One third ain't buying.
Posted on 08/01/2016 9:02:22 AM PDT by PROCON
Two-thirds of Americans are okay with doctors discussing guns, according to a new survey published by The Annals of Internal Medicine.
The online survey asked Americans whether it’s appropriate for healthcare professionals to talk to their patients about guns. Sixty-six percent of the over 3,900 respondents indicated that it’s at least sometimes appropriate for docs to talk guns. In contrast, 34 percent indicated the topic of guns should never be broached with patients.
As part of the survey, participants were asked to indicate whether they were gun owners. Of those that admitted to having guns in the home, half stated firearm discussions with doctors were okay.
The Joyce Foundation, an organization that loudly speaks out against gun violence and in favor of more gun laws, funded the survey.
Doctors and 2A supporters have repeatedly clashed over this topic, most notably in Wollschlaeger v. Governor of the State of Florida. Commonly known as “Docs vs Glocks,” a Florida lawsuit spawned the 2011 Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act. The act prevented health care workers from discussing gun ownership or safety practices with patients.
After the passing of FOPA, there doctors banded together to sue the state of Florida. The doctors were joined by the Florida Pediatric Society, Florida Academy of Family Physicians, the Brady Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union who aimed to overturn the act.
Dr. Louis St. Petery, one of the doctors opposed to FOPA, insisted that healthcare providers should be able to ask basic questions about gun ownership especially when children are present in the home.
“What we are after is to protect that kid and be sure that the kid doesn’t get killed or injured inappropriately because the firearm that is in the home is not properly stored,” St. Petery said in an interview with the Orlando Weekly.
The doctors’ case has been heard three times by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals who, until recently, has ruled against it. In a surprising about-face, the appellate court agreed to rehear the case in front of a full court.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office, which represents the state in the case, condemned the appeal, saying the docs have no legal legs on which to stand.
“The act represents the most modest of all professional regulations — a requirement that doctors stick to practicing medicine — and it accomplishes its compelling goals without interfering with doctors’ professional judgment or otherwise burdening more speech than necessary,” Bondi said a brief.
Shocking! </sarc>
We've all noticed that these anti-gun articles have been coming out almost daily leading up to the November election.
As far as the topic of the article goes, I personally have never been asked by my doctor about gun ownership.
There are some interesting comments after the article.
I bring guns to the appointment. My doctor is a shooter and likes discussing them and seeing new items. I’m all for him talking about guns!!
My doctor thinks I have hearing loss because I said “What did you just ask me?
If true, then all that means is that 2/3rds of Americans don’t deserve their freedom. They’re welcome to leave any time they feel like it. The sooner the better.
I would ask if the Doc is in favor of gun dealers writing perscriptions.
I talk to my dentist all the time about guns. He has a gun safe right in his office. Sold him a pistol once that was promptly lost in a boating accident.
You mean like which guns they like the most?
Talk to your healthcare provider about... Guns.
I wonder how OK someone would be with this if they went to the doc with a growth the size of softball growing out of the side of their head, and the doc wanted to spend 10 minutes of their 15 minute appointment time interrogating them about their household ownership of firearms?
I have, it was a couple years back. While filling out the stack of forms in the waiting room, one form had many questions about my home and my habits. A question or two asked about exercise, and others asked questions such as if I had a swimming pool, or do I store noxious chemicals. But somewhere in the middle of the form it asked if I owned any guns or kept any guns in the house.
I drew a big X across the page and wrote "Non Medical Questions" at the top.
I have got to admit that I am perfectly okay and fine with my doc telling me about his guns.
It makes me like and respect him more knowing that he likes to hunt, but at the same time he’s not one of these docs that goes across the world to hunt exotic animals, and that’s cool, because I don’t care for that.
But me, I don’t own no guns.
“The online survey...” says whatever the people who designed it want it to say, just like any online survey.
The doc asks me about guns, I promptly yank out the IV and leave his office.
If you don’t like the doctor get another one.
I would ask him if he could recommend a good doctor.
I'm sure your family feels safer because you got no protection.
If my family doctor would even mention the word, “gun” or “guns” then the very first thing I would do is that I would find another doctor who would not ask about “gun” or guns”.
If your doctor brings up firearms, lie. He or she isn’t trying to help you, and no good can come out of any declarations against interest that you might make. Best case, potentially harmful information will end up in a computer database. Worst case, they’ll try to take your guns.
One third ain't buying.
I really don’t see what the problem is here. I believe that it is well within the scope of a pediatrician’s duties to ask parents whether they use a car seat for their kids, whether they have a fence around their swimming pool, whether their kids are exposed to second hand smoke, and yes, whether you keep your guns locked up. If you don’t want to answer, don’t.
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