real heroes.
 
Most of the places I travel are many minutes from EMTs. I've carried a CPR kit, a 1st aid kit, and a trauma kit for years.
I also carry a fullsized spare, floor jack, wheel wrench, and basic fixit kit(duct tape, hose clamps, electical tape, soft tiewire, and an assortment of fuses).
 
Frank Ettin said:
Dragline45 said:
Driving in an automobile is more dangerous than owning a firearm, does that mean all drivers need basic medical training?...
Click to expand...
Actually, it does -- just as pretty much everyone needs some basic medical training. And in some countries, completing a basic first-aid course is a requirement for a driver license.

However, a lot of folks just don't want to bother learning some of the stuff a person reasonably well prepared for real life ought to know.
Click to expand...
Some folks have an aversion to preparation. My wife is a good example. I have always kept jumper cables and a first aid kit in every vehicle I own. When I married my wife and turned over to her the newest Jeep Cherokee, the first thing she did was take out the jumper cables and first aid kit. I put them back in when she goes on vacation -- she takes them out when she gets home and finds them.

This is the woman who insisted that we set out on an 1800 mile trip through one of the least inhabited deserts in the world in a new-to-us used car, without even a quart of oil or a bottle of water. How that turned out is a story for another week ...
 
pyschopuppy1, I understand what your are saying but I lump friends and neighbors the same as family. An assailant though is another story. I don't care who the assailant is I will not be providing first aid to them. I will call 911 and get the appropriate medical crew on the way along with the police.

As far as accidents on the road goes, I have been there. In the early 1980's I was a certified Emergency Medical Technician as well as an armed security officer. I was returning from a range session at an NRA Security Firearms Instructors School when there was an accident on the highway. While wearing my duty gear I stopped and administered first aid until a rescue squad could arrive. Local county police showed up first. I advised them I was an EMT and they let me tend to the injured until the squad got there.
 
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