Doctors asking about my guns?

[Classic]

Or how about charcoal. That's how my son ended his life.

 

[Denny347]

JUST SAY NO!!!

 

[Bunnykid68]

Most of you are a little paranoid. The health care providers, whether doctors or nurses, are simply assessing home safety. Most of them are NOT firearms owners so they are no different than the majority of sheeple in society. By that I mean they blindly follow the guidelines promulgated by a bunch of do-gooders, who happen to be doctors on policy panels. The type of doctors who end up on such panels often are there because they're not very good at taking care of patients or they have political agendas.
That being said, no one is collecting that data for the government, like all information you give a doctor it is protected (save direct threats to self or others).
Answer the question any way you want. Don't over react. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

Are you like most doctors out there that type all information into a computer? If so, that information is potentially available to everyone.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Most of you are a little paranoid. The health care providers, whether doctors or nurses, are simply assessing home safety. Most of them are NOT firearms owners so they are no different than the majority of sheeple in society. By that I mean they blindly follow the guidelines promulgated by a bunch of do-gooders, who happen to be doctors on policy panels. The type of doctors who end up on such panels often are there because they're not very good at taking care of patients or they have political agendas.
That being said, no one is collecting that data for the government, like all information you give a doctor it is protected (save direct threats to self or others).
Answer the question any way you want. Don't over react. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

You expect us to believe that this information isn't available to the .gov on demand?

 

[hoosierdoc]

I went to a gun store one time and this government agent wannabe wanted me to document IN PEN on a piece of paper and sign my name to it that I intended to purchase a gun. He then told me he was going to call the Feds and give them all info and keep it for 20 years just in case anyone asked him for it. Like some of you guys I huffed, said "none of your business" and found another dealer to buy from.

 

[actaeon277]

Most of you are a little paranoid. The health care providers, whether doctors or nurses, are simply assessing home safety. Most of them are NOT firearms owners so they are no different than the majority of sheeple in society. By that I mean they blindly follow the guidelines promulgated by a bunch of do-gooders, who happen to be doctors on policy panels. The type of doctors who end up on such panels often are there because they're not very good at taking care of patients or they have political agendas.
That being said, no one is collecting that data for the government, like all information you give a doctor it is protected (save direct threats to self or others).
Answer the question any way you want. Don't over react. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

It's not paranoid.
If a stranger ask how much money I have in my bank and wallet, it's none of his business.
An exam of a baby should EXAMINE THE BABY. I didn't ask for a house exam.
What's next. I take a toddler in and they want to give me a rectal exam.

 

[mpitcock]

I had a very serious illness a few years ago and had to be hospitalized 3 times. Each time I had to go thru the admissions questionnaire. 3 times they asked about weapons in the home and 3 times I responded "yes I do." The crazy question came next - "are any of them loaded?" Well hello yes!

I also had home health care come in for several weeks and on the 1st visit I was again asked about weapons.

 

[drillsgt]

Most of you are a little paranoid. The health care providers, whether doctors or nurses, are simply assessing home safety. Most of them are NOT firearms owners so they are no different than the majority of sheeple in society. By that I mean they blindly follow the guidelines promulgated by a bunch of do-gooders, who happen to be doctors on policy panels. The type of doctors who end up on such panels often are there because they're not very good at taking care of patients or they have political agendas.
That being said, no one is collecting that data for the government, like all information you give a doctor it is protected (save direct threats to self or others).
Answer the question any way you want. Don't over react. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

I don't like it anymore than anybody else but KJW is correct. Your provider is likely just doing it as a type of risk assessment without a sinister agenda. Most probably just do it because it's in the guidelines set forth by the AAP. There are usually different threats assessed depending on age so if you have a newborn and your provider is asking you about guns that's not usually how it's supposed to go. Now your provider is likely just fine but as KJW mentioned those that are on the boards of the AAP, AMA and APHA (which i'm a member of) definitely do not have your best interests at heart. This issue is definitely political within these organizations as much as they try and couch it in patient/public health. As mentioned earlier with AAP's statement on not having guns in the home, this is the ultimate goal. If you look at a lot of the research that comes out on gun safety one of the benchmarks for measuring the outcome of their 'intervention' is if the firearms were removed from the home, after that it is if they were 'properly' secured etc. There are some physicians who say the above organizations agends are BS and formed Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership and has a lot of good reading on their website refuting a lot of the BS

Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership

 

[walleyepw]

Hey do you have knives in the home? Do you have a baseball bat in the home. Do you have a ..... in the home? What does it realy matter. If we start answering these questions it will lead to other question latter.

 

[zenbruno]

There have been enough child deaths involving firearms that this question, unfortunately, is relevant. It may only be relevant in an infinitesimally small number of cases, but of course how are doctors supposed to divine which gun owners are reckless and clueless, and which are responsible?

Much as we might like to pretend it ain't so, some people are just dumb as a box of rocks, and criminally irresponsible, to boot - and you know it's true. And, unfortunately, *some* of those rock-dumb idiots also own firearms. They're the ones we read about in the news doing idiotic things and making the rest of us responsible gun owners look bad.

So, it's no mystery why doctors ask a whole range of health/environmental/risk questions as they relate to a child or minor.

 

[mcolford]

There have been enough child deaths involving firearms that this question, unfortunately, is relevant. It may only be relevant in an infinitesimally small number of cases, but of course how are doctors supposed to divine which gun owners are reckless and clueless, and which are responsible?

Much as we might like to pretend it ain't so, some people are just dumb as a box of rocks, and criminally irresponsible, to boot - and you know it's true. And, unfortunately, *some* of those rock-dumb idiots also own firearms. They're the ones we read about in the news doing idiotic things and making the rest of us responsible gun owners look bad.

So, it's no mystery why doctors ask a whole range of health/environmental/risk questions as they relate to a child or minor.

Honestly, thats where my thought process is with this question is, as I have been stewing on it since it happened. I understand why they ask, and maybe to first time parents that have never really thought about gun safety a lot, this is something a doctor should cover briefly to get the wheels turning for the parent(s). But I think me answering that there is nothing left out to where my kids could harm themselves or each other, pretty much summed up that Ive got it under control.

 

[IndyDave1776]

If they were really trying to be helpful, they would prepare material of have a short prepared speech on safety regarding possession of children plus firearms, knives, forks, buckets, vacuum cleaners, electric appliances, and tools found in the average garage rather than nosing about one particular item (i.e., firearms).

 

[actaeon277]

There have been enough child deaths involving firearms that this question, unfortunately, is relevant. It may only be relevant in an infinitesimally small number of cases, but of course how are doctors supposed to divine which gun owners are reckless and clueless, and which are responsible?

Much as we might like to pretend it ain't so, some people are just dumb as a box of rocks, and criminally irresponsible, to boot - and you know it's true. And, unfortunately, *some* of those rock-dumb idiots also own firearms. They're the ones we read about in the news doing idiotic things and making the rest of us responsible gun owners look bad.

So, it's no mystery why doctors ask a whole range of health/environmental/risk questions as they relate to a child or minor.

If the question is relevant, then why don't they ask questions about the thousands of things that cause death/injury more than guns?

Like pools, knives, prescription meds, violent offenders, etc.

 

[zenbruno]

Mcolford, exactly. I'd like to think that the questions just get the wheels turning, as you say, about child safety in the home, but without the parents having to give some kind of detailed, quantified, reply. Believe me, I value my discretion and privacy a lot - like many of you.

 

[zenbruno]

actaeon277, that's a good question... and I don't know exactly. But I'll guess that the medical community asks about firearms as a sort of child-related risk factor simply because the relatively small number of firearm deaths involving children are disproportionately (and sensationally, often) represented in the news media.

 

[CitiusFortius]

I'll be honest, I didn't read through all 15 pages to see if somebody brought this up so sorry if this has been mentioned, but this is very much an issue being discussed in Florida.

FL passed a law banning Doctors from asking such questions, Doctors groups + Brady Bunch sued and a judge overturned the law. FL plans to appeal to fight for the law:

Docs vs. Glocks | Mother Jones

 

[Denny347]

If the question is relevant, then why don't they ask questions about the thousands of things that cause death/injury more than guns?

Like pools, knives, prescription meds, violent offenders, etc.

I think they asked me if I owned a pool, how I store cleaning chemicals, etc.

 

[Classic]

If the Brady bunch is for it then I'm pretty sure I'm against it.

 

[mcolford]

I think they asked me if I owned a pool, how I store cleaning chemicals, etc.

BE CAREFUL DENNY... They are going to try and take your pool!!!!!!

 

[Bunnykid68]

If the Brady bunch is for it then I'm pretty sure I'm against it.

Now, what did Bobby or Cindy ever do to you? Or was it Tiger?