Pediatrician Asks, Why Can’t I Talk To You About Guns In The Home?

[Stoutcat]

Great commentary (and comments) about an opinion article on WBUR's website.

Here's the commentary: Pediatrician Asks, Why Can’t I Talk To You About Guns In The Home?

Here's WBUR's original op/ed: Opinion: Pediatrician Asks, Why Can’t I Talk To You About Guns In The Home?

Note: the comment on the origina opinion piece are pretty good, too.

 

[cockpitbob]

Fortunately our pediatrician never asked. If he had, it would have gone something like this, depending on my mood...

"MYOFB"

"I don't discuss what valuables or security measures I have at home."

"Tell me what courses and seminars you've completed in firearms safety because I'm relatively sure I have more training on this topic than you."

"I don't get medical advice from a firearms instructor. I'm not going to discuss firearms safety with a medical person. Stick to your area of expertise."

 

[robjax]

I get the whole concept of them asking. They want to ban guns and make everyone who has them voluntarily turn them in. But I have no legal obligation to tell them anything. So my kids and wife are asked to say no. Not 'none of your effing business" or "why are you asking that". Because by those answers one can assume that you in fact do have a gun or guns in the home. So our answers to any questions like that is just a simple no.

I think that last time my daughter was asked they just asked her if she had access to any guns in the home. She said no. And simply saying no doesn't specifically give anything away unless they are expecting an answer like "there are no guns in the home". But you can neither infer nor assume there are guns in that home just by a 'no" answer.

I am all for the "MYOFB" but a stubborn refusal to answer or a "why are you asking that" is basically a "yes" answer. Because people generally do not take offense or get defensive about things that do not pertain to them. So that dad basically said yes.

 

[EddieA]

I always go to a gun shop to talk about diaper rash.

I told my wife to just always say "no" to those gun questions, we're not here for a debate or to be liberal-judged.

 

[mbullism]

Last I checked it wasn't a felony to lie directly to your doctors face...

 

[GeorgeMason]

Fortunately our pediatrician never asked. If he had, it would have gone something like this, depending on my mood...

"MYOFB"

"I don't discuss what valuables or security measures I have at home."

"Tell me what courses and seminars you've completed in firearms safety because I'm relatively sure I have more training on this topic than you."

"I don't get medical advice from a firearms instructor. I'm not going to discuss firearms safety with a medical person. Stick to your area of expertise."

This x1000000

 

[jhblaze1]

This has never been asked to me yet. My doctor could give a shit and I'd be shocked if he ever asked me. My wife signed the baby up to this local pediatrics/family practice that's entirely staffed by women so I'm actually shocked we haven't been asked this yet during the baby's visits.

I told my wife I'll go ballistic if I find out she says anything other than "none of your business" if asked when I'm not there. If I am there and it's asked I'll simply say "none of your business, please focus on biology". If they press I'll ask them if they plan to ask me if I keep bleach or ammonia under my sink, or if we have running water in the house since those things kill more kids than guns. Then I'll firmly add, "leave your god damned politics out of the exam room or we'll find another doctor".

Simple.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

When you get old they start to ask you: Do you feel safe at home? But only once, in my case. Jack.

 

[CWulf]

I have taken my son to doctors appointments a number of times over the years and I don't recall ever being asked about this directly. The question about guns in the home appears pretty regularly on the intake forms but I, and my wife, always leave those blank. The one time the subject came up was with a hearing specialist I went to see for some sinunitis/tinnitus problems I was having... we had a nice discussion about firearms and how neither of us seems to have as much time as we would like to go to the range anymore.

 

[jhblaze1]

Kind off off topic but somewhat related....You should see the way they treat fathers in the hospital when you bring your wife in to deliver a baby. I went to take a leak and came back and saw domestic abuse pamphlets on the table next to her bed....The SECOND I left the room they rushed in to ask my wife if I beat her and if she wanted me there or not as they can have me removed if she doesn't feel safe. My wife was like, ummm no he's my husband and I obviously want him here. But then they still left the pamphlets for her to read.

White males are the ONLY group that you can blatantly discriminate against with no fear of consequences.

 

[bigblue]

I have had friendly conversations with my dentist about shooting, now I am thinking twice about it and whether any of that information made it on to the notes in my chart. Can I simply request to see those notes and my chart?

 

[EMTDAD]

lots of TV references in this thread...

 

[Realtor MA]

When I meet with a doctor I usually talk to them about guns first. If shooting is something you do it is relevant to your general practitioner, audiologist, optometrist and others I'm sure. That being said there are probably many doctors that are anti. My question is this; Why would you give an anti gun doctor your hard earned money??? My GP is the son of an Army Ranger. He shot with his dad and we talk about shooting all the time.
When my son was younger his pediatrician asked if we had guns in the house. He told her that he shoots with me and that the guns are locked up. End of story. He didn't volunteer any info about my carry habits or anything like that. FYI She was not an anti.

 

[cockpitbob]

When you get old they start to ask you: Do you feel safe at home? But only once, in my case. Jack.

I think that's happening everywhere now. I'm in my 50s and get the "do you feel safe" question from time to time. WTF

 

[massgun]

I'm an old fart, never had kids. The last several years the only non-medical question any doctor has asked me is, "do you feel safe at home", to which I answer, "absolutely" .

 

[timbo]

When you get old they start to ask you: Do you feel safe at home? But only once, in my case. Jack.

My wife's doctor asked her this back a few years ago...she glibly answered "yes because I beat my husband up almost everyday", asked to explain, she said that she gets up around 5am and my husband gets up around 5:30am. The doctor didn't get the joke right way.

 

[RHJJ]

Ask if his wife is good in bed.

 

[LittleCalm]

Some of the comments are awesome. I especially liked this one:

Because preventable medical mistakes cause orders of magnitude more deaths than guns, one should respond with: Doctor, have either you or any of your staff ever made a preventable medical mistake? And might you have done a better job had you not spent part of your time giving firearm advice, for which you have no special training or expertise?

- - - Updated - - -

Here's another gem:

Assuming for a second that it is the responsibility of doctors to help improve the safety of children in the home (it's not, but go with it), then the risk of a number of hazards in the home should be discussed with the parents, in declining order of risk. So start with poisoning, falling down stairs, drownings in bathtubs and buckets etc. Firearms would be so far down the list of statistical risks that the doctor would never get to them (e.g. more deaths from drownings in 5 gallon buckets than by firearms). This whole thing is pushing an anti-firearm ideology at best, and a step in the ultimate disarming of citizens at worst. The good doctor let her ulterior motives slip in stating "... documenting them in the chart of a baby or young child". Absolutely no medical justification for such documenting - none.

 

[bigblue]

The comments did make me feel better on both articles.

 

[FreeWillie]

Ask if his wife is good in bed.

I use to respond with this question: "Do you have any lingerie at home in your size?". That usually ends the conversation. But lately I've been like robjax and just say "No"

 

[FPrice]

White heterosexual males are the ONLY group that you can blatantly discriminate against with no fear of consequences.

FIFY.

Of course, I am that there are a few other adjectives that can be added to the mix.

 

[MachineHead]

When you get old they start to ask you: Do you feel safe at home?.

A good response would be "everything was fine until you asked me that - now I'm wondering if really do feel safe at home. Now I'm not so sure. I, I, I- just need a moment."

 

[RHJJ]

I use to respond with this question: "Do you have any lingerie at home in your size?". That usually ends the conversation. But lately I've been like robjax and just say "No"

They asked last time if I felt safe, I said yes. Do you drink alcohol? I said no. Did not ask about guns. Tell them what they want to hear.

 

[GlockJock]

Few years ago my (then 16 yr old) daughter's doctor asked her the "question" and my daughter initially hedged, choosing her words carefully before realizing that her doctor was basically Dr. Bloomberg in drag, whereupon my girl politely laid into Dr. Moonbat and told her politely to jam her stethoscope up her moonbat ass...she even went so far as to PROUDLY show Doctor DoGood pictures of her trip to the range with Dad, and a few pics of her time on the firing line with "her" G26, complete with this pic below, and finished up the conversation with a very polite "I don't believe it's really anyone's business what happens in our home, and I believe in the 2nd Amendment, so can we please finish up this physical and I'll be on my way?"..
She is 19 now, and some of you have met her at the range with me, also socially etc... God I love that kid. And no, to answer fellow shooters questions, now that she's older and a more experienced shooter she no longer uses the "hand cup grip" that I spent several range trips helping to correct and instead uses proper grip, etc...
Oh, and yes, her "shocked" wingnut doctor is now her "previous" doctor [emoji6]

 

[Point37]

I am all for the "MYOFB" but a stubborn refusal to answer or a "why are you asking that" is basically a "yes" answer. Because people generally do not take offense or get defensive about things that do not pertain to them. So that dad basically said yes.

^^^this...

Last I checked it wasn't a felony to lie directly to your doctors face...

as far as my doctor knows i only have 1 alcoholic beverage a week...hope i don't go to jail for lying to a doctor

 

[just jim]

I have a problem then I pay a doctor to fix it. If the doc wants to talk about something else then he can pay me to listen....

 

[OCB]

Kind off off topic but somewhat related....You should see the way they treat fathers in the hospital when you bring your wife in to deliver a baby. I went to take a leak and came back and saw domestic abuse pamphlets on the table next to her bed....The SECOND I left the room they rushed in to ask my wife if I beat her and if she wanted me there or not as they can have me removed if she doesn't feel safe. My wife was like, ummm no he's my husband and I obviously want him here. But then they still left the pamphlets for her to read.

White males are the ONLY group that you can blatantly discriminate against with no fear of consequences.

Both times I brought my wife into BWI to give birth they took her back to a room and had me wait in the reception area. After ~10-15 minutes a nurse came out and got me. During the time they were getting her changed into a gown, etc. they asked her if she was safe at home and if she wanted me to be there, etc.

 

[robjax]

When my wife was in labor with our second daughter i had taken her to the hospital like I was supposed to. Since it was a scheduled C and the baby was early they weren't as prepared for us had the baby waited until the scheduled day.

So they take my wife and take me to another room to wait. My wife was in some considerable pain. Now I was not a witness to what went on in there but when the nurse came out to get me about 5 minutes later they asked me if I felt safe at home....lmao...

I asked my wife about it after and she told me not to worry about it. I let it go...lol

 

[todd c]

under sexual preference i wrote ammosexual. my doctor didn't think it was funny, he went on to tell me guns are dangerous my reply was so are woman but i married one. he finally giggled.

 

[economist]

Tell the fine doctor to focus on his job. Hundreds of thousands of patients in the U.S. die every year due to medical errors, infections in hospitals, prescription drug interactions, etc. But the medical establishment would rather define the universe of human problems as "public health issues" than clean up their own mess.