I don't have an AR quotation for this, but wounds are assigned one at a time and the helm is not a response, therefore:
You must assign a wound for each threat (if possible), so if you have already discarded the helm, you cannot assign wounds to Gimli (because the wounds are prevented), therefore the wounds must be assigned to another companion (assuming any exist). If Gimli is your only companion, yes, you will not be able to place wounds.
If you haven't discarded the helm, you can assign a wound to Gimli, but you won't get a chance to discard the helm until after the wound is placed.