[pax]

We have good first aid kits at home, that include tourniquets and pressure bandages. We're fortunate because in addition to the classes I've taken on my own, my teenage sons and my husband have all joined the local volunteer fire department, which means everyone in our house knows how (and when) to use a tourniquet and other emergency medical aids.

On the range, I keep a blowout kit in my range bag, and know how to use it. That's an easy no-brainer for sure -- especially since so many ranges are in remote rural locations where we can expect response times to be slow.

There's a trauma kit in every car we own. Again, an easy no-brainer. Given the number of car accidents, you're far more likely to need it in your car than anywhere else.

With all that, I've never carried one with me all the time. Girl pockets aren't roomy enough to carry more than a chapstick, and I don't carry a large purse. The physical challenge of keeping the kit with me all the time doesn't seem worth the hassle, especially since it's so easy to improvise ways to stop bleeding once you know how. The know-how is by far the most important thing you can carry with you, and it doesn't require good pockets.

pax