SundownRider
New member
I imagine this would fall under "Just do your job and mind your own f-----g business"
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301040,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301040,00.html
Pediatricians grilling kids about parents owning guns?!
- Thread starter SundownRider
- Start date
About eight years ago, I contracted a bad case of bronchitis. On the third day, I knew it wasn't a cold and went to an "approved" doctor under my then-insurance program. She examined me and said it was bronchitis and gave me the usual rest & fluids thing, plus a prescription. Fine. I was feeling miserable, feverish, weak and tired.
Then she asked me, out of the blue, if I owned any guns.
WTH? I asked how that had any relationship to bronchitis. It didn't, of course. She asked again and I said I was confused by the question. Then she went on to say that guns kill people in the home and I should get rid of them...because in my condition, I might shoot someone! I had to tell her that in "my condition" it was all I could do to lift a glass of water. Just before she left the room she stopped and said "You never did say if you owned a gun."
Feeling as I did she really annoyed me. "No, I don't own a gun." I said. I noted she appeared to check a box or write a note in her chart, so I added, "Not a gun. I own 68 guns, including some antiques."
"That many guns in a house are dangerous. You're likely to kill someone with one of those."
I told her, "I've had them for over a decade and no one has been hurt by any of them. Which is more than I can say for Ted Kennedy's car... or the scalpels of doctors."
Doctor's visit: $58
Prescription co-pay: $18
Rubbing a liberal doctor's nose in it: Priceless
Then she asked me, out of the blue, if I owned any guns.
WTH? I asked how that had any relationship to bronchitis. It didn't, of course. She asked again and I said I was confused by the question. Then she went on to say that guns kill people in the home and I should get rid of them...because in my condition, I might shoot someone! I had to tell her that in "my condition" it was all I could do to lift a glass of water. Just before she left the room she stopped and said "You never did say if you owned a gun." Feeling as I did she really annoyed me. "No, I don't own a gun." I said. I noted she appeared to check a box or write a note in her chart, so I added, "Not a gun. I own 68 guns, including some antiques."
"That many guns in a house are dangerous. You're likely to kill someone with one of those." I told her, "I've had them for over a decade and no one has been hurt by any of them. Which is more than I can say for Ted Kennedy's car... or the scalpels of doctors."
Doctor's visit: $58
Prescription co-pay: $18
Rubbing a liberal doctor's nose in it: Priceless
ForksLaPush
New member
Anyone think Hillarycare will not include getting rid of those dangerous guns "for insurance reasons"?
tony pasley
New member
They have been doing this since the 1980's I know of, the schools do it also I had to send a letter to the school board that all surverys had to be sent home for review before my children could be involved.
Yes, they have been doing it for a while. When the question came up with one of my little ones I had a nice polite conversation with their Dr. about my hobbie and assured them that things were stored seperatly and properly. Believe me the last person that wants one of my kids hurt is me. Then I offered to take her shooting if she ever want. End result she does not ask anymore and to her credit she did not ask if I own any just if I had them "child proofed" as best as I could. Be firm but nice and it won't be a problem, you might even make a convert.
I think y'all are going to the wrong Doctors!
Ya see, when my Doctor asks if I have any guns... He means new ones! (Oh, did I forget to mention that my doctor was on the State Fish & Game board for 12 years?)
The best office visit I ever had was when Doc was talking about his new semi-auto had had just got, when the nurse walked in. She stopped. Listened to the Doc for a half a minute. She then reached behind her and pulled out this nice little Colt Commander (SOB holster) and asked the Doc if his was as good as hers!
I love Idaho!
Ya see, when my Doctor asks if I have any guns... He means new ones! (Oh, did I forget to mention that my doctor was on the State Fish & Game board for 12 years?)
The best office visit I ever had was when Doc was talking about his new semi-auto had had just got, when the nurse walked in. She stopped. Listened to the Doc for a half a minute. She then reached behind her and pulled out this nice little Colt Commander (SOB holster) and asked the Doc if his was as good as hers!
I love Idaho!
AlabamaFamilyMan
New member
Doctor visit with daughters
I have twin daughters, and a couple of years back they had to go to the doctor for some upper respiritory type of problem. My wife took them. After waiting, and then going to a room, and then waiting some more, the doctor wanted to see the girls (14 or 15 at the time) separately. Now, whether this had to do with gun ownership, or 'tell us your sexual secrets that you won't tell your parents' or whatever, we don't know. My wife said she was staying, and when she tried to insist, my wife said that SHE was the one that would pay the bill, and that if the doc could not diagnose and give advice/medicine with their mother there, the girls wouldn't be staying, and the bill would not be paid (well,
the copay, at least). Our kids have long known that any gun stupidity from the schools or doctors or media could be regurgitated for grades or diverting of bad attention, but not to believe any of it (without check statistics/information) for themselves.
I have twin daughters, and a couple of years back they had to go to the doctor for some upper respiritory type of problem. My wife took them. After waiting, and then going to a room, and then waiting some more, the doctor wanted to see the girls (14 or 15 at the time) separately. Now, whether this had to do with gun ownership, or 'tell us your sexual secrets that you won't tell your parents' or whatever, we don't know. My wife said she was staying, and when she tried to insist, my wife said that SHE was the one that would pay the bill, and that if the doc could not diagnose and give advice/medicine with their mother there, the girls wouldn't be staying, and the bill would not be paid (well,
the copay, at least). Our kids have long known that any gun stupidity from the schools or doctors or media could be regurgitated for grades or diverting of bad attention, but not to believe any of it (without check statistics/information) for themselves.
Home safety is a legitimate pediatrician issue. I don't have a problem with the doctor asking questions about guns any more than I would if they asked about household cleaners within reach. It all depends on matter of degree. Quite frankly there are plenty of gun owner parents who could use a reality check on home safety of firearms from time to time.
If teachers and pediatricians don't get the whole picture then they start to think that only bad guys have guns. I think it is to our benifit that teachers and doctors hear from the well adjusted normal kids of gun owners.
If teachers and pediatricians don't get the whole picture then they start to think that only bad guys have guns. I think it is to our benifit that teachers and doctors hear from the well adjusted normal kids of gun owners.
support_six
New member
If my doctor asked me if I had any guns, I would ask him/her the same question before answering. If they answered in the afirmative, I would talk guns with them any way they wanted. Here we would be on common ground. If they answered in the negative, the questioning would be over. ...and I wouldn't be bashful at all in telling them the reason I wouldn't answer is that they have no frame of reference from which to ask that question.
IMHO, asking about guns isn't really the issue, since to a certain extent it is part of the pediatrician's job. A good argument can be made along those lines, anyway.
What I object to is where the doctors are then filing reports with the police on these findings. Whatever happened to Doctor/Patient confidentiality? And what gives the doctor the prerogative to tell his patients (or their parents) that they should give up their guns? That's purely political, purely biased, and has moved from sound clinical practice to "preachin' and meddlin'".
The general effect of this sort of practice becoming commonplace (as it so appears) is that people are going to be that much less likely to seek timely medical treatment, for themselves and for their children. After all, who wants to be preached to by some nanny stater anti-, never mind that the anti- in question is one's physician? Especially when one knows (as we do) that the anti- is wrong? What sort of confidence does that inspire in the physician, when said doctor has professed bias and/or ignorance in such a subject? And who wants to be spied on?
There can be no good come of this.
What I object to is where the doctors are then filing reports with the police on these findings. Whatever happened to Doctor/Patient confidentiality? And what gives the doctor the prerogative to tell his patients (or their parents) that they should give up their guns? That's purely political, purely biased, and has moved from sound clinical practice to "preachin' and meddlin'".
The general effect of this sort of practice becoming commonplace (as it so appears) is that people are going to be that much less likely to seek timely medical treatment, for themselves and for their children. After all, who wants to be preached to by some nanny stater anti-, never mind that the anti- in question is one's physician? Especially when one knows (as we do) that the anti- is wrong? What sort of confidence does that inspire in the physician, when said doctor has professed bias and/or ignorance in such a subject? And who wants to be spied on?
There can be no good come of this.
If they follow the question with "Are they secure?" or something like that, I can give you that one- they are being unbiased. At that point I would tell them about the fact that I store my guns in a gun safe, and the long guns have the bolts removed and stored in a different safe.
If they follow the question with the standard anti-gunner line about how a gun is seven times more likely to kill the owner than a criminal, then I would counter with the fact that a person is more likely to be killed by medication error than by a firearm, and then I would get a new doctor.
If they follow the question with the standard anti-gunner line about how a gun is seven times more likely to kill the owner than a criminal, then I would counter with the fact that a person is more likely to be killed by medication error than by a firearm, and then I would get a new doctor.
Nice try, Justme, but they never ask about household cleaners, do they? They never grill you on whether you lock your car and secure the keys, do they? They never ask how many five-gallon paint or joint compound buckets you have around the house, do they?
Do not insult us all by pretending these are not politically loaded questions from an organization with a pronounced and profound anti-gun bigotry.
Do not insult us all by pretending these are not politically loaded questions from an organization with a pronounced and profound anti-gun bigotry.
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Unregistered
Moderator
No reports are filed with police. That would violate the law.
Actually a good pediatrician does often ask about such things Mr James. I grant that there are sometimes more activist types of pediatricians who aren't just doing their jobs, but just as there are responsible and irresponsible gun owners it's important not to jump to conclusions without knowing the motivation.
As a caveat I should point out that I was married to a child psychiatrist for 17 years(she passed away this past spring) and therefore am not entirely neutral when it comes to doctors, I tend to believe they are just people trying to do a job that is hard for which they are not always given the repect they deserve. I think this is true for a lot of professionals be they lawyers, doctors, nurses, politicians or police officers. When a job puts you in contact with the populace feathers sometimes get ruffled even if you don't want them to.
As a caveat I should point out that I was married to a child psychiatrist for 17 years(she passed away this past spring) and therefore am not entirely neutral when it comes to doctors, I tend to believe they are just people trying to do a job that is hard for which they are not always given the repect they deserve. I think this is true for a lot of professionals be they lawyers, doctors, nurses, politicians or police officers. When a job puts you in contact with the populace feathers sometimes get ruffled even if you don't want them to.
Untrue. Well, that part about not reporting the findings to the police is not true, because IT IS HAPPENING. That it is SUPPOSED to be illegal IS true. I wonder if this is a Federal HIPPA violation? Excerpted from the originally posted article:
Sounds to me like -- the doctor filed a report with the police, no? Isn't this a violation of doctor/patient confidentiality? Could this possibly be a HIPPA violation? If so, well, the Feds take a VERY dim view on HIPPA violations...