Doctors asking about guns: Research [long]

[tommys]

I went Pheasant hunting in South Dakota a couple of years ago. One of the guys at the lodge was an emergency room physician from the UP of Michigan. He told us that at every opportunity in the ER he actively counseled his patients to get a firearm for home protection. He was a really great guy with a lot of funny ER stories. Bela, if you're reading this call me.

 

[baz]

Here's a theory, if far-fetched, about why they may have removed any questions about firearms. I don't have the statistics handy, but based on some research I did recently, the probability of children under 14 dying from accidental firearms discharges was the second lowest cause of accidental death in that age group, and equaled the probability of dying from adverse effects from medical care.

Perhaps someone pointed pointed out that children were just as at risk from going to the doctor as they were from firearms in the home.

 

[zoom6zoom]

Virginia had a bill proposed this year to prevent this. Passed by House 88-11 but didn't make it out of Senate committee, though.

HB1531 Unprofessional conduct; practice of the healing arts. The Board must deem unprofessional the inquisition into the private affairs of any patient by a practitioner of the healing arts, on topics having no relationship to the practice of the healing arts especially regarding the ownership, storage, or use of firearms or other related personal property.