Admitted to hospital ER while carrying

If while carrying legally, a person was brought to the ER after any event that brought you there, would ER care be delayed while the hospital staff found an appropriate LEO to disarm you and secure your weapon?

Perhaps a current hospital doctor or nurse would like to chime in here on actual hospital policy?

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Well, it al depends! Ideally, if you are not taken to the hospital by EMS, you leave your weapon at home or with someone you trust.
If you are taken by EMS, EMS will usually not transport you with a weapon and they will usually contact the police to take possession fo your firearm.
The hospital will not generally treat you if you are armed. They even have police disarm police being treated.

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So, to your knowledge, yes, care would be delayedā€¦ :frowning:

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If you walk into the hospital with your weapon it is unlikely they will treat you while armed.

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My question assumed one would not be walking into it, but rather brought in by paramedics or their like. Not by conscious choice. Or even necessarily consciousā€¦

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EMS will likely contact the police to disarm you before transport.

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A bit of personal history, April 3 2020 I was involved in a chain saw accident. I cut my left hand ring finger very badly. I had to take myself to the emergency walk in. In the middle of all of this I remembered I still had my weapon. When the Doctor came in but before the nurses entered I told the Doctor I had my weapon. The Doctor leaned in close and said ā€œLet that be our secretā€. now lets put this finger back together.
Here in my state firearms are not always black and scary.

Larry

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Coming from Nevada> As a first responderā€¦ If patient being transported to hospital is carrying / depending on situation, life or death situation/ gun is taken and rounds are emptied into a bag including gun. Bag is given to Hospital Security with belongings. There are a lot of different situation obviously. Nevada is an open carry state :slight_smile: So if patient is threatening anyone LEO is called from there. I hope that answers a few questioning this. It is different State to State as well. In Nevada patient will receive all belongings that came into Hospital with them, nothing is confiscated unless there was a threat. Stay safe out there USCCA peeps/ God Bless~ KS

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What an important topic. Although Iā€™ve not seen a patient carrying a firearm, Iā€™ve never seen a healthcare worker allow delays in care, but the opposite, following their code of ethics when it comes to the care and safety of the patient.

What does your state law say about it? Would you feel comfortable calling your local hospitals to ask?

One state Iā€™m familiar with states in the law around conceal carry licensure, itā€™s unlawful to carry a firearm into a hospital. Of the hospitals Iā€™ve visited, they post ā€œNo Firearmsā€ signs.

If allowed to store a firearm as a patient, I began to wonder if I had time, to unload my firearm, carry a lock, and lock it, and or carry a small valet case which I can additionally place a tiny lock on it - on the outside. Such as a case I can flatten when empty for easy carry or EDC in my shoulder bag or vehicle.

If locking inside oneā€™s car is an option, that could be one solution, time permitting.

Friendly reminder: In some states, most licensed health care workers by law are mandated to report to the FOID authorities - if they treat a patient whom they believe might be intellectually disabled ā€œupon dischargeā€. State FOID authorities can then investigate whether they need to revoke or not. Word to the wise, invest further in your mental wellness, because certain mental health conditions fall under the intellectually disabled clause.

Many healthcare workers do not realize or understand the intricacies of this law. Therefore, if they discover that you have a firearm, they will ask themselves if they need to report it to the FOID authorities. Be ā€œveryā€ nice.

Have some action plans on the ready. Stay healthy, safe, and legal.

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If youā€™re unconscious on your way to the ER after a car accident or other major accident, thereā€™s a good chance there will be police at the scene as well as paramedics. They would secure your firearm if itā€™s found at that point.

Maybe we should wear med-alert bracelets: Allergic to penicillin and Carries a firearm. :thinking:

(Yes, Iā€™m totally kidding about the med-alert bracelet for the firearm. :rofl: )

UPDATE: The ever-knowledgeable, Ed Combs, Senior Editor of The Concealed Carry Magazine, had the answer:

This will almost always be handled by EMS; the chances of you getting back-boarded and gurneyed into an ambulance without them either removing your pants entirely or enough of your pants to notice a firearm are diminishingly small.

(Assuming youā€™re unconscious and canā€™t tell them youā€™re carrying.)

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Continuing the discussion from Admitted to hospital ER while carrying:

I had to enter a hospital at after an incident I was involved in. There was a Sheriff there that took my firearm. A relative retrieved it from him and took it to my car. If there is an officer at the entrance which often is, report to him or have someone with you do it. He/she will likely have them take it out to your/their vehicle.
It is good to plan ahead knowing it will be an issue to solve.

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Yep Medical folks would be the ones on this one

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Iā€™m no expert, but I think HIPAA could possibly play a role in this scenario. Once ā€œlife saving servicesā€ (first aid/cpr/aed) begin by personā€™s administering, they must continue until the proper medical care arrives or takes over. If they rolling you in doing CPR they ainā€™t stopping.

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A friend who works at ā€œaā€ hospital in a large U.S. metropolis, shared that recently ā€˜a patient was admitted from the emergency room, and that upon their release to home, the patient will pick up their firearm on their way outā€™. Good to know. :slightly_smiling_face:

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