SwampRat wrote:Once had a sticky situation with a good friend. He was in the hospital (already in a room stretched out on a bed) and the doctor refused to treat him until he relinquished his pocket knife, the clip of which he saw hanging in his pocket. Now this knife had sentimental value and he refused to hand it over to anybody but me, not trusting the hospital general staff. After some back and forth they finally let me into the room to take it from him. What got me was how appalled the ER doctor was about him even having a knife on his person. He even told me he didnt see the sense in 'that sort of thing.' My friend wasn't even a prepper, he is a landscaper. Which should have been clear as he showed up to the ER covered in sweat and grass stains with a machete gash to the leg. So his EDC was for professional use.
At any rate. Always made me wonder how they'd act if I wound up in an ER bed and some nurse found my pocket carry pistol.
The doctor was perfectly in his bounds to do so. Sometimes working in an ER makes you a defensive personality because your never sure who can do what at any time, when emotional and physical pain runs high, violent outbursts can sometimes ensue with very little to no warning. The doctor didnt know him and didnt know the people coming to visit him. He only has the minsit of "I need to help this guy and I will as soon as I can work in a reletively safe environment, but I am no use to him or anybody else here if I somehow get attacked."
ERs in the recent years have become more and more violent both due to violent people who intend to do harm, and seemingly unviolent law abiding people who become upset for many reasons and cant control thier emotions or physical pain. Anger and denial are part of the greiving process and everyone handles it differently. Believe it or not some of the worst violence against hospital workers comes not from the patient but from their family when dealing with the greiving process. Most hospitals have policies to let the family greive, but stand firm against violent outbursts. The hospital I work part time for has recently established some procedures in dealing with family before they overwhelm staff on hand. The policy was enacted because before this as many family members that showed up were allowed in with the patient that wanted, and patients brought in via ambulance could also have family members follow them in via this entrance. That has since been changed to only one family member who must enter through the walk in entrance that has security and a city police officer always present, two of the pt is a minor allowed back at a time, family members must wear a badge at all times.
Most of the zero tolerance policies with weapons in hospitals is because workers have been threatened with, assaulted with, or killed with weapons by patients that want what they want or are in severe pain, greiving family members, or just lunitic criminals. Even outside of the ER (in my realm), some would be suprised to know that on many EMS calls or even fire calls that there is a hint that violence may occur on scene (domestic, shooting, stabbing, fights, vehicle crashes w/road rage) we will respond to the area but stop short of going into the scene until the guys with guns have secured the scene or can provide some protection in an active scene. I am no use to anyone injured or dead, and just another casualty.
As for having a gun or knife legally coming into the ER, I am not sure of policies, but I imagine it would be locked up with the rest of your belongings for safe keeping until you leave.
Not saying anything against you or your buddy, and I bet the doc wasnt either. Its just business, just as every LEO approaches any vehicle at a stop with caution, checking along the way, keeping a narrow profile, hand on weapon, etc. Not that he thinks every person he stops is going to blow him away first chance they get, just have to be vigilant and never get complacent.
Criminals support gun control, they prefer their victims to be unarmed.
If my brother sees a gal with a walking arsenal he will hound after 'em till they threaten to stab 'im.
. Way to stick together guys.
