Hospital visit

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Packard

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Hypothetical situation:

You are driving your car and you are legally carrying concealed.

Some drunk runs the traffic light and T-bones your car. Your car is totaled. You feel OK, but they want to put you in the hospital for observation (you can have a ruptured spleen or a concussion and think you are fine).

What happens with your firearm?
 
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I'll be curious to know the official, legal position if one exists. I do agree with the above post that absent of someone else who can take care of your firearm for you, you'll be retrieving it from the Police department. You certainly aren't going to leave it in your totaled car, and I am fairly certain you cannot bring it with you in the ambulance. Maybe in a locked case if you have one?
 
Call a loved one, give it to them. If necessary unload it and have the hospital staff secure it with the rest of your clothes. The police could book it for you, but getting it back could be a pain.

Locally we had an ER Doctor dismissed for stealing a Rolex off a patient. So be prepared to lose your pistol!
 
It's purely a state and/or local matter.

In Ohio, I could just call a friend who's not a prohibited person, unload the firearm and give it to him, whether he's got a CHL or not. To be safe, he could put it in his trunk.

Try that in NYC, and somebody's probably going to jail, and the gun seized.
 
Let's take this one step further. Suppose you are unconscious, emt's haul you to hospital, (example above referenced here too). But you have a truck gun stuffed between your seat and console. I bet its "good luck with that one!" Would impound lot have any liability I wonder. "There wernt' no gun in that thar truck when I put it on the hook" says wrecker driver.
 
A friend of mine carries and was involved in a TA on the highway. He had to take the ride and informed the paramedics on scene of his firearm. They had a lock box in the rig to secure the firearm. Not sure how he got it back, but there was never any issues doing so.
 
I recently went to the ER (not for myself to be treated) and they had a metal detector and guard at the entrance. I had to return to the car to stow my miniscule pocket knife that gets used for opening boxes and cleaning my finger nails. I am not sure if patients go through the same when entering via ambulance, but clearly they don't care for weapons inside. This was at Vanderbilt in TN. Incidentally, I arrived just after the victims of a movie theater attack, in which a man armed with an airsoft pistol and a hatchet wounded some movie goers. Everyone survived, except the attacker. At any rate, I wouldn't want to be dealing with a personal firearm situation anywhere near that mess.
 
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It's a good idea to carry a gun you wouldn't mind not getting back.
My daughter's gun was kept as "evidence" , after the trail, it was kept for the appeals....this case dragged on for several years. changing lawyers , appeal after appeal. More than one person involved in the armed robbery . After that it got "lost" . I know that's not supposed to happen and victims have rights, blah, blah , blah......but the gun disappeared and she never got it back. Things like this happen. I believe somebody saw that snub nosed 44 special in the evidence room , liked it and it "disappeared"
Bottom line...carry something you will not be upset about if it "disappears" .
Gary
 
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Hospitals have policies for securing valuables....which would include firearms....wallets,jewelry ...........a lot of valuables pass through the ER with non-responsive patients.

Ours involved two or more (guns would involve the Security Dept. to clear the weapon) employees; property inventory lists; envelopes/boxes and a safe.

We had more problems with unclaimed property than with theft....... or false claims.

Always like the "kids" who came in with the "Grandma never took her $6000 diamond ring off!" claim.

When I started to dial the Police so they could file a stolen property report.......... they thought they'd go home and "look around again"........don't recall ever hearing from any of them again........




A couple of local big city hospitals with metal detectors and armed security have lockers available to secure a weapon.
 
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Concealed carry is not allowed in hospitals in Michigan. Although OC is allowed, several hospitals I know of have a no weapons policy and signage. I believe you'd have to get your pistol back from the police.

By the way, it is your choice whether or not you go to a hospital, particularly in an ambulance. If you feel fine but agree that you need to be checked out, the sane thing to do is have a friend or significant other pick you up and take you to ER. That way you can leave the gun in their trunk and they can deal with it if you need to stay. If you are unconscious after the accident, what happens to your gun is probably the least of your worries.
 
gwpercle said:
It's a good idea to carry a gun you wouldn't mind not getting back.
My daughter's gun was kept as "evidence" , after the trail, it was kept for the appeals....this case dragged on for several years. changing lawyers , appeal after appeal. More than one person involved in the armed robbery . After that it got "lost" . I know that's not supposed to happen and victims have rights, blah, blah , blah......but the gun disappeared and she never got it back. Things like this happen. I believe somebody saw that snub nosed 44 special in the evidence room , liked it and it "disappeared"
Bottom line...carry something you will not be upset about if it "disappears" .
Gary
Click to expand...

Police and DAs. don't take theft from a evidence room.....lightly...... it's still theft...... and could destroy one or more criminal cases..........they've put a lot of time and effort into.............

the chain of custody.....gets broken ......the defense will most likely get the evidence tossed.



Not saying it's never happened...heck;next county over, had a judge stealing coke in evidence ..... he's doing time ....but it happens more in the movies than in real life......

LOL I doubt any Chief or DA would tolerate more than one "lost" or "misplaced" gun...... every 20-30 years.


If a nurse, paramedic or tow truck driver steals it better be a "really big score"...... cus if any pattern of complaints show up ......... investigation , conviction and jail will follow.
 
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gwpercle said:
It's a good idea to carry a gun you wouldn't mind not getting back.
My daughter's gun was kept as "evidence" , after the trail, it was kept for the appeals....this case dragged on for several years. changing lawyers , appeal after appeal. More than one person involved in the armed robbery . After that it got "lost" . I know that's not supposed to happen and victims have rights, blah, blah , blah......but the gun disappeared and she never got it back. Things like this happen. I believe somebody saw that snub nosed 44 special in the evidence room , liked it and it "disappeared"
Bottom line...carry something you will not be upset about if it "disappears" .
Gary
Click to expand...

It's a shame we have to think like this, but this is a concept that is always on my radar. It affects my EDC as well as my choice of a "bedroom gun". For the record, I'm not implying that theft from police property rooms is common. But after years of inventories and property room purges, evidence may occasionally be lost or mistakenly destroyed in an ordinary clerical mistake. Even if it isn't lost, it'll be tied up for years.
 
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It wasn't a drunk but a 78 year old woman that ran the light on me. In Virginia, the fact that the cars owner has a concealed permit comes up when they run your plates. The responding officer asked if I had a weapon and where was it located. I vaguely recall him retrieving my pistol before fire & rescue carved me out of the car. Several months later (still in wheelchair) we went to police headquarters and retrieved the unloaded pistol from the property room with the ammo. All I had to do was provide my drivers license to prove it was really me. I assume they ran the serial number through NCIS and a background check on me before they released it. I'm thankful the police safeguarded the pistol so it didn't "disappear" in the confusion.
 
I've been to TC where the person has a CCW, if they need to go to the hosiptal I log the gun in at the office where they can come and pick it up.

99% of the time if there is an injury in a TC the police will be there.
 
MJFlores said:
Why not just bring it with you to the hospital? My Dr's office allows guns on you...they understand.
Click to expand...

If you are admitted for observation you are wearing a hospital gown in an unlocked room with frequent nurse and doctor traffic.

Understanding or not, this is not secure.

My doctor and my dentist both know that I carry, but they have to keep their mouths closed because of doctor/patient confidentiality.

But we are not talking about confidentiality in the hospital, we are concerned with the security of the weapons.
 
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