By W. Stephen Love, President/CEO, DFW Hospital Council
It appears the “guns in hospitals” issue is being loaded yet again. As we reflect on the 84th Texas Legislative Session, the DFW Hospital Council is concerned about some leaders’ persistence to repeal the current prohibition on carrying handguns on hospital premises. Several bills introduced last session failed to pass, but some actually made it out of committee. This is troubling for multiple reasons.

As I stated on behalf of the DFW Hospital Council in an interview last month on KERA, hospital leaders clearly want gun-free zones within their buildings. Adding concealed handguns to the mix makes security even more complicated. We certainly support the constitutional right to bear arms. But rights are never absolute and should be limited by reasonable regulations. An example of such regulations is handguns not being allowed on airplanes for the safety of passengers and crew.

When regarding keeping guns out of hospitals, other considerations are:

• Healthcare facilities’ mission is to focus on patients, healing and the preservation of life. Handguns on the premises conflicts with this community mission.
• Hospitals and clinics must maintain a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors. This priority clearly includes keeping handguns off the premises.
• Hospitals have highly trained security departments that quickly respond to dangerous conditions. If security or even the city’s police were called, it would be difficult to determine a suspect if visitors had handguns.
• Hospitals utilize life-saving equipment with highly flammable gases such as oxygen. Any discharge of a firearm would be extremely dangerous in such a setting.
• A huge number of Texas patients seek behavioral health treatment in emergency departments. Citizen handguns certainly do not need to be present within such precarious situations.

We need to continue the regulations against carrying handguns into hospitals. We thank our state legislators for their public service, but we advocate for public safety within the walls of our crucial healthcare institutions.