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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Guns in SAR

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  • From: tm-fi <TFinkle@erols.com>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Guns in SAR
  • Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 11:18:56 -0400

As most of you know, the East Coast is the birth place of gun control laws. In the State of Maryland, the ONLY persons on a SAR mission who (legally) carries a weapon are law enforcement personnel. Liability is "primary" factor which limits the authorization to use and carry firearms in this Country. Granting approval for any specialty unit to carry firearms requires Standards upon Standards, upon Standards.
A shotgun may be the best protection for home use, but I believe the topic was directed for MSAR use. While performing our tasks in the field our hands are busy enough already. On top of what is required for our horses, our Team members must carry the same turn out gear required of a NASAR, SARTech-II (I do not have someplace to carry a big bulky firearm). Nowadays, if some kind of shoulder weapon is carried by law enforcement personnel it is not a shotgun! The shoulder weapons that are carried by law enforcement personnel are on shoulder slings and held by hand, at all times.
Should handguns be approved for carry by MSAR personnel, the standards should similar in nature to that of law enforcement personnel. Meaning, a sidearm should be carried in a secuirty-plus type of holster that is firmly fastened to a belt or web gear (not tucked away in the bottom of a gear bag), with annual or semi annual qualifications as a strict requirement. Safety must be a paramount issue! With some MSAR riders refusing to wear helmets in the field, I do become concerned about the level of safety awareness of some people in general.

I fully agree that times are changing. There are people in this Country who enjoy killing public servants. When performing your mission on a search, does the public know you are simply a volunteer of the requesting agency? After 9-11 our mission has changed greatly. It is a known fact that law enforcement personnel are only a reactive resource and will not always be there to protect, duck tape is not the solution!

Search Team members in our area were required to attend security briefing, prior to receiving our 2003 ID cards. This briefing was based upon the recommends of the Department of Homeland Security (does that tell you something). In this area, the government considers SAR personnel as first responder resource (Yes folks, times have changed).

I was a federal law enforcement officer for 25 years and was required to carry a concealed handgun though out the United States. I retired last year and do not miss carrying that extra 3.7 pounds of extra weight everyday. Personally, I believe that authorizing "trained" law biding citizens to carry side arms is something that is needed in this Country. If a person carries a sidearm, then they need to be well trained in both the safety and proficiency of the weapon. After all, the use of firearms is agreed upon just as much as politics and religion.
The job we do as a MSAR professional can be dangerous and we could get killed in the line of duty. Until a volunteer MSAR team is authorized and has established standards for firearms carry, then I believe this topic should be set aside for fireside chats.

The views that I expressed are strictly mine and do not represent the views of my MSAR Team or other SAR organizations.

Tomi` Finkle (TROTSAR-2)
Training Officer
TROT Search & Rescue Mount Unit



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