.::The Montana Standard::.

A doctor at St. James Healthcare lost his job Wednesday after bringing a concealed handgun into the building, hospital officials said.

Administrators immediately terminated the doctor’s contract after the incident in which he told staff members he was carrying a concealed handgun, according to police reports and the hospital.

The physican, who was not identified, worked under contract and was not an employee, Jim Kiser, St. James chief executive officer, told The Montana Standard on Wednesday.

Kiser said the situation arose when the doctor told staff he had a handgun. Staff then called police, and before police arrived, were cleared from the area surrounding the doctor, Kiser said.

Police said the doctor has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but did not elaborate.

No criminal charges were filed in connection with the incident, Sheriff John Walsh told The Standard.

Kiser credited police for their quick response and handling of the situation.

Kiser also said the hospital will conduct its own investigation into the matter.

By Standard staff

on the side wrote on Dec 25, 2007 9:55 AM:

" Issues with a Dr. I guess. Just know that now and then they have security in there for our protection. I'm guessing the guy has some problems that need to be addressed. Personally I hope he finds happiness somewhere else and doesn't resort to violence. In the end, you look like a nobody, people get hurt and it's just not something a Dr. wants. Merry Christmas to all! "

jazzman wrote on Dec 24, 2007 8:57 AM:

" Whoa - I'm considering a job offer at the hospital coming from out of state. Will anyone comment about the community's perception of the medical staff or administration? I'd appreciate some local commentary. Thanks. "

nowimonline wrote on Dec 20, 2007 4:44 PM:

" Does anyone know what Dr this was??? "

on the side wrote on Dec 11, 2007 5:51 PM:

" jnorman, after reading this and thinking for some time, I'm thinking he thought his neighbor might have come into the hospital after him? Either that or he was wayyyy too stressed out. Either way, I hope he got the help he needed. "

jnorman wrote on Dec 11, 2007 8:43 AM:

" I have a few simple questions. Why on earth would you carry a gun on your person into the hospital? What purpose does it serve? Why was he packing a concealed weapon that had nothing to do with his job? I think that we are missing the forest through the trees here. "

CalRipken wrote on Dec 10, 2007 8:47 PM:

" Montana code states "clothing" or "Wearing apparel". So, bags, backpacks, briefcase, man purse all OK. And yes, a perfectly legal visible holster does in fact become a concealed weapon if you put your coat over it, assuming it is strapped to your side. "

Tri-pleX wrote on Dec 10, 2007 9:45 AM:

" If it was conceled in a bag, backpack, briefcase, man purse, whatever that _he_was_carrying_ isn't that 'on his person'? I thought conceiled in this case refered to not being immediately visable. Like a completely legal visable holster becomes a conceled weapon if when you put on a long coat over it. - Or am I totally off-base and uninformed here? "

Irishcord wrote on Dec 10, 2007 8:10 AM:

" yes, there ARE alot of holes in this story......can't always believe what ya here.....and alot of the staff at the hospital did not know what was going on until AFTER it was over.. "

CalRipken wrote on Dec 8, 2007 11:13 PM:

" Ree, Holy Cow! I did not say Montana reciprocated with Alabama. I know we don't. TJ said the doctor had a permit in "another state" which makes it illegal to carry in Montana. Not true. It depends which state. We honor 37 other states. As I said in my first posting, we have reciprocity with other states. You have to make sure if you have a permit in another state that Montana honors it. Duh! In my first post, I said about 40 other states. You have to look it up to find out which states, which I did years ago. I did not think it was necessary to list all 37 states. Sheez. If the doctor did not have it concealed "upon his person" it is not illegal anyway. IE: covered by an article of clothing. If it was merely in a bag the doctor was carrying it is NOT illegal. It has to be concealed on your person. Oh, the humanity, why do I even bother????? "

ree wrote on Dec 8, 2007 4:45 PM:

" CalRipkin, Montana does have reciprocity, but not with each state that has carry permits. Montana does not honor Alabama permits. Check out handgunlaws.us for details on what states MT honors. They only honor about 40 other states. I don't believe any state honors 40 other states' permits. Not that I have a problem with carrying, even in a hospital. But please before being rude to people and telling them to "look it up," do yourself a favor and look it up. "

CalRipken wrote on Dec 8, 2007 10:29 AM:

" TJ, if you don't know the law, don't spew inaccurate info. RECIPROCITY, learn it, know it. We have a RECIPROCITY with other states, which means if you have a permit in certain states, you are legal to carry concealed in Montana, too. The list is about 40 long, look it up. "

annd wrote on Dec 7, 2007 4:17 PM:

" Do feel that regardless of having (an out-of-state concealed weapons permit), it is definitely true that there should be a policy against bringing a gun to the workplace. And, if it IS against the hospital policy, the person should be punished to the fullest extent. St. James could certainly do a bit of fixing the bad PR image. (Becoming a participating provider w/ Blue Cross/Blue Shield for one thing!) The radologist/s flap (and other Dr's concerns) besides Dr's leaving for other pastures has not added to the "St James" image - though we've been grateful to them for showing some mercy in allowing payment/s (as much as able) & write-offs "

on the side wrote on Dec 6, 2007 11:01 PM:

" From what I've heard, the Dr. was not "all there" , brought a weapon into the hospital, which scared employees....they called in help, smoozed everything over to cover the hospital's bad "rep" butts and all is ok. Pretty spooky as you're watching the Omaha thing. "

ccc wrote on Dec 6, 2007 10:42 PM:

" So who is it? "

on the side wrote on Dec 6, 2007 10:15 PM:

" Um, Chuck, I don't think that's your "gun." "

Tj wrote on Dec 6, 2007 9:36 PM:

" I also heard on the News last night that he had a concealed weapons permit in another state, but Not in Montana. Which makes it illegal for him to carry a concealed weapon anywhere in Montana. So he should have been arrested or ticketed. Maybe he's a friend of Sheriff Walsh. "

Chuck Strongman wrote on Dec 6, 2007 9:00 PM:

" Guns are AWESOME! I shower with mine, OH YA! Some times my gun just gets so darn diry and I have to clean it, clean it real good! "

r d wrote on Dec 6, 2007 3:33 PM:

" I don't know about the hospital, but many places have work rules and policies prohibiting firearms in the workplace, regardless of any local concealed-carry law. "

on the side wrote on Dec 6, 2007 12:26 PM:

" Yep, many many holes. I heard on the news last night that he had a concealed weapons permit, but not in montana. That was their excuse for all this. My friend said people were whispering amongst each other about how this guy had been losing it and that he went bonkers. Weird, just weird how what the news gets from the hospital varies from the people who were upstairs visiting. "

brewstrwa wrote on Dec 6, 2007 11:35 AM:

" Lots of holes in this story. More info should have been included before it was written. For face value: what's wrong with carrying a gun into a hospital? The story says he just told employees there that he was carrying it. There was nothing written about brandishing a weapon. Were threats made? "

on the side wrote on Dec 6, 2007 9:09 AM:

" A friend of mine was visiting a patient there yesterday. He said it was quite chaotic and he was hearing staff talking about "someone losing it." I agree Juiceball, maybe he had a reason, and probably lawful, unless he had another motive in mind. Will be interesting when all the details come out. From what my friend said, this didn't sound like a "simple" issue. And as I asked before, if this was just an innocent goof up, why the lockdown and police? And as Juiceball said, if it was legal and no charges were filed, why was he let go? "

Juiceball wrote on Dec 6, 2007 8:28 AM:

" So far I haven't found any law that says you can't carry a concealed weapon in a hospital, if you have a permit. State Law says you can't carry them in schools, gov't buildings, finiacial institutions, or businesses that server alcohol. I couldn't find any local ordinance that specifically prohibits weapons in hospitals although it's debatable a hospital could be considered a public building. So, was it a smart thing to do? Probably not. Was it illegal? Not unless it was specifically stated in his contract. Sounds like more trouble for St. James for me, any way you slice it. "

bkammm wrote on Dec 6, 2007 8:18 AM:

" in response to MTWyld2006, instead of jumping to conclusions about the hospital's conduct, maybe you should be asking, what is a Doctor bringing a handgun into the hospital for anyway?? It is his place of work, whether he is contracted or not. What was the reason for him bringing the gun in? Then he tells staff about it? Not sure if I would want a doctor of this intelligence working on me? What about the staff and the patients? The staff did the correct thing. "

on the side wrote on Dec 6, 2007 8:08 AM:

" Something seems a little fishy here to me. First, why would a Dr. bring in a firearm? Why would he show it to other employees. If it was as simple as they're making it sound, why didn't they ask him to leave instead of locking down the hospital and calling police. I think there's much more to this story than we're hearing. And the hospital wants us to "forget it." "

MTWyld2006 wrote on Dec 6, 2007 5:10 AM:

" Can someone please explain how the hell you fire someone working under contract but they are not a employee??? You can't fire them...but you can terminate their contract. St James and their crap again! Kiser must be worried someone is out to get him. After he "fired" the radiologists here in town, maybe he has reason to worry. Hopefully this doctor will sue the hospital as well and they can make more headlines. "

Doctor fired for bringing gun into hospital

By The Standard Staff - 12/06/2007

Ads by Yahoo!

Online Degrees

See Today's Mortgage Rates

Tired of High Gas Prices? Save Hudreds: