Doctors and Guns
We took Boudreaux to the doctor recently for his 4-month checkup. The doctor asked us several safety-type questions, including whether or not we had a swimming pool.
Haha, just kidding! She asked us if we had guns in the house. Of course, I understand that she’s only concerned for the boy’s safety.
Afterwards, I did a little research. According to the CDC, 71 children under the age of 5 died from firearm injury in 2002. That’s approximately how many die each year from drowning in the bathtub. She didn’t ask us whether we had a bathtub. According to the CSPC, “about 300” children under 5 drown in a swimming pool each year, “usually a pool owned by their family.” She didn’t ask us whether we had a swimming pool.
Also (from the CDC link above) in 2002, 32 children under age 5 died from “Adverse effects – Medical care.” So the good news is that doctors are only half as deadly as guns. That’s a relief!
January 14th, 2005 at 1:05 pm
i think i would have told thr dr “its none of your damn business” if they asked me about guns in my house.
January 14th, 2005 at 2:20 pm
I did register my objection to the question. Politely, of course.
January 14th, 2005 at 2:59 pm
HA!
My kids doctor asked no such questions. Of course, he is about as conservative a doctor as I have ever met. For the liberal suburbs of Northern Virgina its really amazing to find someone like him practicing – but he’s been here for awhile and until very recently serviced mostly the state department and CIA types who live in our neck of the woods. Its pretty safe to say almost everyone here has a gun in the house.
January 14th, 2005 at 4:12 pm
To the best of my knowledge, we’ve never been asked. At least not in my presence.
Because I would, politely, tell them that it’s none of their business. It does not impact the medical care of my child one iota whether I own guns or not.
Unless, of course, the Dr. is just looking for someone to go shooting with…
January 14th, 2005 at 5:09 pm
In my opinion, any doctor that asks that question is inviting an education on the topic. If they are not conducive to reasoned persuasion, then a new doctor would probably be wise — because what other intrusions into your privacy would he or she be willing to commit for a perceived greater good?
January 14th, 2005 at 7:50 pm
Patient/doctor confidentiality doesn’t excuse this
Say uncle talks here about an experience at the doctors office that left him feeling a little disarmed.Personally if my MD pulled that on me he’d find himself a one left patient and a good bit less income.I recently changed eye doctors before the ele
January 14th, 2005 at 11:05 pm
You absolutely need to find a new doctor–but be sure to let the old one know why you’re leaving her card.
January 14th, 2005 at 11:43 pm
This whole idea that we must treat guns as being something that is completely safe is a ridiculous notion. Guns are legal, and gun control isn’t going to reduce crime, however, guns are a potential danger in the same manner that a bowling ball, baseball bat, etc. are a danger, but a gun a little more so.
I’m not sure how the conversation went, but she may have intended to just suggest a trigger lock or something like that.
January 15th, 2005 at 10:33 am
Manish, did you read my post? I didn’t say anything about treating guns as completely safe. I did point out that swimming pools kill nearly 4 times as many young children per year than do guns, and I wasn’t asked if I had one. Bathtubs kill as many as guns do, and I wasn’t asked about bathing procedures.
Nobody in this thread has said ANYTHING about treating guns as completely safe. What bothers me (can’t really speak for the others) is that quite a few doctors ARE anti-gun, and I took the question as an indicator that this particular doctor might be. Furthermore, anti-gun doctors do suggest things like trigger-locks which, in my opinion, do NOT promote safe gun handling and storage.
January 15th, 2005 at 11:02 pm
Thib..asking someone if they have a bathtub is kind of silly…everyone has one and most people are probably well aware of safe handling practices (i.e. sit there and bath your kid and don’t take your eyes off of them). And your 4 month old baby isn’t likely to be going swimming anytime soon.
And quite frankly, whats wrong with an anti-gun doctor? They can still do their job and provide you with the care that you need. We all have our own political views..I don’t think we should base our buying decisions on them. And for the record, I think the Sinclair boycott thing is silly.
January 16th, 2005 at 11:07 am
Oh, I see. Everybody knows safe bathing practices; that’s why no children drown in the bathtub (and while it’s true that probably everyone HERE has one, I wouldn’t assume that in, say, East Tennesse). Yet you can’t count on gun owners to know safe gun handling practices. And how do you know he’s not going swimming any time soon?
As for not liking anti-gun doctors: I’d prefer that NOBODY be anti-gun, but doctors’ organizations in particular often attempt to influence lawmakers to pass anti-gun legislation.
January 17th, 2005 at 7:25 am
I think the doctor asking those sorts of questions is kinda inappropriate.
I had one ask if I wore a seatbelt a while back. Bizarre.