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I have donated blood on a regular basis for the last 20 or so years, my wife worked at the hospital and normally donated there. The last few years I have gone to the United Blood Services local office in Midland to donate, recently they added a 30.06 sign. Now I don't think that anything will happen in the donation center, I doubt an armed robbery would occur, but there is always the possibility that a lunatic will walk in and I will need to defend myself. Also I don't like to unholster and leave my gun in the car. My question comes about because after the last visit a couple of months ago they sent me a survey and on the survey I told them I would like someone to contact me about their sign. Now I am of the opinion that I do not frequent the establishments that post these types of signs and I always try to let someone know either via website or in person if it is a locally owned business, some take it into consideration, even our mall posted at one time and when I had the opportunity to speak with the mall manager about it, the signs were taken down, now I do not believe they were taken down just because of what I told him but I like to believe that it got him to question why they were up and possibly get a decision made by corporate to allow them to be taken down.

So I received a letter today after playing phone tag with a representative of United Blood Services explaining why they put them up.

So my questions:

Would you still donate there if they won't take down the sign?

and

What is your opinion on the legitimacy of the explanation?

I have never seen or heard of anyone reaching for their gun upon waking up after fainting, the only reason I can see this happening is to make sure that it is still secure in its holster and that it is not exposed when I was carrying concealed.

If they don't make cops disarm before donating blood, their excuse is a blatant lie.

Well, their response seems like total bull. I like what someone posted here on another thread the other day, essentially if they don't care enough to station an armed guard, search all bags and run all donors through a metal detector, then they are not serious, they are just infected by liberalism and unfortunately you must make a decision to ignore that or go elsewhere to make your life saving donation.

Their letter: bla, bla, bla

I can, somewhat, see their point. Back in the dark ages, after a long flight from Germany and a long drive to Ft. Stewart I showed up for in-processing dead on my feet. Because of the 24th ID mission I had to have 5 or 6 inoculations. I passed out, they applied smelling salts with a couple little love taps and I hit the medic hard enough to knock him off his feet and bloody his nose.

But in this case I'd try to find some way around the problem instead of prohibiting carry. Not knowing how the area is set up I can't say how to do that.

What story have you heard more?

1)Guy gives blood, faints, wakes up and instantly goes on a shooting rampage.

2) bad guy breaks into a car, finds a gun then Uses the gun to rob and kill(shoot someone).

Ahhhh! I just figured what one makes them MORE money!!!

I think their answer is bull and if you have another place to donate, you should take your blood their.
Mrs. Chemist and I donate in and around Austin, at the Blood Center of Central Texas and we've never seen a 30.06 sign.

Seriously - if there is another place, go there. And tell UBS exactly why.

Go elsewhere. These places tend not to be charities but money making businesses. They don't want your business.

Like most places, their reason is total bull. I stopped donating at Carter after I got my LTC because of the signs.

They are in it for the money.

I used to give 3 or 4 times a year to the Red Cross. I don't know why the Red Cross doesn't do it around here. They have some company called the Blood Center, that seems more profit driven. The bloodsuckers aren't as nice as the tho old Red Cross workers either. The Redcross people always seemed appreciative of people coming in to donate. The Blood Center people act like donators are an interference in their lives.

Blatant guilt tripping....

Call the man and explain unless the sign come down you'll be donating and saving lives elsewhere.

Even if the "incident" mentioned in the letter actually happened, the letter states "a donor" meaning it happened once. The letter also states that the donor "reached" for his handgun, indicating he didn't get it nor was anyone injured.

Corporate-wide decisions should not be made based upon a single minor incident when there is significant downside to that decision. In this case car burglaries, assaults, robberies, rapes and murders in parking lots are far more frequent events than the alleged single incident with a donor. So even giving them the benefit of the doubt, it was a bad decision regardless of the true motive.

Chas.

I don't donate blood because I do have a tendency to faint (sometimes even during blood tests). It is one of a very few phobias that I have. So I wouldn't encounter this situation. But if I was able to give blood, then I would find another place to do it. This business is telling you that they are more concerned about a very, very slight risk to their employees than a much more significant and more likely risk to their donors.

I too used to donate blood. Had done it a number of times. No problem whatsoever.

Just because it seemed like an easy way to do good.

Until one day, after donating blood and eating the cookie and drinking the juice, I got on an elevator to go to the floor I worked on (in what used to be called the TCT building in downtown Houston) and bam - I almost fainted in the elevator.

It was just me and a women in high heels in the elevator. I saw her looking at me with alarm. I must've looked very pale, sweaty and not right. I thought, if I pass out she's going to panic and stomp all over me in those high heels. She looked the very nervous type, especially in an elevator with only one other person, a man, albeit in a nice suit and tie... I could envision myself crashing to the floor and her freaking out, doing some sort of panic dance...all over me.

With bowing my head as much as I could without going below my knees I hung on for dear life. I didn't pass out, but came so close it was a wonder I managed not to...

Never donated again.

Yeah sure, if my wife needed my blood or other loved ones, I'd do it, but not just in general anymore.

If some blood outfit put up a 30.06 sign, no way I'd donate at their place until I found one that didn't insist I disarm.

TreyHouston wrote:What story have you heard more?

1)Guy gives blood, faints, wakes up and instantly goes on a shooting rampage.

More Likely Guy gives blood faints, wakes up, realizes that he has been out for the count so he reaches for his pistol to verify it is still there. In case it was stolen or removed "for his own protection" . After all if the staff were so concerned about his passing out then they might have removed his weapon while trying to revive him, that is why this whole excuse of their's seems to be total bull.