I know I’ve been MIA for a bit, but for good reason. Life here has gotten super busy with the start of the new school year. As some of you know, I’m a High School Junior… But I am enrolled in the Running Start Program at a local University and taking a full class load as a College Freshman. Sadly that means most of my shooting has to take the backseat for a while. But on a happier note I‘m having a blast and loving this college life!
Now, please pay attention.
I have a very important message for y’all. It’s a simple message if you think about it. If you carry a gun and no medical gear, you are wrong! If you take firearms training but not medical training, you are wrong!
In your life (and answers may vary here) how many times have you had to use a firearm in a public or private atmosphere for your safety as a civilian? This applies to Military and Law Enforcement as well, but specifically in the context of off duty.
Now how many times have you come across a car accident, a freak accident at work, or home, etc. I’m going to assume the accidents number is far higher than the firearms use number. The point here being that you are far more likely to use a medical kit in your daily life than a gun. Yet we hyperfocus on the gun.
Now this isn’t me telling you carrying a gun is a wrong thing to do, quite the contrary. I believe a good guy/ gal with a gun is the only thing that is going to stop a bad guy with a gun, AND that you should be your own first responder. But first responders are cops AND paramedics, so be both.
The second point here is that if you just dropped $2000 dollars on your guns and gear, and another $1500 on a pistol/rifle class (travel, lodging, course fee, ammo… it adds up) but refuse to buy a $200 med kit and go to a $420 D.A.R.T class you are still wrong. Back to that whole likelihood of use thing above. Whether you spend $500 or $5000 on your guns and gear, the law of averages says you’re more likely to slice open your hand in the kitchen than burn down a hostile threat with your space-age master blaster.
Finally, I know somebody(s) reading this is going to say, “Well I’ve never stopped at or been in an accident, so I won’t worry about it” or “I’m a safe guy/gal, it won’t happen to me”. Bluntly put, your BS bulletproof mentality is what’ll get you killed. Accidents happen all the time and people are hurt daily by their own negligence or that of others. To walk through life believing that an accident won’t ever happen to you is ignorant and makes you a danger to yourself and others.
The “it won’t happen to me” mentality is great until it does happen to you and you or a loved one is lying on the ground bleeding out, wishing you’d just listened to Jase. #bleedingoutisdumb… so don’t do it. And if it won’t happen to you… why do you carry a firearm (for those it applies to)?
Seems kind of hypocritical don’t it?
Bonus point: Why is it that so many don’t associate medical with our gun gear? Think about that. If you’re setting up your plate carrier and putting your battle belt together why would you not count your life saving medical gear as a part of your kit? It is just as important, if not more important, than that ‘grenade’ pouch you threw on that you don’t have grenades for. What about your hunting gear? Accidents in nature and in hunting happen all the time so why wouldn’t you be prepared to deal with them? Our medical gear should be just as important on our kit list as everything else is.
This brings me to who’s med kit you should buy, and why. Dark Angel Medical is a company founded and run by a solid dude and friend of mine, Kerry Davis.
His mission is simple: Get as many medkits into as many people’s hands as possible and get as many people trained as possible.
Kerry only uses top tier products in his kits and is uncompromising on his use of the best. In his highly paraphrased words “If you use less than the best in your kits, you’re gambling with people’s lives”. Kerry believes in the importance of people being trained and equipped with the proper tools to save lives, and his company is built on it.
Kerry offers a variety of different kits to suit all your needs. There are EDC kits such as the Pocket Dark and Pocket Dark Mini which I carry daily. They are perfect for low profile excellence and simple peace of mind. He makes more robust kits like the DARK and DARK slim, small and compact but with everything you might need to stop the bleed and save a life. These easily attached to MOLLE webbing, your belt, a backpack, or just placed somewhere handy (like in your range bag).
Kerry makes car kits, designed to neatly fit into your car like it came out of the manufacturer that way with the VISR and HEDR kits. Do you need a multiple personnel kit? Fear not for Kerry has some of those too, designed for a really bad day at the office. Need something simple for the kids? Try one of the DARK BooBoo or bleeding control kits. Complete with an instruction card and all the necessary tools to save a life, simplicity of design is a marvelous thing.
My point here being that no matter your profession, your daily life, your clothing, or whatever “limitations” you think you have, there’s a work around, and no excuse not to have a med kit.
Having a med kit is half the battle, so now that you’ve ordered yours from Dark Angel Medical (hint hint, wink wink) it’s time to take a class. Now you can take a proper, in-depth two-day D.A.R.T (Direct Action Response Training) course from Kerry and learn the best knowledge possible or you can go to a “me too” company and get lied to for 3 hours or however long it is.
Now let me explain the “me too” company. That’s a company or individual that says, “Hey look at me, I took a Stop The Bleed instructor course, I’m a teacher now”. They may know enough to get themselves by, but a one-time instructor course does not a teacher make.
Real world experience, years of practice, and a strong desire to do people right, a teacher makes. The “Me Too” instructor IS NOT THE PERSON YOU SHOULD BE LEARNING ANYTHING FROM other than who you/your children don’t want to be like when you grow up.
What you need is a highly skilled and knowledgeable instructor like my friend Kerry. In his classes he makes sure you have the knowledge needed to be a help, not a hindrance. Do yourself a favor and take a Dark Angel Medical class, you’ll thank me later.
Now let’s recap. Carrying a Gun with no med kit is wrong. Spending thousands of dollars on your gun stuff without spending <$700 on medical training & gear is also wrong (and ignorant). Your bulletproof mentality will get you killed.
A proper top tier med kit from Dark Angel Medical is a must. There is absolutely no excuse not to have a med kit since there are such a variety of options to choose from.
“Me Too” courses are horse crap and unacceptable to take thinking it’s the end all be all of medical knowledge. Dark Angel Medical D.A.R.T course is excellent training and a must for good medical knowledge. If you want to be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem in this world, get a med kit and get training. It really is that simple.
Now for those of you who stayed and read the whole article, I thank you, and I reward you because you’re awesome. CHS15 gets you 15% your entire order on the Dark Angel Medical website. Let’s be prepared together. -Jase
