Should Emergency Services be allowed to ‘carry’?
Share the post "Should Emergency Services be allowed to ‘carry’?"
.
Should emergency services, law enforcement, ADF and other people who are willing to uphold the law, be allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves and others?
I will start with my own experiences on firearms and firearms licensing. Like many other people, I grew up with guns on a farm, shooting rabbits and foxes. Because we were kids, we liked to shoot.
Fast forward 10 years and we’ve become responsible, law-abiding adults, and most of us have jobs and a family.
As the males of the family, I believe it is our duty, spoken or not, to protect our family. Right?
I don’t want to comment about the world as it is here, but, as a front-line responder, I know that the world isn’t what we all would wish it to be.
There is a saying in one of my favourite movies, “Act of Valor” – “There’s threats everywhere in a world that’s draped in camouflage”. How true is that quote?
I personally believe that if you are mentally stable, you have training in policy and law about when it is right to draw a firearm, if you have training in first aid training in how to treat a gunshot wound, and if you carry a firearm with you you should also carry an IFAK/first aid kit that’s equipped to treat gunshot wounds.
At the end of the day most of the people who are pro firearms are not crazy but wish to help the community.
I am a nurse and I help people every day. I do not wish to seek out and hurt someone, but if someone is hurting my family or the people in my community, don’t you think I have a right to de-escalate or, if need be, have a sidearm just in case.
I would like to hear what people think about either concealed-carry or open-carry weapons, and whether off-duty police officers and off-duty ADF personnel should be able to carry a firearm when going about their daily business. And if so, what should the appropriate training course cover?
I am Anthony Pielago. I am a student nurse and emergency responder. I’m 21 years old and live in South Australia. I’m just like any other 21-year-old, but with a goal and a passion. I enjoy the beach, driving my ute and hunting, when I have time off.
.
.
.
.
Share the post "Should Emergency Services be allowed to ‘carry’?"
The original question should stick to the subject topic heading. “Should Emergency Services Be Allowed To Carry?”…. soon as you added ‘ADF’ and ‘other people willing to uphold the law’ underneath, has broadened the topic too widely.
But to answer the question anyway, just
leave the job up to the law enforcement agencies…. That’s what their job is. As we don’t have a gun control issue unlike the USA, there’s no need to carry. Things are that bad over in certain states that several large metropolitan police department chiefs are urging citizens to not only carry, but ‘openly’ as well to put off would be attackers. They have to fight fire with fire because the 2nd Amendment ultimately helped fuel and fan the flames in the first instance.
Dave agree wholeheartedly. I was an Aircraft Technician in the RAAF 21 years fixed and rotary wing with time in the Middle East in 1985 and have been in the QLD Police for 15 years now since Discharge. It is a whole different world out here now. No respect for authority let alone anyone else. I fear for my grandchildren and where we are all heading. I am currently in Malaysia and have had chats with locals who fear the exact same thing. So, it is worldwide!
Regards
Wazza
In a nutshell – no. Conceal and carry is a murky word of legalities and liabilities that would make for even the most horrifying of Stephen King novels seem like a playschool book. However I do agree that our gun laws do need relaxing.
But….when we’re talking about use of force options for first responders, particularly paramedics whom are subject to an ever increasing rate of assault; then non-lethal force options should be made available.
On the same token the same could be said to anyone really especially when dealing with one-punch cowards on a drunken bender or Ice addicts going into a psychotic meltdown (mind you the latter isn’t as easy to contain as one would hope). So a market for capsicum spray for example should definitely be a hot topic for the public to pursue.
I agree with Dave 100%. The last thing – ever- that we need in this country is the ‘American experience’ in any capacity. It is simply too complex, too murky, too dangerous.
I’ll be ‘that guy’ – No.
My reasoning, and forgive any rambling as I’ve only had 3 coffees today – apparently the fun police want me to ‘cut down’ ….
I NEVER want to see a Digger on Australian streets carrying a loaded weapon. Ever. Well, obviously if we are being invaded by Indonesians/Chinese/Zombies/Reverse Vampires then yeah OK … and I admit I threw Indonesia in as a giggle …
Soldiers are a Military presence NOT a policing presence. We have State and Federal Police for that. I fully support the need for armed police BUT on the same token I am fiercely AGAINST the militarisation of the police. Police officers do not need to be all tooled up pretending they are SASR wearing multicam and loaded like they are about to roll into downtown Fallujah. Nor is Australia an actual State of the United States…yet … we do not, nor ever have, had that ridiculous John Wayne gun culture here – despite the propaganda to the contrary.
But I digress …
I do not want to see the situation where an 18 year old Digger has a loaded weapon and be in a position where he faces the tough task of using that weapon on an Australian citizen. That’s NOT his job. It should NEVER be his job. His job is to defend Australian citizens from foreign forces. End of story. We don’t do ‘National Guard’ crap. We don’t have States with their own troops. We don’t need a Kent State here. Not for the safety of ‘the people’ but also for those poor bastards that might be ordered to do it by politicians of the day.
if you want to ‘uphold the law’ join the Police Force in your state. They have all kinds of extensive modern training they will put you through so that you can help people and yes, defend them if need be. We do not need to devolve to the situation where you have fat, balding over 40 year olds named Bubba Ray and Billy Bob … or Daryl … thinking they ‘are the law’ and walking around with AR’s strapped to their backs because ‘the PO-leese can’t do anything cause of that damned Kenyan Mooslem Obama’ garbage here.
Good comment Dave. I think this topic deserves some debate, whichever side of the argument you come down on.
Brian Hartigan
Editor