December 21st, 2023
5minute read
Ed.
Note: This article touches on subjects that include carrying firearms and medical care.
Nothing in this article should be considered medical or legal advice.
Do want to carry when you visit the doctor? Can you, and is it even feasible? Image: Adobe Stock/Igor
The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author.
For starters, we physicians have this weird insular vocabulary that tends to separate us from normal people.
And then, there is the pervasive preoccupation with mankinds more objectionable bodily functions.
If you are the type of person who carries everywhere they legally can, a visit to the doctor can create a confusing situation.
Basically, there is little if any glamor to be found in modern medicine.
This is can be one of the nastiest jobs in the world.
In that regard, it is not unlike being a Second Lieutenant in the Army.
More than one medical professional likely carries a firearm for self-defense.
You also get paid wages inadequate to support the building custodian in a third-world sweatshop.
Knowing full well I didnt have two dimes to rub together, there were snickers all around.
Because ammunition will be the currency of the new millennium.
The Galco FasTrax PAC Waistpack lets you pack a gun without looking like you’re packing a gun.
And thats how I got to eat by myself for the rest of my rotation.
The point is simply Im not a typical physician.
I didnt start medical school until I was 32.
Are you allowed to carry when you visit the doctor? It depends…
Before that, I was an Army officer in the combat arms.
I am perhaps a bit crustier.
In general, the institution of medicine doesnt seem to much care for privately owned firearms.
For many, the Springfield Hellcat is a great pistol for EDC. It is powerful, safe and capable. It is also extremely compact.
However, as regards individual physicians, you might be surprised.
Some of the most extensive gun collections I have ever seen were owned by doctors.
Carry Etiquette
My own state of Mississippi had its fleeting love affair with open carry.
Then we embraced constitutional carry and everybody started wearing their shirttails untucked.
Just like any other place down here, guns are just background clutter.
Most all hospitals sport those signs as well.
See if you see any signs regarding concealed carry.
I personally wouldgentlyask about their policy on firearms.
Dont be confrontational or combative.
Just make it a standard part of the get-acquainted process.
Trust me, the indomitable power of capitalism drives everything about the practice of medicine.
Ruminations
I am armed whenever I am not asleep or in the shower.
That includes when I am at work.
I like to say that the safest place in any crowd is standing right behind me.
That timeless axiom also holds true at my medical clinic.
When I am at work,I carry with an empty chamber.
Trust me, acknowledging that in a venue like this is like to start a debate.
However, I work around kids and will not tolerate even the theoretical possibility of an accident.
Im fairly certain thats the point of legal concealed carry, anyway.
