It is time to speak frankly. I am willing to bet on the fact that you are on board with keeping and carrying a firearm for personal defense. That being said, I am still dismayed to hear "gun people" saying things like "better to leave it to the pros" or "you are going to get sued doing that" regarding traumatic medial care.
During the recent act of horror at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, responding police officers used not only their firearms, but trauma medicine training and gear to save lives.
Lafayette was not the first incident where armed good guys carried and used traumatic medical gear. In Hickory, North Carolina a tourniquet carried by a police officer was used by a first-responder to save a man's life after a negligent discharge clipped his femoral artery.
A nearly identical situation occurred in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin only a couple of months after the Hickory incident. Again, a police officer arriving first on the scene was able to apply a tourniquet to the leg of a man who had been shot through the femoral artery. (*Note, in both of the previous cases the patient survived and did not lose their limb)
You might be tempted to think that with equipped first responders that you don't need the gear or training. Why do you own and carry a gun? Because you know that police officers cannot be everywhere and that you often need to deal with the problem on your own while you wait for the pros to arrive.
During a recent tragedy, a 9-1-1 dispatcher became frustrated with a caller who was rendering first aid to a gunshot victim. The dispatcher told the agitated caller to "deal with it yourself' and hung up. The victim subsequently died.
In a life-threatening emergency, you are going to want to do something. The big questions are:
- Will you have the skill and education to do something effective
and - Will you have the material available to put that skill to work?
The Beyond the Band Aid: Traumatic First Aid course is a two-day program that is designed to not only give you the education and skill you need to save a life, but also to instill the genuine confidence in your heart that you CAN indeed make a positive difference and save the life of someone you care about.
Don't just take our word for it. Read some of what SOTG-U grads have to say about Beyond the Band Aid:
There is a ton of great information given at this class. Yes I was the only girl there, but even I was able to learn to check people out.
If you drive a car, ride a motorcycle, carry a gun, or breathe you should have this class under your belt.
- Crystal 6/9/15
DO IT!!! Do not hesitate get off your duff and make the trip. Tons of information, and the amount of knowledge that Professor Paul throws at you is incredible.
If you drive a vehicle, ride a motorcycle or quad, if you have anyone you care about and want them to survive anything that comes your way. Take this class. It literally could save your life.
- Justin 6/1/15
This is real simple. Every responsibly armed individual owes it to themselves and the people they care about to take Beyond the Band-Aid. You will have the opportunity to not only learn about tools & skills for life saving, but you’ll also have multiple opportunities to try them and test them.
- Mitch 4/16/15
There are currently (2) Beyond the Band Aid courses on the calendar; one in the south at SOTGU in Biloxi, Mississippi and one in the north in Marquette, Michigan. Seats for each class are limited.
Please reserve your course seat today at SOTG U.
We hope to see you in class very soon.