Quote:
Originally Posted by Badkarma 1
Now with all that, why the hell do we need medical professionals asking questions about wether or not I own a weapon? What if the said doctor has a very anti-gun attitude? Or an agenda? Once again it's the same old thing of meddlein in somebody else's private life!
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There are two major reasons why physicians are encouraged to ask about firearms in the home.
The first is for reminders about safety. Does it seem like common sense to you that your firearm should be locked away safely, with the ammunition removed? Good. Sadly, as you've probably seen in the news at least twice over the past month, those bits of advice don't occur to everyone, and they can and do result in deaths. Those deaths are easily preventable, wouldn't you say? Your physician is also supposed to remind you to wear your seatbelt when you drive for a very similar reason.
The second reason can deal with assessing suicide risk. Firearms are the method of choice for many people, particularly men. Statistically speaking, many people who commit suicide visit their physician within a month of committing the act. This makes physicians an obvious prevention point for stopping suicide. Contrary to popular belief, people who are suicidal are unlikely to keep trying to kill themselves if their primary method is removed, and the suicidal impulse is often temporary. Once again, we are talking about preventable deaths.
What if your doctor has an anti-gun agenda? What are you worried about? It's a lot of money and effort to become a doctor, and it's all too easy to lose your medical license (read: your job
forever) if you act improperly and patients win cases against you. If your doctor is given the responsibility of removing your firearms and they do so without any good reason you can be sure that they'll catch hell for it. Or do you think that there are no such things as doctors who hunt, or doctors who are members of the NRA? Doctors don't cover for each other blindly, and there are plenty of interests and motives within this professional circle.
As for "meddling in someone else's private life," I'd like to remind you that this is about making sure that
you don't meddle in someone else's private life. Nobody cares if you go hunting or use your guns at a firing range. If you threaten someone else or use your firearm against someone innocent then we have a problem. This isn't about controlling you, it's about keeping you free but not allowing your freedoms to infringe on someone else's (and preventing others from infringing on your freedoms with theirs). As the saying goes, "your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins."