Handgun suggestions

[NickD 202]

Hand guns for hospital security staff? In what neck of the woods are you in? We have some pretty major hospital complexes in our neck of the woods, all have closed circuit TV, a sweet young thing that walks around the parking lot issuing parking tickets to mostly hospital employees that park in the patient visitors lot, but no guns.

Only time you see security is after hours, more like a traffic or information service telling people where to find something. But certainly no guns.

Guess if you have to carry one and use it, a 0.22 would be more than enough, certainly would be far less of a mess for the doctors to clean up. People are not like those idiots you see in the movies, just nick a person with a bullet, they panic and think they are going to die.

Still wonder why they have all those armed guards at USCIS field offices, maybe they think someone is going to steal a rusted out folding chair or a portrait of GWB.

If a convict or suspected criminal comes in for treatment, see plenty of armed cops surrounding him, usually a 16 year old kid that drank a beer.

I'm going to be working at a major hospital in the Denver Metro area - my security company runs pretty much all the hospitals in Colorado, and a bunch in Cali, Oregon, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Arizona.

Our "weapons" vary between sites depending on what the clients want - some are unarmed apart from handcuffs (such as my current facility in Western Colorado), but even then I wind up in a physical confrontation about once a week (I work evenings and nights when we get the most drunks/drug addicts in the ER). Others are armed, tasers, baton, pepper spray etc.

Interesting that security seems very different for your folk - in our case we always have officers placed at the ER, outside patrol, interior patrol etc, and always try to remain a "visible presence" anytime of day or night. I used to work Mall Security, and I did more in my first week at the hospital than I did in 4 months of Mall work - we try to be fairly selective in terms of who we hire, as we get the full range of applicants from the type who just want to sit at a desk watching a monitor all night, to the cop-wannabes, and neither are welcome in our line of work. Most of our problems arise from drunks who are dropped off by local law enforcement prior to being taken to detox, pysch patients, irate family members, and drug-seekers who are willing to attack staff if they don't get prescription drugs. The vast majority of the time the situations can be resolved through verbal de-escalation, but unfortunately there's some that leave us no option but to use an appropriate level of force - I've been spat on, bitten, kicked, and almost got sprayed with HIV-positive blood by one patient that thought it would be cute to pull his IV out and try and aim his fluids at us - fun time!

Do they make you wear a uniform? Always thought that was kind of dumb in our military, makes you stick out like a sore thumb. Why not wear a uniform with a big red bullseye in the middle or carry a big flag that says, I am a target? Carried this to such an extreme, would get your a$ chewed off if just one button wasn't buttoned.

Carrying a concealed weapon would be fine, but that uniform has got to go. Just my stupid opinion.

Would be far more effective if dressed like a nurse carrying a hypodermic needle loaded with a strong tranquilizer. Working with my newest German Shepherd dog, if he suspects danger, barks. Tell him to shut up, you are giving away our position.

Only intelligent military leader we had was George Washington using gorilla tactics rather than standing in a neat line and stopping British bullets.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I'm very happy with my HK USP 40. I'd go with a 40 over a 9.

[almaty 19]

I'm very happy with my HK USP 40. I'd go with a 40 over a 9.

total agreement..and brother rich is indeed right thinking

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Get a Street Sweeper.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

never go to a gunfight with anything that doesn't start with a 4.

i suggest a .40 cal or .45

He's not going to a gun fight. He's being paid to provide security and protect....has to consider the safety of innocent bystanders.

which is why both of those are good choices to provide security and protect. surely you're aware of the ballistic characteristics of a .45........

You think a .45 has better range and accuracy than a 9mm?

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

never go to a gunfight with anything that doesn't start with a 4.

i suggest a .40 cal or .45

He's not going to a gun fight. He's being paid to provide security and protect....has to consider the safety of innocent bystanders.

which is why both of those are good choices to provide security and protect. surely you're aware of the ballistic characteristics of a .45........

You think a .45 has better range and accuracy than a 9mm?

more stopping power, steven.

it's also a slower round.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

never go to a gunfight with anything that doesn't start with a 4.

i suggest a .40 cal or .45

He's not going to a gun fight. He's being paid to provide security and protect....has to consider the safety of innocent bystanders.

which is why both of those are good choices to provide security and protect. surely you're aware of the ballistic characteristics of a .45........

You think a .45 has better range and accuracy than a 9mm?

more stopping power, steven.

it's also a slower round.

So range and accuracy, in your opinion, are less important than firepower?

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

never go to a gunfight with anything that doesn't start with a 4.

i suggest a .40 cal or .45

He's not going to a gun fight. He's being paid to provide security and protect....has to consider the safety of innocent bystanders.

which is why both of those are good choices to provide security and protect. surely you're aware of the ballistic characteristics of a .45........

You think a .45 has better range and accuracy than a 9mm?

more stopping power, steven.

it's also a slower round.

So range and accuracy, in your opinion, are less important than firepower?

from what i understood of his post earlier, he's not shooting coins out of mid air nor trying to nail something across the parking lot.

the .45 is fairly accurate, btw.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

never go to a gunfight with anything that doesn't start with a 4.

i suggest a .40 cal or .45

He's not going to a gun fight. He's being paid to provide security and protect....has to consider the safety of innocent bystanders.

which is why both of those are good choices to provide security and protect. surely you're aware of the ballistic characteristics of a .45........

You think a .45 has better range and accuracy than a 9mm?

more stopping power, steven.

it's also a slower round.

So range and accuracy, in your opinion, are less important than firepower?

from what i understood of his post earlier, he's not shooting coins out of mid air nor trying to nail something across the parking lot.

the .45 is fairly accurate, btw.

Well, there are varying opinions on which is a better handgun for those who work in security, but the pros of having 9mm vs. a larger caliber are compelling.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

never go to a gunfight with anything that doesn't start with a 4.

i suggest a .40 cal or .45

He's not going to a gun fight. He's being paid to provide security and protect....has to consider the safety of innocent bystanders.

which is why both of those are good choices to provide security and protect. surely you're aware of the ballistic characteristics of a .45........

You think a .45 has better range and accuracy than a 9mm?

more stopping power, steven.

it's also a slower round.

So range and accuracy, in your opinion, are less important than firepower?

from what i understood of his post earlier, he's not shooting coins out of mid air nor trying to nail something across the parking lot.

the .45 is fairly accurate, btw.

I shoot coins out of the air with my .45 all the time. I can even make change. I shoot a quarter and 2 dimes and a nickel fall to the ground.

[justashooter 430]

hospital security is not high risk unless in a really nasty hospital, so should carry K frame S&W 38 revolvers. clients feel more comfortable with barney fife than with GI JOE action adventure hero.

if that's not enough, you can try somethign a friend of mine made up a few years ago. gotta love the birdman...

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

never go to a gunfight with anything that doesn't start with a 4.

i suggest a .40 cal or .45

He's not going to a gun fight. He's being paid to provide security and protect....has to consider the safety of innocent bystanders.

which is why both of those are good choices to provide security and protect. surely you're aware of the ballistic characteristics of a .45........

You think a .45 has better range and accuracy than a 9mm?

more stopping power, steven.

it's also a slower round.

So range and accuracy, in your opinion, are less important than firepower?

from what i understood of his post earlier, he's not shooting coins out of mid air nor trying to nail something across the parking lot.

the .45 is fairly accurate, btw.

I shoot coins out of the air with my .45 all the time. I can even make change. I shoot a quarter and 2 dimes and a nickel fall to the ground.

[BJZags 17]

I like my GLOCK 33. Light weight and compact, but the .357 SIG ammunition has some serious velocity behind it.

http://www.glock.com/english/glock33.htm

[Ling Ling 22]

When I was a police officer (many years ago) I started off with a Ruger GP100 .357, and then switched to the (then new) Ruger P89 pistol chambered in 9mm

Currently I have an S&W Sigma in 9mm (essentially a Glock knock-off) and find it very comfortable. I hear the new Ruger P95 (with a polymer frame) is available in several popular calibers.

My considerations for a duty weapon are based on effective stopping power, as well as carry comfort managed with my ability to accurately control the firearm.

Although you'll hope for the best (that you'll never have to use it) it's better to plan for the worst.

I like the control and accuracy I get with a 9mm, and I like the comfort and weight of a polymer frame. But I'm not you.

YOU need to go to a gun shop that has a range and rentals of the different type of weapons you're considering. The internet is not the place to shop for something that might be the difference between life and death.

[HAL 9000 96]

How about a brick launcher?