The weekend isn't always the time of week for me to get my fix of current events and anything else thrilling enough to make my KTLK experience worth-while. But today, the guy on The Weekend Show that goes on 12pm to 2pm on Sundays (figuring-out his name turned out impossibly hard) talked about an experience he had with his young son's pediatrician.
When bringing the boy in for the first time, the host described being asked various questions: the boy's age, allergies, shots, other medical issues, and then - whether the family keeps guns in the house. The host of the show refused to answer this, asking why it's necessary to share. He was told - the doctor was looking out for the child's safety, among other things. The man went on to inquire, as he described on the show - if the doctor's worrying about the safety so darn much, why not ask about sharp objects in the home? A trampoline? Prescription pills in too close of reach? A loose board within the stairs? And on, and on. All of these, the host mentioned to the doctor, contribute to more injuries than guns (I'm retelling as I remembered - some of what's listed may've been misquoted).
The doctor apparently closed the file soon after the man finished listing these and proceeded to examine the boy. But the question remained on the mind of the show host, since, as he described on the show - a law was soon passed in Florida that prohibits pediatricians from asking parents about guns being kept in the house. The point made on the show was - this was clearly a political agenda camouflaged in "child safety precautions."
Callers were all on the side of the show host to my recollection. The only other "side" to this argument was a recording playedd on the show from a self-proclaimed pediatrician in NY who's stronglly against this law and claimed to be started a movement to keep the law from being passed in NY.
So, what do my readers think? I'll go as far as give my own take. The Weekend Show guy did mention the constitution. I could be true that, if one reads into it, the right to bear arms also mentions the right not to disclose this information to others. And I do believe this was done for political reasons. If doctors simply wanted to ensure kid safety, they would design a brochure and hand out to parents, explaining that this is a very hot topic nowadays and they should be aware of statistics and information if they do choose to keep a gun in the house. That way, I wouldn't feel ambushed if I had a child and was asked such a question.
On the other hand, if one doesn't carry a guy nor ever plans to (myself serving as example), I don't see what harm this question truly does. The problem could be that - it sounds like a very loaded question. It could be implying "tell me if you carry a gun at home! This might make me think of you as a bad parent, but I won't tell you until I find out the details!"
So, what do you guys think?
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