Most gun owners love nothing more than firing off a few rounds on a warm afternoon. In fact, most of them are either in training or have trained with the best of them in order to prepare.
This dedication is not only admirable, but it’s also smart. After all, being able to shoot (and shoot well) has a ton of benefits. It allows you to hunt effectively, as well as to defend yourself and your family in a crisis.
But I have just one question. Is shooting really the end-all be-all of the prepping world? I mean, is this the number one skill every prepper needs in order to survive?
Not necessarily.
There’s one prepping skill that even the most experienced gun owners refuse to acknowledge. And this ignorance could easily become deadly to themselves and others in an SHTF situation.
Sure, this survival skill may not be glamorous, but learning about it sure beats bearing the consequences of choosing to ignore it. After all, by not learning this incredibly important skill, you could be letting people die right and left on your watch.
Pay close attention, because what I’m about to tell you can easily save your life.
Gun Owners Ignoring This Skill Could Get People Killed
Learning To Treat A Gunshot Wound
Learning to treat a gunshot wound is by far one of the most important survival skills to learn. However, unfortunately, many people choose to ignore opportunities to learn about this skill.
Don’t get me wrong – guns are important. However, most preppers only think of how to shoot someone else. They often have no idea how to treat a gunshot wound.
Not knowing this valuable information can easily cause you to bleed out, or to let those around you die. The stakes are just too high to not learn this information.
The first thing you need to know is there are approximately four different types of gunshot wounds that can occur. And each of these must be dealt with in a specific way. Therefore it’s crucial you know how to help stop the bleeding in every unique scenario. Otherwise you could cause further damage to the body.
Be sure to pay attention to these details. You’ll need to know how to deal with the specifics of each of these gunshot wounds as they occur!
1 – Shot To The Head
Most preppers think this is an immediate death sentence. However, this is not always the case. Shockingly, the human skull is surprisingly thick. As a result, many people can survive these horrible wounds IF they get proper immediate medical attention.
Follow these instructions from Gun Buzz in order to help save someone (or yourself) from dying:
Attempt to control the bleeding with direct pressure as best you can (no tourniquets around the neck).
Make sure the blood doesn’t choke the person.You can have a conscious person sit up and lean forward, or turn an unconscious person on their side and bend the top knee forward to keep them that way.
If you believe a carotid artery (that large artery on either side of the neck that supplies the brain) is nicked, you can apply soft direct pressure, and include an occlusive dressing.
2 – Shot To The Chest
The chest is the largest and most common place to get hit by a bullet. As a result, you may need to treat a few of these in a survival situation.
According to Gun Buzz:
The chest is the largest target, and likely to be the one to be damaged in either a firefight or an accident.
The biggest concern with a chest wound is the fact it contains many of the body’s organs, and that being true it means the risk of serious injury is very high. Not to mention a bullet entering the chest cavity could easily be introduced into the spinal column, causing paralysis.
It’s for this reason that you’ll want to keep a chest wound victim still, unless you can be certain the bullet is not going to affect the spinal column.
Treating a chest wound is different than the treatment of other wounds. Rather than applying direct pressure, you’ll want to place a small object over the entry point. (such as a credit card) This will prevent air from being sucked in, but will still allow air out of the cavity. Hold the object here until help arrives.
As the Survival Doctor writes:
Open chest wounds are also nicknamed sucking chest wounds because they suck air in and can lead to a collapsed lung. You can help stop the sucking by closing the open wound with an occlusive dressing.
Remember the spine is also included in the back of the chest. Be very careful about movement of these victims. You want to keep them as still as possible and not damage the spinal cord.
If the heart, the lungs, the spine, or a large blood vessel is damaged, there’s not much you can do outside getting immediate expert medical care.
3 – Shot To The Abdomen
Not only is getting shot in the abdomen incredibly painful, but it’s also really dangerous. With so many internal organs, blood vessels, and arteries in the way, it’s incredibly easy to rupture these (either with a bullet or when caring for the wound). The risk of bleeding out from this injury is incredibly high.
Here’s how to take care of it according to Gun Buzz:
If someone is shot in the abdomen you’ll want to apply direct pressure with a sterile bandage as soon as possible.
If the intestines have torn, this person will need immediate attention as the risk of infection is high. If you’re in a situation where medical help will arrive within hours, continue to keep the wound clean as best as possible by using water and clean dressings.
Again, direct pressure will be your best friend here.
If you’re out in the wilderness and have no such materials then packing the wound tight with dirt will be your next best option in order to keep the blood loss at a minimum.
Though unsanitary, this will prevent the person from bleeding to death before they die of infection.
4 – Shot To The Limbs
Many people don’t believe being shot in an arm or leg is that serious. However, this wound can easily become deadly if it is not properly cared for.
Here’s how to care for the wound, according to Gun Buzz:
First you’ll want to elevate the limb above the heart if possible. The reason why is if the injury is below the heart, the heart will continue to pump blood in that direction, incapable of stopping. This will cause catastrophic blood loss.
After that, it’s important to apply direct pressure to the wound. Ideally you’ll use some kind of clean cloth like a towel, or a rag, and wrap it around the wound and apply direct pressure on top of it. This should keep the victim’s blood in their body where it belongs.
On the occasion this doesn’t work then you’re going to want to use a tourniquet. Tourniquets will stop the flow of blood from higher up, keep the amount of blood going to the injury at a small ebb. Do be careful when applying a tourniquet. Many people mistakenly believe they can just tighten a belt around the injured limb and call it good.
Not only does that not work as effectively as something like an Israeli bandage, that kind of tourniquet can cause such intense pressure that it eventually damages the limb, leading to eventual amputation.
Note: Although this information can easily help save someone’s life, it is NO REPLACEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ATTENTION.
Contact whomever you can to help get the person to safety. However, these tips can easily help keep the victim alive for up to two hours before medical attention arrives. Remember – Prepare Now, Survive Later!
