Kids and Guns: Why Doctors Have a Right to Know

[Gameface]

https://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2093725,00.html?hpt=hp_c2

A federal court has blocked a new Florida law that limited the ability of doctors to ask patients if they had guns in the home. Judge Monica Cooke, a Republican appointee, rightly said that the law interfered with both doctors' right to free speech and patients' right to receive information.
The ruling, which came down last week, struck an important blow for freedom of expression. But it did something more: it dealt a rare setback to a gun-rights lobby that is increasingly using its considerable political power to support policies that have little to do with the right to bear arms and needlessly put innocent people at risk.

I found this article very odd. Why exactly does a child's doctor have a right to know about guns in the home? Will it play a role in how they care fort the child? On one hand the reporter acts like not wanting the doctor to know is pure paranoia, on the other explains that guns in the home present a risk to children (which I can only assume means the fact could be used to show the child is in an unfit home).

Can anyone help this makes sense?

 

[Nate505]

I'm not a huge gun person at all, but it (asking patients if they own guns) also makes little sense to me as well.

 

[LogGrad98]

I can just imagine the messes this may cause when a doctor uses guns in the home as justification to send is CPS to investigate. This smells a little like a witch hunt in the making. I think the information about whether there is a gun in the home or not would have nothing at all to do with medical care. I suppose some doctors may be paranoid about a parent coming into his office with a gun if something goes wrong with the child's care, but I can't see any other reason.

I have 5 guns in my home. My kids have all been taught how to deal with firearms, how to be safe around firearms, and they are kept under lock and key (floor-mounted gun safe) and only I have the key. I cannot imagine how that would affect my child's care at a doctor. I think if a doctor asked me about that I would just find a new doctor.

 

[freakazoid]

Certain antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts, especially in young people. At least that's what the commercials say. Maybe the presence of guns could factor into which drug a doctor prescribes? Ok, it's a stretch, but I'm sure it has something to do with the docs trying to cover their asses.

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

I can just imagine the messes this may cause when a doctor uses guns in the home as justification to send is CPS to investigate. This smells a little like a witch hunt in the making. I think the information about whether there is a gun in the home or not would have nothing at all to do with medical care. I suppose some doctors may be paranoid about a parent coming into his office with a gun if something goes wrong with the child's care, but I can't see any other reason.

I have 5 guns in my home. My kids have all been taught how to deal with firearms, how to be safe around firearms, and they are kept under lock and key (floor-mounted gun safe) and only I have the key. I cannot imagine how that would affect my child's care at a doctor. I think if a doctor asked me about that I would just find a new doctor.

Any chance your kid's had the key copied?

 

[Stifle Tower]

Certain antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts, especially in young people. At least that's what the commercials say. Maybe the presence of guns could factor into which drug a doctor prescribes? Ok, it's a stretch, but I'm sure it has something to do with the docs trying to cover their asses.

Good thinking. That's the only application I can see. Personally, I'm not a big fan of having guns in the home, but I don't really think it's any business for the doctor to enquire.
s

 

[LogGrad98]

Any chance your kid's had the key copied?

Nope.

 

[DutchJazzer]

it's none of their Bussiness. what a person has in his/her home. is private.
screw the law.

 

[Gameface]

Well, on one hand I don't really like a law forbidding doctors to ask the question. It seems unnecessary. But on the other hand, I wonder why they'd want to. It'd be like my auto mechanic asking what my wife and I do in the back seat of the car when the problem is a flat tire. Do I need to forbid the question by law? No. Should he ask in the first place? No.

 

[Scat]

Certain antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts, especially in young people. At least that's what the commercials say. Maybe the presence of guns could factor into which drug a doctor prescribes? Ok, it's a stretch, but I'm sure it has something to do with the docs trying to cover their asses.

Good thinking. That's the only application I can see. Personally, I'm not a big fan of having guns in the home, but I don't really think it's any business for the doctor to enquire.
s

Then they should also ask about knives, rope, aspirin, razor blades, cars & bacon.

There is no reason on God's green earth that they would need to know if there is a gun in the house.

 

[moevillini]

my kids (all over 21 now) saw the same group of pediatricians from birth through high school. At some point - I think around the time of their physicals for middle school and high school, the doctor asked me and my child for permission to speak to the kids privately, to ask about matters related to alcohol, drugs and sexual activity. This was completely optional, but I understood the reason for it, and it actually turned out that one of my boys had a question about some minor issue he'd been embarassed to ask when I was in the room.

I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about the specific issue of asking about guns in the home, but I can see where it might come up in certain contexts, and I don't think a doctor should be prohibited from asking.

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[One Brow]

I found this article very odd. Why exactly does a child's doctor have a right to know about guns in the home? Will it play a role in how they care fort the child?

What about the law forces a parent to answer teh doctor's question? Most patients will answer the doctor, but they are not forced to. Do you really support a law preventing the doctor from asking?

The purpose of the doctor's question is that discussions on gun safety are becoming standard for pediatric care.

 

[One Brow]

Then they should also ask about knives, rope, aspirin, razor blades, cars & bacon.

How many accidental self-inflicted toddler deaths come from knives, ropes, razor blades, cars, or bacon in any given year?

Doctor's do talk about medicine (like aspirin) safety.

 

[Gameface]

Oh yeah, it also really gets under my skin when people bashing gun rights, gun ownership and gun owners don't know a damn thing about guns. It's funny because very few people I've ever known who have been around guns and are experienced in their use are anti-gun. Most anti-gun folks I've ever met have a very irrational fear of guns and seem to believe that guns have a mind and evil intent of their own.

Anyway, it's a freaking magazine, not a clip.

Residents of Florida have nearly unrestricted freedom to bear arms. They can have them at home, and they can carry them in public. They can brandish their guns openly or conceal them (except in a few places, such as federal buildings or polling places)

Brandishing a gun is not allowed, at all. It's called open carry, and when a person open carries the gun must remain holstered. Brandishing is defined as:
1.to shake or wave, as a weapon; flourish: Brandishing hissword, he rode into battle.

2.a flourish or waving, as of a weapon.

That is simply not allowed and responsible gun owners know that. It violates several of the basic rules of firearm safety, which anti-gun folks seem to know nothing about.

T(Treat every firearm as if it is loaded) [PDF 10KB]
A(Always point the muzzle in a safe direction) [PDF 11KB]
B(Be certain of your target and what's beyond) [PDF 10KB]
K(Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot) [PDF 9KB]

And finally, "high-capacity" is a subjective term. So when the writer mentions "high-capacity clips" they fully and completely expose their ignorance. A magazine that holds 11 rounds is high-capacity to this writer, I suppose. The writer says that a high capacity clip allows a gunman with a single handgun to shot many people very quickly. I'd like to take this person to a gun range, put a paper target out about 15 yards, give them a single handgun with a 13 round magazine and tell them to quickly hit the target with hopefully at least a few of the rounds. I've taken several brand new shooters to a gun range and what I can tell you about that is, shooting a handgun is very frustrating and has a pretty steep learning curve in the beginning. I usually shoot at targets I print out myself on 8.5" x 11" pieces of paper. At 7 yards most new shooters hit the target maybe two times out of ten, and they're usually taking their time.

Anyway, shooting a lot of bullets quickly is a good way to hit nothing at all. Having some training is what allows a gunman to hit several targets in rapid succession, not the size of his or her "clip."

Okay, I feel better. I think I need to get out to the range this weekend.

 

[One Brow]

My kids have all been taught how to deal with firearms, how to be safe around firearms, and they are kept under lock and key (floor-mounted gun safe) and only I have the key.

End of conversation. By contrast, some people keep loaded weapons at-the-ready. You think it's wrong for a doctor to let such people know the dangers?

I cannot imagine how that would affect my child's care at a doctor.

Not in your case, because you are a responsible gun owner. Would that everyone were were.

 

[One Brow]

The paranoia in this thread is remarkable. Reminds me of the cartoon in "Bowling for Columbine".

 

[Gameface]

What about the law forces a parent to answer teh doctor's question? Most patients will answer the doctor, but they are not forced to. Do you really support a law preventing the doctor from asking?

The purpose of the doctor's question is that discussions on gun safety are becoming standard for pediatric care.

If you read a later post of mine I say that I do not think the question should be outlawed.

When they say the doctor has a right to ask their patient and we're talking about pediatricians I make the assumption they are talking about the doctor asking the kid if there are guns in their home.

Unless the doctor is also an experienced shooter (and really, even then) why would I want them to give my kid an ignorant speech on gun safety? They'd probably tell my kid things that are technically wrong.

 

[Gameface]

The paranoia in this thread is remarkable. Reminds me of the cartoon in "Bowling for Columbine".

Please point out some paranoia.

 

[Qman]

If you read a later post of mine I say that I do not think the question should be outlawed.

When they say the doctor has a right to ask their patient and we're talking about pediatricians I make the assumption they are talking about the doctor asking the kid if there are guns in their home.

Unless the doctor is also an experienced shooter (and really, even then) why would I want them to give my kid an ignorant speech on gun safety? They'd probably tell my kid things that are technically wrong.

This is what I was thinking. Most Doctor's are not experts in psychology or firearms. They are experts in a small subset of medical knowledge. The question could be seen as an abuse of a position of trust. I think this would be similar to a teacher in a public school taking a child aside and asking the question.

 

[DutchJazzer]

The responsible way of gun ownership and children is not to hide it from them. to show them the DANGER. to teach them the rules.
the never point it at someone., threat always as loaded etc etc.

if you are too secretive of guns kids will get curious and find a way to get it in their hands while you are a sleep or at work. and go play with it and show friends that is where it goes wrong.

so as soon as a child is old enough maybe 5-6 years just bring him to a gun range.
first hand experience with guns will set him straight and he will then see that it is NO JOKE.

well thats my point of view some of you might not agree and might have a urge to call child support service or some thing like that.

well screw you. man is free and people should stay out of citizen's business as long as they don't hurt other citizens