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  • From: Una Smith <una@lanl.gov>
  • To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [MSAR] Guns in SAR
  • Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 08:28:54 -0600

An MSAR-riders subscriber asked me this:

>Some time ago you discussed the requirement that your team leader
>carry a pistol. Could you give me some more information, explanation
>of this - we are trying to convince our "group leader" that this is
>a good idea. Since we are an extension of the sheriff's dept, we
>have enough people that are weapons certified but only when actually
>in uniform. He is not in agreement that it is a good idea for
>someone to have a pistol/rifle on a SAR mission. Do you have any
>information about the legality, etc - pros cons

In my state, all SAR volunteers are civilians. Although some of us
may be certified and licensed to carry a gun in our "real jobs", it
is certainly not routine for SAR. Those who do carry a gun do so
as civilians. My unit has a requirement that each team leader carry
a gun. We're an old unit (incorporated 1941), and in the past have
had a requirement that all riders carry a rifle and a handgun. Now,
the only type of gun I would expect to see on a SAR mission would be
a revolver, in the hands of an MSAR volunteer who is an experienced,
trained, responsible gun owner.

Its purpose? To put down a horse, should one become so ill or badly
injured that it cannot be saved and a trip to the nearest extraction
point would be impossible or utterly cruel. Instead of a revolver,
a humane killer (a bolt) might be a safer option for this purpose.

>Anything you could help with (even your opinion based on experience)
>will be a big help.

My experience has been that in the field a gun is more trouble than
not; it requires careful management at all times. And I think that
someone who does not handle and use a gun on a routine basis has no
business carrying one on a SAR mission. FWIW, I have traveled alone
for a cumulative total of over a year, on three continents. I have
done field work alone for weeks at a time in wilderness areas of the
western US. I have often been concerned for my safety, and thought
very carefully about carrying a gun (many women and men who work in
such areas do carry). I decided that I would feel and perhaps also
be marginally safer without a gun. But that is a personal decision,
based on particulars of my history and inclination; YMMV.

I hope this helps,

Una Smith
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Posse, in New Mexico





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