Barms 98 Posted December 16, 2014 So just had a new pediatrician ask me the "have any guns in the house?" I said "we'll that's a privacy issue isn't it?" (As my wife gave me the stare..) The doctor then said "I'm asking only to just reiterate the safety issue that as of now your guns and ammo should be locked up securely as well as any chemicals you have in the house.. I would say the same thing if you were a carpenter and has tools around. Your little one will be crawling before you know it. I have many families that are hunters I just need to remind them" She didn't take notes about my answers nor did she mention anything about it being a mandatory question. So I felt this question this time was really a safety issue and not a poll. But if I get to know this doctor better I think I would suggest to her "perhaps you should just say "if you are a gun owner I just want to remind you it's never to early to secure your stuff.....instead of saying "do you own any guns?...." So as soon as we leave the office I say to my wife "can you believe the first question was do you have any guns?" And she said "well duh, any answer other than "no" she is gonna construe as a yes..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mark_anthony_78 0 Posted December 16, 2014 The correct answer is "Ew, no! I hate guns!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damjan 73 Posted December 16, 2014 I dont have any guns. Why do you ask? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blacksmythe 71 Posted December 16, 2014 Im sorry what did you say about my wifes buns??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Newtonian 453 Posted December 16, 2014 The demon inside me wants to say "none of your fukcen business" but as they say discretion is the better part of valor. "We don't have any guns in the house." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikka1 2 Posted December 16, 2014 "Nope, I don't have any guns, but I have a great collection of razor sharp Japanese swords..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BD104X 1 Posted December 16, 2014 I would say "none of your business" or answer the way the OP did. I think just saying no lets them off the hook too easy, I'd prefer to not say yes or no in a way that lets them know I don't appreciate being asked. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redlines 202 Posted December 16, 2014 Counter by asking if they have any guns, if they say yes take them shooting. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10X 3,278 Posted December 16, 2014 "To address your safety question, No, we don't keep a physician in the house. Were we to acquire one, we'd be sure and keep it locked securely in a safe where it could do no harm." http://freedomoutpost.com/2012/12/medical-malpractice-deaths-nine-times-higher-than-gun-homicides-lets-end-the-ama/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sota 1,191 Posted December 16, 2014 sounds like you need a new doc. my kid's was a little more tactful (based on the description you gave) and I could clearly see she was reading off the list from the monitor screen and checking boxes. after a short conversation she removed the check mark and left that field blank. reminds me... need to send her an invite to go shooting. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Midwest 28 Posted December 16, 2014 None of their damned business, I would be out the door looking for a new pediatrician. However I do have a staple gun, heat gun, caulking gun and a soldering gun. I guess they can be dangerous and should be locked up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
45Doll 5,842 Posted December 16, 2014 I'm sure the new surgeon general will try to codify this line of questioning in regulations in the near future. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carl_g 568 Posted December 16, 2014 Me or the wife have never been asked this, however we are going to a new doc today so lets see if they inquire about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fishnut 2,358 Posted December 16, 2014 Over the past month I have been to quite a few DRs. many of them have asked me this same question. I reply yes, next they ask if they are all securely locked up and I reply not when I am home because if I need one and its in my safe how I wont be able to get to it in time. I also inform them that I don't have any kids so I don't have to keep them locked up. Never once has it ben a problem. I don't see what the point of saying no is, the state knows I have guns already so its not like its a secret. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MidwestPX 172 Posted December 16, 2014 As some of you may be aware, my wife is a pediatrician. In fact, she's the only pediatrician in two counties and she's pretty far from anti-gun. She asks the firearm question of each new family when establishing care for the sole purpose of reinforcing safety. She also tells people to lock up chemicals in the garage or under the sink and basic childproofing. Some people are awfully sensitive to that question and go so far as to think a database of who owns guns and who doesn't is generated using that question. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JT Custom Guns 956 Posted December 16, 2014 "In the house"? Why no, we keep all our weapons in the bunker - why? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Howard 538 Posted December 16, 2014 I would respond: "How often do you and your husband have sex, and do you like it on top?" When she replies, "that is none of your business" I would reply: "EXACTLY"! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silverado427 10,552 Posted December 16, 2014 I would respond: "How often do you and your husband have sex, and do you like it on top?" When she replies, "that is none of your business" I would reply: "EXACTLY"! BINGO... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
njpilot 671 Posted December 16, 2014 Yep, expect more intrusion now that the senate has confirmed that P.O.S. Anti-gun douche as surgeon general. Firearms are a public health hazard according to him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackandjill 683 Posted December 16, 2014 The problem is not with the question or the safety intent of it. The fact that Govt agencies (PD, NJSP etc) know everything is not a problem either. The problem is with the recording of the information (checkboxes, notes) everywhere including in Pediatrician office and type of interpretation it is subjected to. In a society where people guilty are until proven innocent, having the information (and capability to gather) everywhere is BAD BUSINESS. Private organizations are (often) not subject to same level of scrutiny when it comes certain rights. Imagine insurance companies gathering this information and adjusting premium. Or social services quoting the answers in an unrelated family dispute ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barms 98 Posted December 16, 2014 She didn't take any notes or check any boxes. That was the whole reason I started this thread. It was exactly the way MidwestPx said it. As far as finding a new doctor my child's care using a top notch doctor is ten millions times more important than a gun poll. (Flame me if you want for that statement) but I'm comfortable with the way she framed the question. I think it's ludicrous if the weeks I spent asking for references for a pediatrician and the reviews I read, and the two interviews I had with him about his approach to infant care...I wasn't thinking to myself "I wonder if he will ask me the gun question?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackandjill 683 Posted December 16, 2014 When it comes to family or your kids health, your choice trumps everything else. You dont owe anyone any explanation for choosing specific doc and staying with that doc :-) . But interesting that a doc would ask the question without someone training the doc to ask the question. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Silence Dogood 468 Posted December 16, 2014 "In the house"? Why no, we keep all our weapons in the bunker - why? Best.answer.ever, Jack!! Other than suggesting anatomical impossibilities Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandy 44 Posted December 16, 2014 I would have no problem with them covering the topic without them asking a direct question. As in " keep your chemicals locked up , IF you own firearms keep them locked safely away from the children , if you have a pool use a pool alarm" I would not be cool with being asked directly.My pediatrician is from Poland. The first day I wore a Gun For Hire shirt to the office she thought it was a positive thing , thought it was great that as a woman I had the confidence to exercise that right.Often other Americans are the least likely to "get " the freedom aspect of owning guns. A lot have just grown over the generations to take Freedom for granted. I find foreigners , especially those that have lived under oppressive conditions , to be more likely to accept firearms as a right.I actually prefer foreign doctors in general. For a lot of reasons. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kingsoverqueens 10 Posted December 16, 2014 This isn't a new discussion guys. Doctors have been asking that question for years...long before this new Surgeon General. Our ped doesn't ask it, but some do. Apparently it's on the list of questions much like whether or not your kid wears a helmet while riding his bike. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carl_g 568 Posted December 16, 2014 This isn't a new discussion guys. Doctors have been asking that question for years...long before this new Surgeon General. Our ped doesn't ask it, but some do. Apparently it's on the list of questions much like whether or not your kid wears a helmet while riding his bike. yeah just got back from a new doc and they asked about a bike helmet, seat belts then guns and if so were they locked up. it was a form we needed to fill out.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokin .50 1,907 Posted December 16, 2014 Haven't had a Pediatrician in years. When we did employ one, we were never asked. Maybe the NRA Life Member hat I wore into the Dr.'s Office or the month-old copies of American Riflemen magazine left in the waiting room post-visit had something to do with THAT, lol! She was a nice Indian-born Doc who has a Plastic Surgeon for a husband. And she knew her shit! Fast-forward to today and our Internist is an Eagle Scout, Latino, who LOVES to fish with his family, so I bring him ring neck pheasant feathers from cockbirds I've knocked outta the sky with my black powder 10 ga. He makes home-made fishing lures outta them...... If I live long enough to see grandchildren, and get the opportunity to take them for a check-up, I will be wearing my NRA blaze orange CRSO decal on my jacket as I walk in! THAT YOU CAN PUT IN THE BANK, lol! Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mipafox 438 Posted December 16, 2014 My doctor wouldn't ask such a question. But the medical assistant asks, "were you wearing boots and a gun last time you were on the scale? We usually just subtract 10 pounds but it still looks like you gained a few." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokin .50 1,907 Posted December 16, 2014 My doctor wouldn't ask such a question. But the medical assistant asks, "were you wearing boots and a gun last time you were on the scale? We usually just subtract 10 pounds but it still looks like you gained a few." WAY TO GO FOX! (Wiping sprayed coffee off of monitor once again!) I swear I never have to damp wipe this damn screen, lol! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nik Habicht 0 Posted December 17, 2014 When it comes to family or your kids health, your choice trumps everything else. You dont owe anyone any explanation for choosing specific doc and staying with that doc :-) . But interesting that a doc would ask the question without someone training the doc to ask the question. One of the things to keep in mind too, is that not every gun owner is as safety-conscious as most of us are...... If an HCP's intent behind the question is just to make parents aware of potential toddler hazards, I'm ok with the question. I'd expect it to be part of a series of questions assessing whether we live in a home with stairs, whether we've safeguarded sharp instruments, household chemicals, electrical outlets, whether we have a pool, and a few dozen other things I can't think of right now. In that context, it's one thing; off by itself it's another..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites