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Old May 26, 2012, 10:07 AM   #1
drew332
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Gun owners need basic medical training

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.
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Old May 26, 2012, 10:44 AM   #2
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What? Next you are going to tell me I should have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in my house aren't you?


-----

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.
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Old May 26, 2012, 11:11 AM   #3
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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.
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Old May 26, 2012, 11:17 AM   #4
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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.
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Old May 26, 2012, 11:25 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragline45 View Post
Driving in an automobile is more dangerous than owning a firearm, does that mean all drivers need basic medical training?
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
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Old May 26, 2012, 11:26 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Dragline45
Driving in an automobile is more dangerous than owning a firearm, does that mean all drivers need basic medical training?...
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.
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Old May 26, 2012, 11:54 AM   #7
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IMO, first aid and CPR is something everyone one should know - regardless of whether they own a firearm.
Yes, I cannot imagine not knowing at least the basics and having a first aid kit on hand.
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Old May 26, 2012, 12:25 PM   #8
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Actually, it does -- just as pretty much everyone needs some basic medical training.
+1

Being a gun owner isn't particularly special in regard to injuries.
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Old May 26, 2012, 12:32 PM   #9
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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?
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Old May 26, 2012, 01:19 PM   #10
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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.

Last edited by Tickling; May 26, 2012 at 09:34 PM.
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Old May 26, 2012, 01:40 PM   #11
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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.
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Old May 26, 2012, 01:50 PM   #12
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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 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.
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Old May 26, 2012, 08:44 PM   #13
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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?
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Old May 26, 2012, 09:25 PM   #14
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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!
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Old May 26, 2012, 11:13 PM   #15
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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?
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.
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Old May 27, 2012, 01:29 AM   #16
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To have First aid training is beneficial to everyone gun owner or not.
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Old May 27, 2012, 01:45 AM   #17
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+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.
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Old May 27, 2012, 05:05 PM   #18
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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).
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Old May 27, 2012, 05:31 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Ettin
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragline45
Driving in an automobile is more dangerous than owning a firearm, does that mean all drivers need basic medical training?...
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.
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 ...
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Old May 27, 2012, 05:57 PM   #20
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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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Old May 27, 2012, 07:04 PM   #21
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No doubt everyone alive needs to learn the basics of first aide.

But, I thought the video was just a scare tactic to get me to learn first aide. How about just say that the need for first aide can come about at any time?

The only thing I learned from the video was the fact that the police have to secure the area before the paramedics will treat the victims. What I got from the video is that if I call 911 for a firearms related injury to me or my family, and I feel that I am secure, I will tell the 911 operator that there is an accident and paramedics are needed, that is it. The cops show up anyway, but the quicker the better, am I right?
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Old May 28, 2012, 04:47 PM   #22
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The only thing I learned from the video was the fact that the police have to secure the area before the paramedics will treat the victims. What I got from the video is that if I call 911 for a firearms related injury to me or my family, and I feel that I am secure, I will tell the 911 operator that there is an accident and paramedics are needed, that is it. The cops show up anyway, but the quicker the better, am I right?
If the paramedics arrive first you may still be in the same boat as if you told the dispatcher it was a firearms related injury. The first thing EMTs are trained to do as they near a scene is to assess scene safety. If they feel the scene is unsecure for any reason they will wait for police to arrive and secure the scene before they procede.
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Old May 28, 2012, 06:26 PM   #23
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I agree with the many who said that "everyone" needs some level of first aid and CPR. There are so many situations in life where a person MAY need to use it, whether on a family member, friend, neighbor or stranger. I was lucky enough to be trained in the Air Force for my entire career, but I have already gotten my daughter her first course (and I have begun firearm safety with her, as well).

While I am NOT for mandatory safety training for all who own firearms, I think it is a wise decision for an individual to make. Likewise, I detest motorcycle helmet laws (luckily, not present in Texas), since I like the wind in my hair...but I still think it's a wise decision to choose to wear one (and I usually do).
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Old May 28, 2012, 09:41 PM   #24
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My favorite CPR video. This is by British tough guy Vinnie Jones. It covers the salient points hands-only CPR save for making sure the airway is open.
http://www.wimp.com/vinniejones/
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Old May 29, 2012, 06:24 AM   #25
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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?
It depends on the situation at hand. Even cops do it both ways. I've seen cops give first-responder type treatment to folks after they're handcuffed and no longer a threat, and I've seen cops wait until backup arrives if the guy is still resistant. Granted, we've got handcuffs and the application of the cuffs generally means that active resistance is over, but there are times when we don't have handcuffs and we're still obligated to take the person into custody and provide first aid.

That said,I've arrested a person when all I had was a roll of duct tape. That makes a very efficient handcuff. The rule of thumb for us is, if the person is still resistant, we cannot administer first aid until they're in custody. Once they're in custody, we have a responsibility to administer first aid.

Depending on your state laws, there might be an obligation to assist once the threat has ended. There might not be. There might also be certain legal presumptions regarding the obligation of the victim to, at a minimum, notify first-responders to administer aid.

But, I would agree that all persons over the age of 10 or 12 years need basic first-aid training. Stop-the-bleeding, Heimlich, and CPR as a basic minimum.
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