Kids and Guns: Why Doctors Have a Right to Know

[jplove71]

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.

Read the rest of the article here.


The author is so anti-gun and liberal, it makes me sick. He didn't even bother to do basic research and calls magazine "clips".

[Byte Stryke]

-- There are 700,000 physicians in the United States.
-- There are 120,000 accidental deaths in the United States caused by physicians every year, and the accidental death percentage per physician is 0.171.
-- There are 80 million gun owners in the United States.
-- There are 1,500 accidental deaths from guns every year, regardless of age group, and the accidental death percentage per gun owner is 0.0000188.

This means, the letter points out, that doctors are 9,000 times more deadly than gun owners.



Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/021206.html#ixzz1YRJ0JwTR

[akumadiavolo]

I like how the last 60% of the article is just anti-gun fear mongering that has nothing to do with the issue at hand.

That said I do agree with the ruling. A doctor has the right to ask and the parent has the right to not answer or lie. I find the fact that people want a law to stop someone from asking them a question to be quite pathetic.

[Ronin13]

-- There are 700,000 physicians in the United States.
-- There are 120,000 accidental deaths in the United States caused by physicians every year, and the accidental death percentage per physician is 0.171.
-- There are 80 million gun owners in the United States.
-- There are 1,500 accidental deaths from guns every year, regardless of age group, and the accidental death percentage per gun owner is 0.0000188.

This means, the letter points out, that doctors are 9,000 times more deadly than gun owners.



Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/021206.html#ixzz1YRJ0JwTR

Touche! So what you're telling me is that instead of paying my doctor to tell me what I already know (that I'm someday going to die) I should buy more guns? Works for me!

[Scanker19]

Why would they ask if you don't have:

1. GSW
2. Powder Burns
3. Glock imprinted backwards on your face.

I don't get why they would care or it be medically necessary.

[BPTactical]

Why would they ask if you don't have:

1. GSW
2. Powder Burns
3. Glock imprinted backwards on your face.

I don't get why they would care or it be medically necessary.

^This- unless directly pertinent to the case at hand it is no bodies business.

[68Charger]

It IS within their 1st amendment right to ask ("their" being the AMA that is having the doctors gather statistics, but it sounds like this pediatrician supports it)

It's also within your 1st, 4th at 5th amendment rights to decline to answer.

If they say you'll have to find another pediatrician if you won't answer, I agree with that, too... I'd walk out, have my bank reverse any co-pay they won't refund, and be done with them.

The real question here is are they allowed to refuse service based on not answering that question? Probably... but at least for now, I have the right to change pediatricians... and I can let others know what kind of crackpot they are, too...

[jhood001]

-- There are 700,000 physicians in the United States.
-- There are 120,000 accidental deaths in the United States caused by physicians every year, and the accidental death percentage per physician is 0.171.
-- There are 80 million gun owners in the United States.
-- There are 1,500 accidental deaths from guns every year, regardless of age group, and the accidental death percentage per gun owner is 0.0000188.

This means, the letter points out, that doctors are 9,000 times more deadly than gun owners.

Thanks for that. I've got a little more argumentative ammo now.

[TEAMRICO]

Why would they ask if you don't have:

1. GSW
2. Powder Burns
3. Glock imprinted backwards on your face.

I don't get why they would care or it be medically necessary.

That sounds like one awesome trip to the range!!!!

[68Charger]

-- There are 700,000 physicians in the United States.
-- There are 120,000 accidental deaths in the United States caused by physicians every year, and the accidental death percentage per physician is 0.171.
-- There are 80 million gun owners in the United States.
-- There are 1,500 accidental deaths from guns every year, regardless of age group, and the accidental death percentage per gun owner is 0.0000188.

Some of those statistics are suspect- and I don't see sources...
This article puts it at .5%, with "medical mistakes" at 1%
http://www.nraila.org/issues/factshe...ad.aspx?id=120

This one puts it at 776:
http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/death_stats.html

since we're talking about accidental deaths by children, the numbers are WAY lower than either of these (this puts it at 72 in 2001 for children 14 and under)
http://www.preventinjury.org/PDFs/UN...ARM_INJURY.pdf

many organizations will include "children" up to 24 years old to skew statistics, as well as including gang victims and even war casualties in "accidental deaths" to make the numbers more in their favor

While I'm obviously in favor of making that number lower (even zero), I don't think the AMA is really going to accomplish that by trampling constitutional rights.
I'd venture that vaccines kill more children than firearms accidents- and the AMA is pushing those more than ever.