In that case I would disagree with what I presume is the majority opinion here. I don’t mind asking someone with homicidal tendencies if they have guns. They might not tell you the truth, anyway, so in the end it makes no difference.
For that matter, if a doc asks you if you have a gun, are you breaking a law if you lie or refuse to answer?
I didn’t mean to imply the docs were asking the question on behalf of the govt. I’m guessing they ask for a couple of reasons, concern for their patients (do no harm) and liability purposes.
“In that case I would disagree with what I presume is the majority opinion here.”
The question in the right setting has been valid to this point, IMO, but we’re now heading into the slippery slope of obamacare where the doc will be having to report, for example, that the patient is on Xanax and owns a gun.
“For that matter, if a doc asks you if you have a gun, are you breaking a law if you lie or refuse to answer?”
No law is broken for lying to your doc that I’m aware of. But if you’ve lied to the doc and something happens, he has it in his record that he asked the question - again, liability purposes.