Bill would bar doctors from asking about guns

[The Straight Story]

Bill would bar doctors from asking about guns

By JANETTE RODRIGUES, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 23, 2006

CHESAPEAKE - A pediatrician who asks a child's parent about firearms in their home could lose his or her license or be disciplined under legislation being considered by a Senate committee today.

The bill would prohibit health care professionals from asking a patient about gun possession, ownership or storage unless the patient is being treated for an injury related to guns or asks for safety counseling about them.

Sponsored by Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Martinsville, the bill sailed through the House by a vote of 88 to 11 last week. A message seeking comment was left for the delegate; he did not return the call.

The legislation is opposed by The Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics because it blocks a common practice by medical professionals to inquire about gun ownership and safety when they go over a safety checklist with parents during a child's regular checkups from birth to puberty.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=100053&ran=103354

[derby378]

1. I have mixed feelings about this...

Lead is a potential hazard for developing infants and children, so I think it is wise to counsel gunowners about the potential risks of lead exposure to children. On the other hand, asking parents about gun ownership when there is no actual correlation to a child's illness or injury seems like so much snooping.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. What are they afraid of?

I can't believe state legislature spend their time on crap like this.

[The Straight Story]

3. I can't believe someone spent time getting dr's to ask this either

Kind of runs both ways. Someone spent a lot of time getting this onto forms and such for dr's to ask, and it does not really help anything.

Seems like common sense is absent on all sides of the spectrum at times.

[Ouabache]

5. If it got just one clueless parent to lock up his guns

it would be worth it. imho. Lord knows there are enough clueless parents out there. Most of them are armed r-wingnuts too from my experience.

[The Straight Story]

8. Slap it on a pack smokes or beer as a message

would reach more people more quickly.

[tsuki]

99. It's rather the same reasoning used to tap our phones, monitor our

email. If it catches one, then it's okay to tap hundreds of thousands. What do you have to hide?

[I_Make_Mistakes]

7. Well, today in the Philly area they found a gun in an infants

crib, the last week or two coke in the crib, not that an infant would be able to communicate it.

It is quite strange when you think of asking a child, but maybe it's going to the number of kids shotting kids by accident, had one of those recently also.

[depakid]

12. Seems like you don't know much about public health

If you look at the epidemiology stats (that's right S-C-I-E-N-C-E) you'll see that one of the causes of foreseeable injury and premature death is having guns in the house. The correlation is significant- and it's reported (or was reported) by the CDC.

How do you think it got on the checklist? You think docs and public health workers like wasting their time- or have some ideological bent? No, they like preventing injuries and saving lives. That's their job.

That's how science works. Or used to work, before the far right declared war on us.

[The Straight Story]

14. And how often do folks go to the dr

versus buying smokes, seeing a billboard, getting beer? Would it not be more efficient (science wise) to get the message out that way instead of wasting a dr's time asking such questions when your kid goes in for a scraped knee?

Why not have Teachers and preachers asking this monthly? They see kids a lot more often.

[Mythsaje]

16. I'm not sure drawing too much attention to weapons

is such a good thing.

[The Straight Story]

18. Now that is an interesting term

weapons.

It seems so easy to define, but has such a strange connotation.

I rarely thought of a gun as a weapon, though it is obviously one to some extent. Has been more of a tool for me. I guess I wonder at which point it stops being a tool and starts being a weapon. That too seems obvious, sematics aside.

[Mythsaje]

20. Never thought of it, really...

A gun is just another kind of weapon to me.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

22. stops being a tool when it's not used to feed your family

even in self defense, it becomes a weapon.

[RagingInMiami]

I'm a gun owner

But how can you not think of a gun as a weapon. A hammer is a tool. Could also be used as a weapon. But a gun is a weapon clear and simple.

[depakid]

27. I completely agree

We need more public health education and media campaigns on a whole range of subjects.

Used to be we did- especially on TV and radio- in the days when there were responsible media regulations that required a certain amount of actual public interest announcements. Those have now been replaced by irresponsible pharmaceutical ads. To my knowledge- America is the ONLY country that allows that.

The "Peds" are only one source- but the way things have gotten- they may well be the only source of information some people get.

And let me tell you, it's often tough to get docs to ask about uncomfortable topics. STD's and sexual practices/risk factors, for example.

I heard a lecture last year by a women running a study about the spread of Hepatitis C in and around Seattle. One of the biggest problems they had in putting together a harm reduction program was getting the docs to ask the appropriate questions (which is the first step to giving appropriate medical advice). She went through a litany of things they did to try to come up with a checklist that the docs could (and would) use. With some success.

I see the same thing going on here. Doc's needing to be encouraged to do the responsible (if uncomfortable thing) and patient (and public) resistance.

Bottom line- if it prevents injuries and saves lives- that's a small price to pay for a little medical "snooping."

[Mythsaje]

29. Not if it results in more people avoiding doctors altogether...

What's more important, really? People getting the medical attention they need at the moment, or giving the chance for the doctor to ask them questions they aren't going to want to answer? It's already hard enough to get my dad or stepmom to go to a doc, not to mention myself. They start asking even MORE questions, they're not going to be well-received.

I agree with you on the pharma adds, btw. We SHOULD require more public service announcements, and not just those bullshit drug war ads.

[depakid]

31. Welp, people don't avoid doc's in other countries

who ask relevant questions. Or nurse practitioners.

btw: nurses consistently score among (if not THE highest ratings of all professions for honesty and ethics).

When things are explained to patients, they generally understand that health care professionals are looking out for their interests (even if they don't comply with the advice).

I doubt seriously that sensible people would react any differently to questions (and information about) gun safety than they would to second hand smoke & indoor smoking around kids.

[Mythsaje]

33. Personally I don't object to much of it...

but I remember hearing about the gun thing before and not really feeling comfortable with it.

And I don't even own any.

[FearofFutility]

51. I don't mind the peds asking questions and giving FACTS

What I do object too, however, is moralizing. My sister took her 14-year-old for her physical. The nurse practitioner preached about abstinence until marriage. I used to take my kids to the same NP, but that did it for me.

[ManiacJoe]

30. They are afraid that the doctors

are going to pretend that their medical training included firearms safety training and that they will try to deceive their patients with said lack of training.

[proud2BlibKansan]

54. I see nothing wrong with doctors advising parents to

keep guns away from kids. When my kids were little, their doc had lots of advice at their yearly check-ups. I appreciated it very much.

[madmark]

4. are pediatricians asking about guns when there is no gun injury?

this sounds like a strawman.

[Midlodemocrat]

89. Yes. The same way they ask about child proofing

dangerous dogs and car seats. I don't see the strawman here. I think it is a bad bill.

[madmark]

104. no pediatrician has ever asked us about home gun access

[Mythsaje]

6. I can't think of a single reason a doctor would need to ask

about whether there are guns in the house unless there's been a gun-related injury.

That's just weird.

[ISUGRADIA]

9. Here's Why:

http://www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,24-6929,00.html

# Every day, about 75 American children are shot. Most recover — 15 do not.

# The majority of fatal accidents involving a firearm occur in the home.

# Nearly 500 children and teenagers each year are killed in gun-related accidents.
About 1,500 commit suicide.
Nearly 7,000 violent crimes are committed each year by juveniles using guns they found in their own homes.
Senator Herb Kohl, sponsor of the safety-lock measure.

# Every day in 1994, 16 children age 19 and under were killed with guns, and 64 were wounded in this country.
National Center for Health and Statistics, 1996

[The Straight Story]

Major causes of death in homes:

http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/ofhc/news/Other/4404.asp

Burns and falls, drowing, suffocation...the list goes on.

Do they ask about chemicals and plastic bags at home?

[Mythsaje]

23. That occured to me too...

I wondered the same thing.

[cornermouse]

41. Actually pediatricians, in my experience, often did ask if you had

child-proofed your home. Covered electric plugs, turned pan handles toward the inside of the stove, put up all objects small enough to swallowed, etc. It stands to reason that guns should be somewhere on that list.

On a somewhat related but disconnected note, a local person was accidentally shot yesterday. That person died.

The same people who would tell you this is nothing more than an unfortunate accident and shouldn't be prosecuted are having 10 types of conniption fits over the fact that another person who accidentally ran over and killed someone with her car wasn't sent away to prison for at least the next 10 years. The logic being used escapes me.

[tnlefty]

58. Some of these questions begin in the hospital: Running water, indoor

bathroom facilities, temp. of the water heater, is there adequate heating/cooling available in the home, car seats to take the infant home. Many of these questions are repeated at the pediatrician's office and as the child develops more are added: is there lead paint in the home, when was the plumbing installed or changed in the home, are bookcases secured so that they won't turn over should a toddler decide to take a climb? The only thing that was ever mentioned to me about guns was,"If you own firearms you need to keep them locked up. If grandparents have them make sure that they understand that 30 something years later kids will be coming into the house."

[The Straight Story]

24. out of 70 million under 18 in US?

How many more are killed by other things?

I guess I am asking - is this the main reason kids are dying in the US?

42215 give or take based on your post are affected by guns. Which is what, .06% of all kids in US?

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/97trends/Pf1-1.htm
us population stats

[rd_kent]

88. Thats great, but....

More kids and teens are killed in auto accidents than from guns. Lets have the doctors go down the list of things parents should know about to protect their kids from. Guns would be well down the list. By the time the doc got to guns, he/she would have spent so much time talking to the parents that the care for other patients would be suffering.
How about the doctors provide quality healthcare and lets stop at that for now. When we have quality healthcare for everyone and the doctors are caught up on work, THEN they can start counseling parents on gun safety.

Just my opinion.

[Mythsaje]

11. All that aside,

it's still unwelcome snooping and, frankly, none of their business. I take a kid to the doctor, I expect the doctor to ask health-related questions, not whether or not I have guns in the house.

Would you want your doctor or another professional asking your kids whether you drank alcohol? Took any drugs? What kind of books you read?

I understand the interest in the kids' safety, but the idea of them prying into things outside their purview just rubs me the wrong way. I don't trust anyone quite THAT far.

[depakid]

13. I guess if it's none of their business

then it's also none of their business to inquire about how you prepare or store food- or give advice about how to avoid bacterial contamination. Or any of a dozen other things that might sound to a layperson like "snooping."

[Mythsaje]

15. If someone's showing symptoms of food-borne illness

perhaps it isn't a bad idea to check these things out.

But I know damn well they don't have time to go over every possible danger a human being may face in day to day life.

[depakid]

19. The point of a checklist

is to prevent injuries and illnesses before they happen. In pediatrics, that's a major concern- both because kids are more susceptible to injury and illness- but also because they're more apt to do stupid things (including stupid things that their parents may never have thought of).

Pediatricians and epidemiologists see these kinds of things all of the time- they see trends and report them. Then, they go back and say "what can we do or say to our patients that might keep them out of our office (or the ER) down the line. Nothing nefarious- or "nanny state" about it. Just the responsible practice of medicine.

Curiously- you'd never hear these kinds of concerns in other countries. I gather you'd be shocked, for example- at the preventative medicine practiced by the NHS in the UK. They actually send nurses by your house after every birth to give suggestions and warn parents about possible hazards, for example.

[Mythsaje]

21. Just bugs me, I guess...

Probably the way I was raised...this sort of thing would've sent my father through the roof. Still would, come to think of it.

Stepmom too. Not that she'd allow a gun in the house. It's just the thought of anyone asking questions about her home.

[The Straight Story]

26. See my post #24, am I out of bounds on that?

or out of my league in the stats? After too many captain morgans I am wondering if my calculator is working right :)

[Mythsaje]

28. Maybe even a smaller percentage

It's getting late and my brain really isn't up to the math work right now.

[MrBenchley]

47. It certainly is their business

A gun in the house is a menace to all within it. Gun owners are 44 times more likely to perforate themselves, a friend or a family member than they ever are a criminal.

[Mythsaje]

55. Thanks for weighing in...

Even though your response was entirely predictable.

[MrBenchley]

57. Always happy to show what a pantload the trigger-happy peddle

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MrBenchley]

61. Sure fits the bill in every way....

If you don't like the stench of your playmates, stay out of the sandbox.

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

65. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[thirdpower]

103. And the fact that the number is not accurate..

The author doesn't even use it anymore. His recent "study" has it as 3x higher.

[depakid]

10. WTF?

If there wasn't already overwhelming evidence that places like Virgina suffer from some sort of a collective pathology, this would be it.

So, what's next? Ban Pediatricians from discussing family planning- or forcing them to rat out any teen below the age of 16 who they think is consensually involed with another teen- and turn them over to law enforcement?

Oh wat- that's already been done....

[f-bush]

17. Sounds like the fucking NRA being paranoid again...

of course it's an issue. Anything that might harm or endanger children that can be eliminated needs to be addressed. As far as I am concerned if it takes a teacher, doctor, minister, social worker etc to that GREAT have them do it!!!!!!!!

[fknobbit]

25. Makes it convenient for the SS

when they come to round up private guns the Dr's office would have records.

[depakid]

32. I was waiting for that one!

LOL.

There's this little thing called HIPAA. Health care professionals take it very seriously. Even Republicans do-

[Mythsaje]

34. Yeah, like Republicans take ANYTHING seriously.

;)

Actually they've already shown their willingness to go after confidential patients records if it suits their purposes. I remember hearing something about them (the Justice Department) trying to get the records of women who'd had abortions as part of a defense against a lawsuit of some kind. Or something like that.

They already think they can blithely tap our phones and read our e-mails. Don't be fooled into thinking they're likely to respect doctor-patient privilege if they see a reason to violate it.

[depakid]

36. Thing is-

Republicans have plenty that they want kept confidential in their own medical records. That's why they're staunch supporters of HIPAA. They howl pretty loudly about it- because it's seriously in their interests to do so.

That's something I don't worry too much about in the scheme of things.

Plus, in this instance, all the docs are likely to chart is whether the checklist was read and appropriate advice was given. They neither have the time (nor the inclination) to record whether their patients have guns in the house- any more that they would chart whether you wash your vegetables or keep raw chicken juice from dripping on things).

ps: as to the vegetable thing- after looking at some epi studies- I no longer eat alfalfa sprouts. There's a very good reason for that. Nasty little bastards harbor salmonella and other pathogens- they can (and do) get infected anywhere along the surprisingly long chain to market- and there's no effective kill step anywhere including your kitchen).

[Mythsaje]

37. Yeah...I know.

What's bad is that I LIKE alfalfa sprouts. I stopped eating them several years ago.

You make a good point about whether they're marking the stuff off on a chart. It's funny that it even bothers me, since I don't own a gun, or even have kids in the house right now. Of course, I'd probably just lie anyway...

If I had a gun in the house, and my kids, I'd keep it locked up.

[fknobbit]

53. You are dead on!

"They already think they can blithely tap our phones and read our e-mails"

And being Republicans this info will be shared and mutualy gathered by the private sector.

[fknobbit]

52. Yep I imagine the Dr.'s objection would slow the Nazies

way to hell down for a couple of seconds. Those records are already available due to patty act. How stupid of me not to trust republicans to honor my Civil rights, totally unfounded mistrust.:sarcasm:

[marions ghost]

40. gun ownership is not a private matter

in a civilised society lethal weapons are registered.

This crappy policy re Public Health is so 'backwards Repuke Virginia'(being from there originally I know it well).

You can't inquire about health and safety issues without asking about guns in the home, a leading cause of death in children. Hospital physicians treat gunshot wounds all day long in many places. It's a fact of life in our society, unfortunately. You can't pretend that gun safety is not a Public Health issue. It's not fair to children nor the rest of the community not to list it as a risk factor.

People can always lie to the doctor if they are especially paranoid about their guns being 'taken away by the government.'(LOL) Guess what the government's not going to take away any guns. They're OK with poor people killing each other and for others to live in fear of gun violence. Keeps people off the streets.

[Jack_DeLeon]

43. My private property is my own business...

it absolutely is a private matter if I do not wish to tell random strangers about what things I own and store in my own home.

I disagree with this law, but that is because I just think its another stupid law and we already have way too many useless laws.

IMO it would be better if people were just better educated about thier rights, and understand that they do not have to answer random people's questions.

Like when you go shopping, some stores have thier cash registers prompt the clerks to ask a customer for thier zip code or phone number. Most times people will just be sheep and give up personal information without ever questioning it. We need to educate our citizens that we have the right to say no.

[marions ghost]

45. totally agree

about shopping or types of products owned. I give out no information like that. Nobody should be forced to give information they don't want to give. (The public health form is not mandatory).
Yes, it would be good to educate people about their rights to refuse--I'd like to see a consumer's rights and responsibilities course in high school. But I don't think we are completely stupid. For example, Americans have been bombarded by telemarketers and have strongly registered their objection--which shows that most (mature) people do realize that they don't have to answer a stranger's questions at any time.

If what you're talking about is education or preventative measures, then I would think you'd agree that a Public Health questionnaire could be part of that kind of concern. To me the paranoia about this is an indicator of how far we have sunk as a society where people don't feel the government operates in their best interests. So it's not surprising that a lot of people develop unfounded fears about any and all questioning, even those sincerely designed to help.

[depakid]

56. Welp, I guess you wouldn't get the medical advice then

Some people are like that. Foolish, if you ask me -but hey, people in Texas and Kansas (and apparently Virginia) make stupid public health decisions all of the time- and often endanger (or actively hurt) both themselves and their children in the process.

Not much the docs can do about that. Clinics aren't grocery stores, and healthcare workers can't help people who won't help themselves.

[MrBenchley]

48. Better hide under the bed....

By the way, it's no coincidence that ther worst administration in US history is also the one pushing "guns guns guns"

[anitar1]

35. Vote Armstrong out of office. Withhold money from him.

What an asshat.

[DanCa]

38. My mind is too boggled by this to think straight right now.

Allthough a bad joke about guns and a vial of embryos is starting to take form.

[renate]

39. I dunno... when I was pregnant my midwife asked about violence in the home

... and while she and I both knew the answer would be "no, duh," I definitely appreciated her asking, because with as many patients as she has, the answer isn't always going to be the same as mine.

Not always but sometimes, people's guards are down during a doctor's visit and they will tell the truth, and sometimes health professionals who are required by law to report certain dangerous situations will then be in a position to literally save a life.

Health professionals aren't required by law to report the presence of a gun in the home, but I assume that a positive answer to that question would then at least lead to a little discussion about gun safety--locks and such--and doctors' suggestions do carry enough weight with some people that their advice would be followed "because the doctor said so."

I don't remember whether our pediatrician asked about guns but I assume she did, and although most sentient beings know that guns in the home are dangerous, I am thrilled that pediatricians are raising awareness of this issue among people who may not realize that a 2-year-old doesn't know squat about gun safety. If one life is saved, it's worth the five seconds per exam that it takes to ask the question. It seems to me that this is the Hippocratic Oath in action.

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. As a parent, I have never been asked by our pediatrician about guns

in the home. Sounds like a gigantic waste of taxpayer money to me.

[Midlodemocrat]

91. I was.

When we moved here, I had to find a new pediatrician who didn't know me when I had given birth. He asked all kinds of things; about guns, dangerous dogs, other pets, child proofing, car seat usage, etc.,

I really liked the thoroughness that he showed me and the interest he took in our family. 15 years later, I am still delighted that he is our pediatrician.

[moondust]

44. Kids may not get safety instruction from gun-monkey parents.

There are few other options for making sure kids know how dangerous guns are. Those who oppose this simply do not give a shit about kids' safety. Or that of the other thousands of gun victims every year in the U.S. It's a public health issue.

[MrBenchley]

46. And so it's not enough that guns are a public health menace

The problem has to be hidden from people in Virginia....

[B Calm]

49. Why do I get the feeling this is another wedge issue like flag burning?

[Township75]

50. With how fast a doctor attempt to push you in and out of the office...

they are going to waste time asking about firearms?

Firearm deaths don't even fall into the top 15 causes of death in the US according to the CDC ( at least for 2002)

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr53/nvsr53_05.pdf

I don't necessarily support a ban on what docs can ask their patients, but I would if the answers given by the patients were shown to result in different treatment.

[petronius]

60. I'm a gun-owner, and I wouldn't mind a doctor asking this

as long as it was in the context of a larger discussion about potential hazards in the home. I know how to keep my guns secure, but there are probably other hazards that I may not think about; it would be a help for a pediatrician to run down the list with me.

I'd be a bit concerned if the doctor was keeping records of all my answers - but I have no problem declining to answer a question if I feel it's too personal. I'd rather the doctor ask (and potentially remind me of a danger) and let me decide whether or not to discuss it than have the doctor not bring it up at all...

[Kansas Wyatt]

62. I had a new doctor ask me this once.

I answered, no. Which was true, and I answered just out of reaction. But it bugged the hell out of me and I dropped him immediately, because it was none of his business and I was insulted that he even asked.

[MissB]

63. It was a standard question by my ped

along with other child safety concerns (child proofing of the home, proper use of a car seat, not using hot water from the taps to make baby formula if I wasn't breastfeeding).

I'm not bothered by the question. It isn't like she's asked it every single freakin' time. It was a one-time question.

[thirdpower]

66. The issue doesn't come from the basic question..

It comes from the false statistics and preaching that some doctors use to discourage firearm ownership. Kind of the the" (insert number here ) times more likely " and the "(insert number here) of "children" (defined up to age 24) die/year" meme's.

[MissB]

68. I got the impression that the question came from basic child proofing and

safety. Had I answered "yes", I expect she would've suggested a gun safe and trigger locks. I wouldn't have expected her to suggest getting rid of the guns. :eyes:

Not everyone is after your gun.

[thirdpower]

72. No, but quite a few are...

Had a doctor suggested basic safety measures, that would be fine. Yet many are abusing their authority and pushing thier unfounded personal opinions supported by misleading or false "facts" and "studies".

[MissB]

75. I'm sure you have studies to back that up.

You know, since "many" are doing it.

[thirdpower]

80. Mostly from the number of Peds. that have questioned me..

and from anecdotal, which has been presented on this list.

Ironically, the bill was put forward by a Dem.

[MrBenchley]

67. It's recommended by the American Academy of Pediatricians

Which is why that group, along with every other bunch of decent Americans you can probably think of, ended up on the NRA's idiotic enemies list....

http://www.commondreams.org/scriptfiles/views03/1013-01.htm

[MissB]

69. Who are clearly out to get our guns.

:sarcasm:

[MrBenchley]

74. Looking at the NRA enemies list

It's clear pretty much everybody decent in the country is FOR gun control.....

[Misunderestimator]

76. Yep.

[MissB]

77. Yeah.

I did notice that.

And people say "gun control" like it is a bad thing.

[thirdpower]

78. It is. Since in reality it is just population control...

[Misunderestimator]

81. Seems to me that the lack of gun control is population control.

Allowing your own children to be killed by being irresponsible with guns, since that's all this bill seems to be allowing.

What on earth is wrong with a doctor advising their patients with children about ways to be safe with the guns they own? It's pretty damn clear that there are a LOT of people out there who do not protect their children (or anyone else's) sufficiently.

[MissB]

82. The sky is falling! They're coming to get our guns!

The sky is falling! They're coming to get our guns!

[thirdpower]

84. Kind of like there's no "bans" in DC or Chicago, right?

Or that various anti-gunners tried to expand the CAWB to include every semi-auto, or that they tried to ban hunting ammo?

The reason pro-ownership is so strong is the backlash against these measures that have been pushed in the name of "safety" that did nothing to make anyone safe.

[thirdpower]

83. Even though very few children die each year by firearm?

Someone who is irresponsible w/ a firearm in the first place is not likely to listen to a doctor. What this bill is intended for is to prevent Dr.s from presenting misleading "facts" (like the more times more likely meme) and discouraging ownership. Had that not been happening, a bill like this would most likely never have come to light.

[Misunderestimator]

86. Bullshit. "Very few" must be a very relative term to you.

One is too many for my taste.

[thirdpower]

87. It doesn't even make the top ten on the CDC list.

I guess the Dr's should recommend that everyone gets rid of their pools, cars, cleaning products, bicycles, etc. Basic safety is one thing, proseletyzing is another.

[Misunderestimator]

90. No, but they should definitely advise them on how to keep their

children safe around those things.

[thirdpower]

92. And I've stated I have no problem w/ that....

I oppose the proseletyzing and outright lies.

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

71. Deleted sub-thread

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[Name removed]

73. Deleted sub-thread

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[radfringe]

79. can they ask about

bullets?

[Higans]

85. The thought occurs: Why "Ask" about guns. Why not simply inform?

Why "Ask" why not simply inform the parent about the dangers, or simply site the statistics of pre-mature death related to un safe gun storage?

Another question is: doesn't the legislate have anything better to do?

[SmokingJacket]

93. That's absurd.

A doctor should be able to ask any question he or she feels is relevant. Doesn't mean a patient has to answer, but sheesh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

96. Agreed. What's with banning people from asking something!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

94. Gotta pertect little Junior's right to blow his own head off.

Durn gungrabbers ain't gonna take my chile's gun from his cold dead hands.

[Texacrat]

95. I hope some doctors and parents sue in the federal court

Pretending to preserve the 2nd Amendment should not be done at the expense of the 14th Amendment right to privacy.

[Higans]

100. I believe the right to privacy is the 4th amendment, which is gone

due to warentless spying. the 14th amendment is also gone and that would be the right to vote and to have your vote counted equally. and we all know how equally they count the votes.

[LibertyLover]

97. doctors and guns

I can't recall if our pediatrician asked about guns, but I know when we were doing the home study as part of our adoption procedure the social worker sure did. My husband has a modern pistol and several historically correct reproduction muskets that he used to shoot in NSSA (North South Skirmish Association) competitions and Civil War re-enactments. The pistol is locked in a safe in the basement in a locked room and its ammo is in another safe in another locked room. The muskets are locked in the basement and he does not have any black powder for them. We were honest and disclosed that fact to her and you would have thought that we had admitted to sodomizing goats in the backyard for fun and profit. We had to take her around the house, showing her where the keys for the safes and the rooms were kept, showing her that the pistol was in one safe, unloaded, and the ammo in another room in another safe. She wasn't as concerned about the muskets - I mean ok, they aren't very accurate past 100 yards, but up close, a musket ball can ruin anyone's day. I'm still not convinced she understood they weren't toys but actual firearms. Anyway, we passed muster and got a clean report. She didn't make a big deal about the guns in it, merely saying that my husband had a pistol for target practice, and we were allowed to adopt our daughter. Still it rankled.

[thirdpower]

98. And this is exactly the sort of situation that encourages bills like this.

[Junkdrawer]

101. Well I guess that proves that anyone who suspected gun nuts of paranoia...

was just pain wrong.

:rofl:

[pinto]

102. I think it's somewhat misguided legislation. Home safety is a legit, and

growing, concern in Public Health, especially when there are children in the home. The presence of guns in the home *may* present a health and safety risk to children. If it was a pediatrician asking parent(s) if there was lead paint in the home, which is a routine query, no one would think twice.

Obviously, it's a hot button issue at times, and folks have privacy concerns...but in the health care setting, I think practitioners have the families' best interests in mind...and are meeting their professional requirements to help provide for the health and welfare of children to the best of their abilities.

I would wager that a parent's refusal to answer would be noted in the child's chart and everyone would move on. The point being that the practitioner asked the question.

Just my 2 cents.