[en] The stabilizing effect of the dense neutral gas blanket which surrounds the dense z-pinch as it is presently operated is studied. Because this gas can contribute to pressure balance, plasma pressure can fall to zero at some radius without introducing destabilizing surface currents which would be required for pressure balance without the gas. Thus pressure profiles are possible which are stable against interchange, and long wavelength kink modes are more easily stabilized by a wall. Internal kink modes are unaffected and are unstable