"Why no, Doctor - I don't own any guns"
- Thread starter steelheart
- Start date
MeekAndMild
New member
I'd probably invite him deer hunting and if he begged off I'd start lecturing him about the positive health benefits of venison...omega 3 fatty acid ratios, lack of artificial hormone treatments, lack of antibiotics et cetera. Then I'd ask him if he ever got a semiautomatic pistol or was he still carrying that weinerdog S&W? 
You know you guys have the right to go to whichever doc you want unless you're a union puke and have to go to whatever HMO they sent you to.
You know you guys have the right to go to whichever doc you want unless you're a union puke and have to go to whatever HMO they sent you to.
Silver Bullet
New member
Lots of good answers here, but
this takes the prize !
this takes the prize !
funny i should come across this thread tonite..... i went with my wife to see the dr this afternoon and i noticed for the first time the big signs on the office doors the said no firearms allowed inside...... on another matter winter before last i had my eye dr make me some lenses i could see thru my scope with.. my eyes had changed as i was older and i couldn't see thru my scope right with my new prescription... he said bring the scope and i'll get you shooting with your scope again.. an he did... i also wear these glasses to see my computer screen where the others fail me...... i agree that if i shoot or not is no drs. business unless my problem is lead poisoning..........
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"No, but I go to the range every once in a while."
"No, but I used to."
"I had one, but I took it to a gun buy-back."
I like Handy's "Do you?" Unfortunately, it's likely to be interpreted as evasive, and is therefore about the same as answering "yes." Also, it puts the Doc in the same position you were in. If you're a rabid anti-gunner and he's pro-gun, he may not care enough about the 2A to lose you as a patient, and may lie and drop the issue.
"No, but I used to."
"I had one, but I took it to a gun buy-back."
I like Handy's "Do you?" Unfortunately, it's likely to be interpreted as evasive, and is therefore about the same as answering "yes." Also, it puts the Doc in the same position you were in. If you're a rabid anti-gunner and he's pro-gun, he may not care enough about the 2A to lose you as a patient, and may lie and drop the issue.
In the actual case I described above, trying to change this doctors mind would be akin to changing his political party or religion, impossible. IMO, the question is asked so if one of his patients is later involved in a shooting related accident he can sit in court and state "I told Mr. ___ of the dangers of keeping firearms in the home and he obviously did not heed my advice".
It is not my doctors job to come to my house and put anti-skid tape in my bathtub, clear the ice from my walk, lecture me on wearing seat belts, advise me not to keep alcohol in my liquor cabinet or tell me what guns to own or how to store them. The only way to get through to these PC wonks is through their pocketbook. If enough gun owners refuse to continue giving their money to these busy bodies maybe they will concentrate on their job and forget about levying their PC views on their patients. If the good doc wanted to hand me a stack of brochures with a firearms safety brochure included, fine.
I don't believe any doctor who is a shooter would opt to ask such a question because he/she would know it would not sit well with many who keep arms.
XavierBreath
New member
Actually, one of the professional organizations, I believe the AMA, is asking physicians to actively collect this data. The American Academy of Pediatrics was the first to do this, and the idea spread. Physicians and nurses can choose whether to cross this boundary or not. Simply inform your physician that it is an inappropriate boundary violation if the question offends you. Ask why he is asking the question, and then contact the organization collecting the information.
unless you're referring to a psychologist or neurologist I don't see why your doctor would ever be called to testify on such a matter. regardless of what NYAM thinks this simply isn't a medical issue and a physician's opinion holds no more wieght in the matter than whether you should buy Intel or AMDthe important thing is that you're not required to answer the question at all since it doesn't affect your care (again the exception being if we're talking about a shrink or other head doctor...though I know the neurologists I work with would still roll their eyes and laugh if told to ask about guns) and regardless of what you answer the information can't be released unless it pertains to whatever you're seeing the doc for.
Last time I was at my doctors office, after we got done with the Dr. crap he wanted to talk about 1911 pistols - and then an AR he was building on a receiver his son made in college (he was a mechanical eng student and had access to some CNC equipment). The other doctor I visit is the eye guy and he has various NRA/hunting magazines in his office.
You guys aren't actually in favor of strangling a First Amendment right because you're sensitive about gun questions, are you?
Considering the relevent stats, I wonder why "Do you ever drink and drive?" isn't the off-topic question every doctor needs to know.
In terms of "gathering data", to what end? There are already statistics on how many households have guns, and using doctor's visits just creates sampling error. What could such numbers possibly reveal, aside from the fact that guns are safer in houses than cleaning agents?
Baba Louie
New member
BTDT
Answered "He!! yes. Several dozen. It's a cruel world full of bad guys Doc. (He hates being called Doc) Grew up around guns. Got my CCW. You?"
Surprising me a tad, he also answered in the affirmative. Mostly shotguns. Expensive shotguns. An AR. No AK. (I asked) He's also got a CCW (Colt LW Commander). Pythons, Lugers, N-Frames. A collector of fine things he is, I'd say.
We discussed safety, training classes, storage, Concealed means concealed (I use a fanny pack for office type visits when I might have to disrobe in front of an audience), etc. Golfing, Shooting and Sailing... all at the higher end of the spectrum. (He had Sailing and Golf magazines in his waiting room... but zero Gun mags... go figure)
Discussed Bill & Hillary (ya want to get an MD fired up, talk Democrats, Socialized Medicine and Taxes). I apologized for calling him Doc. He said, "It's not a real problem, just not wise to call him that around his Wife or staff."
Maybe it's just living in the west (but not the left coast). I'd suppose that east coast MD types might not be so forthright, but then again, maybe I'd be wrong.
Answered "He!! yes. Several dozen. It's a cruel world full of bad guys Doc. (He hates being called Doc) Grew up around guns. Got my CCW. You?"
Surprising me a tad, he also answered in the affirmative. Mostly shotguns. Expensive shotguns. An AR. No AK. (I asked) He's also got a CCW (Colt LW Commander). Pythons, Lugers, N-Frames. A collector of fine things he is, I'd say.
We discussed safety, training classes, storage, Concealed means concealed (I use a fanny pack for office type visits when I might have to disrobe in front of an audience), etc. Golfing, Shooting and Sailing... all at the higher end of the spectrum. (He had Sailing and Golf magazines in his waiting room... but zero Gun mags... go figure)
Discussed Bill & Hillary (ya want to get an MD fired up, talk Democrats, Socialized Medicine and Taxes). I apologized for calling him Doc. He said, "It's not a real problem, just not wise to call him that around his Wife or staff."
Maybe it's just living in the west (but not the left coast). I'd suppose that east coast MD types might not be so forthright, but then again, maybe I'd be wrong.
OneInTheChamber
New member
Doc: "Do you have guns"
Me: Flex biceps and smile: yes Doc.
Me: Flex biceps and smile: yes Doc.
Savage10FP308
Moderator
"The question has never come up with my doc. For that matter, he's never told me to put on that silly nightgown, either." Same here!
"IMO, the question is asked so if one of his patients is later involved in a shooting related accident he can sit in court and state "I told Mr. ___ of the dangers of keeping firearms in the home and he obviously did not heed my advice"." That's just ridiculous!
"Doc: "Do you have guns"
Me: Flex biceps and smile: yes Doc." That's a pretty good answer!
"IMO, the question is asked so if one of his patients is later involved in a shooting related accident he can sit in court and state "I told Mr. ___ of the dangers of keeping firearms in the home and he obviously did not heed my advice"." That's just ridiculous!
"Doc: "Do you have guns"
Me: Flex biceps and smile: yes Doc." That's a pretty good answer!
I was referring specifically to a pediatrician, I didn't make that clear.
In the case of a child involved in an accidental shooting and a parent being charged with some sort of negligence, the child's physician would very likely be called to testify. If the pediatrician had a conversation with the parent about guns in the home it would likely be allowed testimony, IMO.
Ridiculous in the above context? Have you spent much time in the court room during criminal trials? If the prosecutor could get it in (and I think he could), it would certainly not help the case of the parent.