First Aid & Kits

posted on August 23, 2012
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
rackley2015_fs.jpg (2)

Defense is more than carrying and training with a gun. It is being prepared to fight and survive, which includes having a basic understanding of first aid.

Anyone can stick an adhesive bandage on a cut, but do you know what to do if a loved one is truly hurt? Or what if you have been shot by a bad guy and you are the only thing between him and your family? Could you staunch the wound long enough to provide your family with a few more minutes to prepare or run?

While you don’t need to know everything there is about combat medicine, it would be a good idea to take First Aid and CPR classes. In addition to teaching you what to do if your kid breaks his or her leg, you can learn how to assess a wound, properly dress it and how not to panic in a life threatening situation, which is probably the most crucial of survival skills.

Also, the skills learned will be extremely useful if the world implodes in some sort of apocalypse. And in that sense, you need a first aid kit. I actually recommend multiple first aid kits, compact kits for every vehicle and go bag, with a larger kit for home. When you bandage a skinned knee, simply replace what you used. And while there are many compact kits available from the box stores, you can find everything you will ever need at online retailers like Cheaper Than Dirt, including near military grade trauma kits and supplemental items such as bags of Quick Clot.

Keeping a first aid kit around will make you a hero when your family obtains a small boo boo (yes, I have a small child), and taking a class will make you prepared for most of the injuries you will face.

Latest

weapons of war
weapons of war

A Deadly Testing Ground: Guns of the Spanish Civil War

Great powers have often used smaller conflicts as test beds for new weapon systems, and also as dumping grounds for obsolete machinery. The Spanish Civil War was one such conflict.

Sequel: The New Taurus Judge

Not content to merely mark the gun's 20th anniversary with a special engraved edition, Taurus also introduced the New Taurus Judge this year.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 3, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Questions & Answers: A Wreck of a Remington 40-X

An American Rifleman reader writes in about a project Remington 40-X .22 target rifle that needs some serious help.

New for 2026: KJI K950 Tripod and Titan Inverted Ball Head

KJI (formerly Kopfjäger) releases the carbon-fiber K950 tripod and Titan inverted-ball head.

Book Review | Guns, Shooting and Hunting: What I’ve Learned in 60 Years

Much of what one learns is truly inexpressible to others—so it’s a wonderful rarity when someone can put their knowledge into words.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.