How to respond to your doctor if s/he asks you about gun ownersip?

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I'm a physician. The government is always adding REQUIRED questions that must be documented with visits, usually under the guise of some sort of quality check. As you may know, doctors are being required as part of the healthcare reform act to buy expensive computer record systems for their practice, which have not shown cost savings http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/report-says-it-hasnt-mitigated-health-expenses-670952/ (Similar to big expensive taxpayer funded government required databases about gun issues that never affected crime)

Will the question of whether or not you own a gun ever come out of your doctors record into a bigger database? Who knows.
Most Doctors dont care, and I'll bet well over the majority are gun owners.
Only for patients with psychiatric issues or with a family member with psych issues should this even be considered a reasonable question.

I would answer no If a doctor asked me that question.
 
My doctor and I would compare our shooting scores.

But seriously, it is none of their business, and would be a boundary violation if they started to lecture you on gun safety or insisted that you tell them if you declined.
 
I'm a physician. The government is always adding REQUIRED questions that must be documented with visits, usually under the guise of some sort of quality check. As you may know, doctors are being required as part of the healthcare reform act to buy expensive computer record systems for their practice, which have not shown cost savings http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/report-says-it-hasnt-mitigated-health-expenses-670952/ (Similar to big expensive taxpayer funded government required databases about gun issues that never affected crime)

Will the question of whether or not you own a gun ever come out of your doctors record into a bigger database? Who knows.
Most Doctors dont care, and I'll bet well over the majority are gun owners.
Only for patients with psychiatric issues or with a family member with psych issues should this even be considered a reasonable question.

I would answer no If a doctor asked me that question.

Im a physician as well. We use EPIC, one of the larger electronic record systems and there is no entry place for recording firearms. Which means it would be extremely difficult to get information out of it on who has a firearm. Not to mention that HIPAA is in the way. I dont really ask about it unless I want to compare hardware

Though after my handgun training I learned a lot more about potential lead exposure and may bring that up to my patients who are at the range frequently.

If I was in New York I would be telling them to F off. My obligation is to the patient. Unless they say they are going to go home and shoot their family and then themselves, I am not about to start reporting every patient who is depressed.
 
Dave1977 - and others I'm sorry about the no to a doctor. I should have said the form that you fill out to get a new gun at a dealer. The dealer himself explained that one to me. I laughed at some of the stupid questions about do you take drugs? have you ever been committed to a mental institution? and so on. I asked him who would even answer these questions truthfully, and that was his answer, that when the feds audit him they pick out random forms to see what they catch. If you falsify one, you can be charged with something - not sure what. My info came from the dealer himself. (the hell with the doctor)
 
i'll ask him/her why and invite them out to go shooting in the sticks....but i'd leave it at that.

Homeland Security already requires its employees to fill out a form going on and on about whether we own firearms and have any disqualifying conditions....it's a CYA kind of move that started about two years ago.

things like this never go away, they just expand.
 
I say when the AMA starts giving shooting classes and/or firearm safety courses and the NRA starts doing general medical practice and/or doing brain surgery, then we can talk about my gun ownership or lack thereof.
 
If a doctor asks me if there are guns in my house, I'll ask him if there is a doctor in his. Statistically, more people die from medical malpractice than from guns.
 
I live in a small town. It is hard for me to lie to my Dr. A week later he drives by and sees me riding a 4 wheeler with a orange hat on and a gun slung over my back. He might not be real bright but he has that one figured out. If I feel the need to lie to a Dr I go elsewhere. My family doctor was one of my references when I applied for my concealed weapons permit.
 
and I'll bet well over the majority are gun owners.

Could be around here, but I know that around here, most of them endorsed Obama the first time. Not sure if my soon-to-be one did or not (other one retired).

I'm not sure if e-scripts are part of that huge computer record system or not, but I can speak from experience that they can be FAR more trouble than they are worth all around.

Original: Get handed paper Rx, or get Rx called or faxed in to pharmacy. If not ready when you arrive at pharmacy, they can get on it right away.

Post E-Script Mandate: CAN'T get paper Rx, gets sent electronically. Rarely might arrive in time to be ready when you get to pharmacy. Usually not, more often than not the patient beats the script to the pharmacy by at least 15 minutes....

But I digress. In short, what I gather is that IMO, a simple "no" is the very best answer to give to the question, when practical. IE, not in Deer Freak or others' situations where Doc is liable to actually SEE you with a firearm. Works for me, though I'm one of the outspoken 2A activist types. It's not like open-carry is part of my personal activism repertoire....

Even if your Doc is pro-gun...who's to say that Doc is the ONLY one nosing through your file?
 
Gerry Spence once said that he always wanted to start a law school where prospective students would have to answer just a single question correctly to be admitted.

The question: "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Everyone who replied "That's none of your ****ing business" would be accepted immediately.

And that's my answer to doctors who ask questions about stuff unrelated to my present health matters (minus the swearing).
 
My personal physician happens to also be one of my best friends. he is not a gun owner, but his Dad and I shoot quite often together.
On the other hand when I go to VA for my Service Connected (combat) injuries my Doc there does ask about "access to firearms" I've always answered yes I do. I hope I don't wind up paying a price for honesty.
 
Yes. Twice on the forms you fill out. I did not answer.
Once verbally. I said "I won't answer that question".
 
if my doc asked me that ,i came up with the answer i would give ,.... so doc just how many times a week do you and your wife have sex?
 
I got lucky. My doctor is a small town guy with a small collection of his own. At my last physical he did a close inspection and said he was thinking of buying a 1911, too. Then he checked me out for my physical.
 
Here is the rub. If you don't answer, it is either then checked as a yes or refuse. Then, when your family members go to the doc, they answer yes. Now what. Early on in Obamacare, this won't be an issue but will in time.

Friends.... at some point, we all will be required to answer the question or be denied health care. It won't be an issue of going to "another" doc or provider because you will be deemed ineligible. Obamacare will be the ultimate tool for gun control.
 
Here is the rub. If you don't answer, it is either then checked as a yes or refuse. Then, when your family members go to the doc, they answer yes. Now what. Early on in Obamacare, this won't be an issue but will in time.

Friends.... at some point, we all will be required to answer the question or be denied health care. It won't be an issue of going to "another" doc or provider because you will be deemed ineligible. Obamacare will be the ultimate tool for gun control.
What's wrong with "refuse"?

I could also ask why they didn't ask me about my diet or exercise since those factors are far more reposible for health/death than the presense of guns.
 
Here is what I do as a physician, I rarely ask about firearms. If I do here is how it goes. You know your father or mother has dementia etc. If they have guns you might consider removing them without causing them stress. If you have young children in your home and firearms you need to store them safely. The only way I get worse than the (if stage is ) they tell me they are thinking about killing themselves. Then they go straight to evaluation by a mental health professional either voluntary or not. I have never had a patient that talked about killing others. What I am saying is that for the usual gun safety stuff you do not have to ask direct questions. Where I live I assume everyone probably has a gun. Which is probably true.
 
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