Annual check up question; "Do you have firearms at home"?

I told him that "Firefighter Rich" can do as he pleases in HIS house and I will do as I please in MY house.
Click to expand...

THIS!!!^^^ (Is this too complicated to understand???)

This topic has come up before and someone mentioned there is a semi-magical phrase to throw back at the doctors that supposedly causes their heads to snap back, makes them go pale and hurriedly move on to the next question.

I think the phrase had something to do with the words ‘boundary questions’ but I don’t remember the explanation of why it was supposed to be so effective.
 
My favorite line in medical records is the patient denies..... In the South East part of Texas I have never had a Doctor ask me that.

If a Doc asked me that I would probably ask him when he stopped dating his sister? Then in my replies I can say the Doctor denied dating his sister.
 
All y'all need to learn how to act dumber on paperwork:
"What's a firearm?"
"Those new fangled BBQ grill lighters are really neat!"
"No, I did not burn my arm."
"Metric or English?"
"Does a Daisy BB gun count?"

Gary
 
This exact medical issue came up in Texas and .....well.....to say the answers were rude, profane, aggressive and unpleasant is a major understatement.

I don't believe that any doctor in his/her right mind would push that nonsense here!

Regarding Firefighter Rich:

My friends Ronnie & Linda had a small Granddaughter who came to their home pretty regularly so they locked up ALL of their guns. One night, a guy broke in, Ronnie fought with him for some time while Linda beat the guy in the head with an antique farm implement. The crook finally ran away but not before he stabbed Ronnie 11 times.

Ronnie survived (in fact I saw him yesterday) but every time I see him, I renew my promise NOT to be a victim in my own home!

I will NEVER lock up all of my guns and as I type this I have a loaded and chambered 9mm located 6" from my right hand.

Flash
 
Last edited:
My financial situation, how fast I drive, guns I own, etc. are of no concern until there is a direct correlation.
Click to expand...

Actually, to them it does matter. They call it risk assessment. Your "lifestyle choices" make a difference as to what risk category they put you in. Its not exactly fair, but its the way insurance companies have always done their business. You get put in a risk category, based on what they know about you, and charged based on the category you wind up in.

Then there is the other side of the coin. Several years back, while working for a govt contractory (which used subcontractor provided health care - work physical, first aid, etc) we had to take a survey (provided by yet another subcontractor), which included a "risk assement" section.

Questions about did we drive within 10mph of the speed limit, seatbelt use, drinking, anyone in family/friends get in a fight in the last 2 yrs, etc...

But strangely enough, not one single question about guns at all. However, when the results came back to us a couple months later, one of the "recommendations" to lower the risk in our lives was "avoid handguns".

At that point, I kind of hit the roof. I complained to my supervisor, who agreed with my argument, and passed it up the chain. After all, since the didn't ask a single question about guns, but their recommendation said avoid hanguns, what other data had they skewed?

The next year, their contract did NOT get renewed.
 
Although I agree questions about guns should be kept off medical forms, I do think there is an exception; veterans seeking help for PTSD. When I went to get checked out, they asked if I had an firearms and I said yes. The nurse asked if there was a friend or family member I could "surrender" it to until the completion of my Theropy or the doctor says otherwise. It wasn't a "you have to do this or else" but a recommendation. I gave my pistol to my mom to hold on to (and thus breaking the law in Kennesaw, GA). I never thought about suicide or being homicidal but I understand the precaution.

My theorist asked me one session what are my hobbies that are also stress relievers. I told her shooting and firearms. Said I find cleaning guns very theroputic (no I will not clean you guys' guns). She said she thought I should retreive my gun from my mom's house. And thus, my addiction began :)

OTOH, my best friend that i was in Iraq with (saw all the same action, etc) went to the hospital for PTSD and more or less the same story (he actually got me into firearms). He began reloading and was out shooting every weekend. He became a teacher and loved it. Life was good until his mom walked into the bathroom and found that he had shot himself in the head.

Now I added the last part not for sympathy or to say we could have prevented it by taking away his guns, etc. If he wanted it to happen he would have found a way for it to happen. What I'm saying is I understand the precaution with veterans with PTSD and firearms. It is just too easy to find that final solution for a temporary problem with the emotional squeeze of a trigger.

But for annual check ups for 'normal' visits, I see no need for a question like that unless you are deemed suicidal.

BTW, it was a GLOCK he used. Maybe the family can sue them for being unsafe like that cop in Cali. Ohh how my buddy would laugh at that one.
 
This exact medical issue came up in Texas and .....well.....to say the answers were rude, profane, aggressive and unpleasant is a major understatement.

I don't believe that any doctor in his/her right mind would push that nonsense here!

Regarding Firefighter Rich:

My friends Ronnie & Linda had a small Granddaughter who came to their home pretty regularly so they locked up ALL of their guns. One night, a guy broke in, Ronnie fought with him for some time while Linda beat the guy in the head with an antique farm implement. The crook finally ran away but not before he stabbed Ronnie 11 times.

Ronnie survived (in fact I saw him yesterday) but every time I see him, I renew my promise NOT to be a victim in my own home!

I will NEVER lock up all of my guns and as I type this I have a loaded and chambered 9mm located 6" from my right hand.
Click to expand...

All i can say here, is D A M N right
 
It's a question on an intake form. Really. Not everything is an invitation to a personal crusade.

As others have mentioned, guns can be a risk factor. So can a cache of fireworks, improperly stored household chemicals, or poor wiring.

A couple of years ago, I started getting sick. We couldn't figure out why. The symptoms were similar to hypertension and diabetes. Thing is, I tested negative for both of those, so it came down to environmental toxins. My doctor said, "I've got to ask you something some people get real touchy over, but do you keep guns in the house?"

The question seemed odd, until we realized the symptoms were consistent with lead exposure. Turns out I had mild chronic lead poisoning. Years of keeping my morning coffee cup on the shooting bench (and other little factors) had caused a buildup of lead. A few weeks of vitamin C and some minor changes to habits, and I was fine.

Heck, my homeowner's policy covers a cache of weapons. The IRS, OSHA, and other agencies know I work in the gun business. A quick perusal of my online presence reveals that.

To date, I've never been denied any kind of service as a result of it.
 
The stuff related by canonfire is why I did not support the Florida law that imposed heavy fines on doctors who asked questions about firearms. It is legitimate to ask such questions of people who have (or who live with people who have) PTSD, depression, bipolar syndrome, schizophrenia, etc. I hadn't thought about lead poisoning, but that is a legitimate line of inquiry in that instance, too, and it sounds like Mr. Servo's doctor handled it well. To me, those are legitimate inquiries made by caring professionals. As a routine question on admission or at a wellness/maintenance examination, I have never been asked, but I would refuse to answer unless the doctor can justify the question by showing me that the question is pertinent to a diagnostic process or therapeutic considerations.
 
You don't have to ask "Do you keep guns in the house?" to ask about lead exposure. If you get a blood test that shows an elevated blood lead level, it's a lot more straightforward to ask, "What have you been doing that would expose you to lead in your environment?"

About three years ago the blood work for my annual checkup came back with an elevated blood lead reading. My VA doctor freaked, although doing my own research later showed that she was freaking because she was applying the acceptable limit for kids to a senior citizen. Turns out that what's the "ZOMG!" level for a child is the upper limit of the normal range for adults. Nonetheless, less lead in your system is better than more lead, so I set out to reduce it.

Obviously, I do keep guns in the house. And, of course, that had NOTHING to do with why my blood lead level had zoomed. In fact, I had begun entering weekly mini-combat shooting competitions at the local range. We shoot indoors, in an underground range with concrete floors and an old ventilation system. The weekly "combat" shoots are mini IDPA-type scenarios out on the floor, where you don't have a fresh air fan right behind you like in the lanes. Plus, between shooters someone would typically run a broom across the floor to push the spent brass out of the way of the next competitor, and I frequently took my turn on the broom. Since we didn't wet the floor, this naturally put a lot of "stuff" in the air we were breathing.

So I dropped out of the competitions, and my blood lead levels went back to normal. All without asking "Do you have guns in the house?" Dunno about you, but my guns are mostly steel and wood -- not a lead part in any of them, that I know if.
 
Last edited:
About six years ago, I went in for my annual physical. The questionnaire had that question on it. I did not answer it, drew a line through that question and all subsequent questions, and handed the forms back to the receptionist. Nothing was said.

When I got to see the doc, I told him that I found the questionnaire intrusive, and I would not answer their questions.

He said that it was a "standard" questionnaire. I told him that I would be looking for a new GP.

I did, and my current GP has no such questionnaires. Each year when I get a physical, I ask to have a lead test done, because I hand load.

We are both happy with this arrangement.
 
N/A

Simply answer "N/A" to any questions that are Not Applicable to your health. On the other hand, several years ago I went to my doctor for a physical the day after I had fired 100 rounds of 12 gauge at the trap range. I had a decent enough bruise on my shoulder. My doctor started asking me about it and I was being highly evasive, assuming that my doctor would be anti-gun. My doctor kept asking and I continued to be evasive until the doc finally asked if I was being abused at home. Criminy!!! That was the last thought on my mind but of course my doc had to ask about it since I had a big bruise on my shoulder. I then apologized and explained why I was being evasive and told my doc I had been trap shooting the day before, all was good. I guess my point is that even the docs don't always like the standardized forms and if questions like this are important then discuss it with your doctor face-to-face rather than writing it on the form. It will help you develop a more personal relationship with your doctor and will allow you to explain why you don't want to answer those types of questions on a form.
 
My former employer is self insured. They use a health insurance company as the adminstrator for bills, etc. We had two different premiums. If we agreed to go through a "health assessment", we receive the lower premium. They take your blood, BMI, etc. We go online and answer a questionnaire. A section of questions are focused on assessing your mental health for lack of better terms. "You feel sad?" Yada, Yada. The last question asks if I own a handgun. A handgun.

I was explained they ask if I own a handgun only for the reason as a risk assessment of suicide if there's a blatant pattern of abnormal stress and patterns of depression. IOW, if there's no other huge red flags, it's a non-issue.

Now, do I believe that? Personally I think so since the agency is a regional one. And I know there's plenty of coworkers that answered "yes" and nobody has coming knocking down the front door of their home. But I still don't think they have ANY business asking that question. I mean, why not ask if I own razor blades or a length of rope, then?
 
The last question asks if I own a handgun. A handgun
Click to expand...


Considering the fact that you are a Mod on a gun forum, I hope you said no because you actually own more than a handgun (which implies only 1 handgun)...

I don't understand why places ask specifically about handguns. As if somebody couldn't commit suicide with a shotgun (Kurt Cobain) or a rifle.

And I think the reason they don't ask about razors, rope, etc is because it is easier to pull the trigger while in an emotional state than it is to make sure your rope is secure or the cuts are deep/long enough... I'm just speculating
 
The one time a doctor asked me about this I told I have an 8" naval gun. Loading it all by myself is a terrific workout.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Webleymkv
What state do you live in? I ask because these kinds of questions can vary from state to state or even from one institution to another. I'm currently a nursing student in Indiana and the only time I've ever seen the issue of firearms brought up in a health screening is in pediatrics, and then only so that education about safe firearms storage can be delivered as needed.

The AMA is very anti-gun, and the pediatrticians among them (I think it's called the American College of Pediatricians) is virulently anti-gun. It's fine for you to claim (or for them to tell you in nursing school) that this is "only so that education about safe firearms storage can be delivered as needed," but the information still gets entered in your family's records. Then the government and the insurers get access to those records as Obamacare extends its tentacles, and now your private business is the government's public business.
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't necessarily get entered into the family's records (contrary to popular belief, not every single word exchanged between patient and doctor or nurse is charted). When I've seen the question brought up, it's been verbally rather than on a paper questionairre. Also, sometimes the question is never even asked and instead, the patient is simply told something along the lines of "If you have firearms in your home then be sure to keep them locked up and out of reach of your children."


Plus ... who is going to deliver this "education about safe firearms storage"? A pediatrician? What are his/her qualifications to be teaching anything related to firearms safety? If he/she is not an NRA-certified firearms instructor (or equivalent), he/she has no business presuming to educate anyone about firearms safety. This would then be what is known as a boundary violation -- engaging in a practice for which the practitioner is unqualified. If I were to start charging money for dispensing legal advice for a fee, I would be charged with practicing law without a license. Ditto if I were to start giving medical advice. So why do doctors, especially pediatricians, think it's okay for them to start handing out advice that I have taken training to be certified in providing?
Click to expand...

Actually, the education would most likely be given by the nurse rather than the doctor. As to qualifications to be teaching firearms safety, medical personnel aren't going to try to teach a live-fire course or anything of that nature, just give general education about safe firearms storage such as keep guns locked up and out of reach of small children or other such common-sense things (common sense isn't always as common as the name implies). In my experience, it's not some sort of inquisition about firearms ownership but just one part of general safety education for first-time parents and is included with education about water safety, car seat use, covering electrical outlets, and keeping hazardous chemical away from small children.

Also, for those with kids, NEVER allow a pediatrician to be in an exam room alone with your kid. Be sure you or your spouse is always present, and be sure your kids are taught never EVER to tell anyone there are guns in the house. If you aren't comfortable explaining to them why it's okay to lie about this, they should be taught to just say, "I don't know, ask my Mommy and my Daddy."
Click to expand...

Actually, with small children at least, health screenings and procedures are usually preferred to be done when the child's parents are present in order to minimize the fear/anxiety that the child experiences. The primary exception to this is when abuse is suspected for obvious reasons.

THESE QUESTIONS ARE NOT BENIGN.
Click to expand...

Perhaps not always, but they're not necessarily malevolent either.
 
Last edited:
In florida, refusal to answer that silly question can get you booted off their patient list...

This was taken to court and recently upheld as a "1st A" right...

So I will use my 1st A right to lie like a rug and answer HONESTLY No I do not own A gun...

Brent
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top