This week it was Muslims in a lovely town in New Zealand that is much more known for its casual life and existence. (From Wikipedia) It is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The Christchurch urban area lies on the South Island’s east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula. It is home to 404,500 residents.

What does this have to do with health care? A ton, significant tonnage, a shit ton. If you look at the disturbing video, you see the frontline people, the first responders. These people were transported to hospitals where they were triaged and cared for in order of wound severity as well as salvageability. Salvageability is a scary word in that, it means can you be repaired, maybe. At least 35 at writing had not made it. All of us at the castle mourn this loss of life and the undeniable pain of the victims, the families, the frontline medical team, and the community. Ok, as healthcare providers we need to drive change that prevents this from happening again.

Before one idiot starts with the taking our guns and all the bullshit defenses that pop up and before everyone screams banning guns, can we all have a moment before we lose our god damned minds? First off both sides of this argument are just wrong, and this leaves the second amendment out of it, for now. We can talk about that later because it has nothing to do with any of this.

Some you folks love guns. You know what? That’s totally cool. I used to be cynical about firearms, but I do own them, and I also know how to use them. Do you know how to use them? It isn’t just point and shoot (well it is, but proper handling is something very few people do). Being a veteran, I am very versed in safety with my weapons, and honestly, there are many people I know that I would never go shooting with, cuz you dangerous. I must tell you that the first time I met my husband’s family, his nieces scared the crap out of me just wielding around toy guns. I have been shot by a home health patient with an airsoft gun, not a fan.

Gun shit starts with accountability. Straight up, you are responsible for that power you have, and you should be trained to handle that firearm and be able to fire it safely. You know when I was a kid the NRA used to teach gun safety and hunter safety instead of being a political scream machine. We need that level of accountability. We should have to qualify and pass a written safety test before we even own a firearm. This is not unreasonable to ask as it does prove that you are able to handle that weapon safely. Remember this part, it’s going come back here in a sec.

But Nursie poo, criminals don’t follow the laws, well so do dudes named Bubba and Joe that scream about laws harming honest gun owners while the criminals will do it anyway. Yes, they will. However, we should seek to make accidents with weapons a huge priority. More folks were killed by accidental discharge than in all the mass shootings last year. We need to drop all the bullshit rhetoric and start there (and a couple of other places). We need to research and what would be awesome is to have both weapons manufacturers, Physicians, the CDC, the NRA, and law enforcement involved in analysis and development of a system to certify gun owners (just like a Drivers License, Bubba) and improve safety. The best part of this is a combination of knowledge. Problem is it won’t work. One side is too entrenched in having guns, and the other is just fucking tired of watching people and die and is doing what it can to stop the violence, even though there is little we can do with the all the shouting about rights.   Well, kids, rights have responsibilities.

Yes, many of the previously floated ideas should be examined to determine whether they would impact violence. Look I don’t give a rat’s butt if you have a thousand guns in your basement until the moment they become a safety issue. It does suck to watch a person who has been shot die when there isn’t a damn thing you can do to stop it. Worse telling someone’s family who was waiting and hoping, that their loved one is gone.

We must stop violence and accidents, we have to have everyone realize that they need to be a part of this and work within their rights and not act like their right to a gun does not supersede someone’s right to living. Also, it doesn’t work to eradicate weapons either because Australia did it or whatever.

The research that is needed should focus on safety, accident prevention, and responsibility. I think we can all agree we would like that from guns. Let’s get there first, then we can tackle the more significant issues. As much as I think we would like to find the magic “bullet” that solves these mass shootings, I don’t think we are there yet. I think the only thing we can offer is our drive to improve safety and not the magical thinking of thoughts and prayers. That research needs to investigate tools for responders and frontline medical staff that helps treat these wounds from initiation up to the prevention of infection. Is there a way to make outcomes better?

I will remember Christchurch, Newtown, Las Vegas, Pulse, Santa Barbara, and everywhere else like another thing to assess to see where we can fix this. I will also remember the strong frontline medical staff that had to say the words that no one wants to hear…

The bats would like to say that statistics say that bat or golf club in home defense is far more effective than a gun, it is also less likely to hit the wrong target. Also looking crazy as hell foaming at the mouth swinging a bat will definitely make an intruder think twice.