U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- In the early morning hours of 17 December, at about 4:38 a.m., in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in the 1400 block of West 23rd Avenue, two paramedics had been called to a scene where a 20-year-old woman was complaining of knee pain.
Sunrise would not occur for another two and a half hours. The temperature was a bit below freezing at 25 degrees F. There was almost no wind. It was clear, but the moon had set hours earlier. There is a street light directly across the street. The scene was set for tragedy.
After arriving, the paramedics learned the situation was a domestic incident.
The temperature might explain why the shirtless young man who approached them had a blanket wrapped around him. The young man was Kevin Curl, Jr., 22-years-old. The situation escalated and turned deadly in seconds. From THV11.com:
The paramedic said when he told Curl to back up, he walked up to him and pushed him and asked him what he was going to do about it. When Curl pushed him, the paramedic said he defended himself and punched Curl.
Curl then pulled out a gun and shot him and the other paramedic approximately three times each in the chest, pelvic and abdomen areas.
“There’s no reason, there’s no lawful reason to attack a paramedic or a medic doing their job,” Wegner said.
One paramedic said when Curl started shooting them, he returned fire and shot Curl.
Police say Curl was found laying in the kitchen floor West 23rd Ave. residence.
Men do not need to be evil for emotions and hormones to eradicate rational thought and erase societal norms. First responders are understandably wary of domestic situations.
The case vividly illustrates the first responders’ rational desire to have the means to defend themselves.
There has been a movement over the last decade to remove legal restrictions and liability barriers that prevent first responders from being armed.
Kentucky removed restrictions from suburban firefighters carrying defensive guns in 2012, as part of preemption law. Kansas passed public employee, including the first responder, carry reform in 2016.
A very restrictive first responders Carry bill was passed in West Virginia in 2017. Ohio passed very restrictive first responders carry bill in 2018.
Florida passed a First Responders carry bill in 2019, for physicians and paramedics in support of tactical law enforcement teams.
Texas and South Carolina have come close to passing such bills.
The above bills primarily deal with government employees. More and more paramedics and EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) are employed by private companies. Some of the private companies are granted area monopolies.
Private companies are often wary of allowing employees to be armed. Lawsuits against companies for a policy of disarming employees are almost never allowed; lawsuits against companies that allow their employees to be armed are assumed to be a serious risk.
This opinion has been pushed by those who want a disarmed society.
Emergency Ambulance Services in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, is a private company. Josh Bishop, CED of Emergency Ambulance Services, was asked if employees were “allowed to be armed”. From THV11.com:
When asked if the paramedics were allowed to be armed, Bishop said he can’t go into specifics regarding internal policies.
Lawsuits have become a one-way street to redistribute wealth in society. People with few assets are seldom sued. Middle-class people and companies are sued at the slightest hint of a possible payout, even if the event was clearly not their fault. Companies have become adept at structuring themselves so as to protect assets.
Laws that restore the ability of first providers to carry the means to protect themselves usually include immunity from lawsuits if responders are acting reasonably in the performance of their duties.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
