A Paramedic’s view of the Armed Citizen

By

Robert B. Smith

It’s three o’clock in the morning. You’re jolted from a sound sleep by a terrifying, then confusing noise. Your smoke detector is sounding! You roll out of bed onto the floor grabbing the flashlight. Crawling to the door, you make a mental note that the room is clear of smoke. The door is cool to touch so you reach up, open it slightly, and light smoke starts drifting in at the top. You see the glow and flames down the hall in the living room. It’s NOT a false alarm, YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE! Fortunately, you and your family have practiced E.D.I.T.H., Exit Drill In The Home. Utilizing your PLAN, you and your family are able to escape unharmed.

You’re in the kitchen getting a few more burgers for the barbeque. It’s a beautiful Saturday for a family gathering. A scream causes you to run out to the back yard where you see your spouse lying face down in the yard. You yell to another family member, “Call 911!” As you turn your loved one over, you recognize that they have suffered a cardiac arrest. You’re chilled, stunned, frightened. But you have a PLAN. You took time to learn first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). You manually maintain oxygenated blood to their brain until advanced life support can be implemented. YOU make sure the deck is stacked toward a successful resuscitation and recovery.

It’s dark out as you leave work and approach your car in the parking lot. You’re alert and aware of your surroundings, but are still surprised when a man suddenly appears from behind a car. His bearing and demeanor are not that of one who is there to ask for directions. There is no one else around to call for help. As he closes distance between you both, you know that even if you could summon aid, it will be too late. As his hand reaches under his coat he stares at you with a leering grin. You’ve had training in the ethical, moral, and legal parameters within which one may employ countervailing use of deadly force. As you position yourself with a car between you and him, you draw your concealed handgun and issue a verbal command, “Don’t Move!” Before you can follow up with other commands, you witness the flashing soles of his rapidly retreating sneakers. Your defensive PLAN allowed for a successful resolution to a potentially deadly threat.

In each of the preceding scenarios, the victims had a PLAN. Combining education (knowledge) with training (programmed response) permitted them to take command and control their situation. Perhaps you, or someone you know, may identify with the first two scenarios… but the last one? Come on, guns are only for killing people, right? Just watch the evening news or read the newspaper.

In reality, the use of a gun in defense is analogous to using a fire extinguisher or a first aid kit. Each is a tool which, if one is trained it its use, may allow you to “hold the line” until professional help arrives. This is assuming one can summon help, which is not always the case.

When it comes to CPR, medical first aid, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, etc., no one accuses the citizen of trying to “be a firefighter or paramedic.” Why then is one chastised as “trying to be a police officer” for choosing the tool best suited for the job of self-defense? Why do we encourage people to seek training and equipment to deal with one type of emergency, but discourage them from another? How would you react if you were told “only professionals” will render medical first aid; these skills are too “complex” for you?

Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own safety. As a rule, firefighters, paramedics, and police officers are reactive by nature, fire and crime prevention notwithstanding. If they are called to respond, it usually means bodily injury or property damage is occurring or has already occurred. The outcome of such an incident very often depends upon what the citizen does during the response time. You’re on your own until they arrive. They cannot be everywhere at once.

In those critical first few minutes, a cardiac arrest patient’s brain will suffer irreparable damage without CPR. A severed artery can result in a fatal loss of blood in seconds if basic techniques are not employed to control bleeding. A criminal can cause grave bodily harm or death immediately, much less in the time it takes for police to arrive.

You can learn the skills necessary to survive a crisis situation of any type. Especially regarding crime today, it can happen to you and yours. Reduce the chance that you will one day answer the phone or door only to have a police officer inform you that a loved one is never coming home again. You can learn effective defensive techniques such as proper use of firearms as easily as first aid. A properly trained citizen’s use of a gun in defense is first aid. Today, more than ever, professional defensive training is available. Take advantage of it, as you would learn other life-saving skills. Don’t give up the ability to defend that most precious, basic human right, life.