(AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)
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In yesterday's Gun Rights Examiner column, we looked at a common practice among many physicians, particularly those associated with HMO/PPOs: Counseling patients who own guns to store them locked and separated from ammunition.
I would never suggest there aren't times when it's appropriate to lock up guns not in use, and certainly advocate responsible gun storage. But I also know that an unloaded and locked up gun is useless for defense. And I know that training children to understand and respect is superior to avoidance and ignorance.
Let us not forget successful defensive gun uses (DGUs) by young people--as well as horrible things that can happen when trained children are left defenseless.
Ten years ago or so, I read two articles that defined a unique approach for countering doctors counseling patients on guns,"Risk Management Advice to Physicians and their Insurers: Don't Borrow Trouble,"and "Physicians, Don't Borrow Trouble, Part II". They were written by Joe Horn*, a retired Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff and risk management consultant. He raised some points that intrigued me:
Physicians are licensed and certified in the practice of medicine, the treatment of illnesses and injuries, and in preventative activities. They may advise or answer questions about those issues. However, when physicians give advice about firearms safety in the home, without certification in that field, and without physically INSPECTING that particular home and those particular firearms, they are functioning outside the practice of medicine.
and
To engage in Home Safety Counseling without certification, license or formal training in Risk Management and to concentrate on one small politically correct area, i.e., firearms to the neglect of ALL of the other safety issues in the modern home, is to invite a lawsuit...
Well, that's an interesting thought to add to the mix. I contacted Joe and asked if I could take his thesis and distill it into a form. He agreed, and working together, this is what we produced:
Physician Liability Form
OK doc—you want to advise me? Sure. Just write down what certifications you've earned establishing your qualifications to do so—or let me know if you've received no such training but are presuming to pass yourself off as competent and authoritative anyway. Then make sure you verify your malpractice insurance covers dispensing unqualified recommendations presented as medical advice—just in case I follow it and something goes horribly wrong.
As I said when I first wrote about this:
The next time your doctor asks you if you keep guns in the home, simply smile and hand him or her the form. Let him know you'll be happy to discuss firearms after he establishes his level of expertise, qualifications and liability.
Keep it friendly. The idea here is to educate, and to get your doctor to pass the form on to the clinic administration.
As with anything, the success of this working depends on more and more people actually doing it. And that won't happen unless more and more people know about it. So do feel free to spread the word by sharing the link to this article with your gun owner friends.
Tomorrow, let's wrap this series up by discussing the well-documented medical establishment hostility to gun ownership.
* Joe Horn was taken from us far too soon. I noted it at the end of my June 25, 2009 column.
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It's da bomb...
Money bomb, that is.
The Second Amendment March is holding a 24-hour fundraiser today to help finance the rally on April 19.
I know a lot of folks have said they'd like to attend but either can't get away or afford the trip right now--that's OK, you can show your support in a more modest way. Five or ten bucks, or more if you can afford it, isn't too much to ask, is it?
Your countrymen are marching to the green. Won't you help defray some of the expenses?
Please click here to help.
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Physician, heal thyself
Or at least don't pass out advice for which you're totally unqualified.
That's what we discussed yesterday and above, and it's what I'll be discussing today at Noon PST on Trigger Sports LIVE! with host James B. Towle.
Comments
The last time a doctor asked me about guns, I produced a copy of my FFL and my state weapons permit. That shut him up.
I wouldn't ask the NRA for medical advice, nor my doctor for gun safety advice.
Making a contribution to 2A March. Copying form to carry in my wallet for doctor visits. Been meaning to cancel my AARP membership because of their anti 2A support, guess there is time left today.
BUSY!
And you deleted post WHY?
Say what?
I just don't answer any questions regarding firearms when completing medical paperwork. If they ask me directly, I ask them how owning firearms directly impacts the current visit. Thus far, they've always dropped the issue at that point.
Bob Fowler has the right idea.
If it was during a protological exam ...
Doctors have killed more people than firearms ever have
Stay Alert Gun Owners, the gun nazis are getting desperate
I live in the Socialist State of Illinois but when it comes to firearms the only beef my doctor has with me is that he prefers .45 to .40.
I work in a small doctor's office. We are told by ins companies and HMO groups that we MUST initiate, and document discussions about advanced directives (they are a good idea to do well ahead, so OK with that), sexual activities and preferences--OK that can impact health big time and there are vaccines, etc to be considered, but cold we gt to know you a little first?), tell you you should buckle up seat belts and use car seats for kids (hey, its the law most places and you should be aware of that already), that you should not smoke or do drugs (gee, never heard that before?), or drink to excess (more than a glass of wine a day, or occasional beer) and now about your guns. If you are lucky we might still have time to get around to how you feel and why you made the appointment. Its all healthy life style coaching in their eyes, and on somebody else's dime--yours and ours.
I've been a physician for for 14 years now, a Texas CHL holder for 1 and avid student of defensive gun use data. What fascinates me is that while the current trend (good) in medicine is to diagnose/treat/advise patients based on EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH, the advice to "lock up your guns" and "separate from ammunition" or even "get guns out of your house" comes from very little or no evidence based data. Sure, unsafe practices with firearms is unwise and dangerous. The same is true for lawn mowers, automobiles, and most commonly used tools. I love to talk to patients about firearms and the safety they provide if used in a safe way by a trained operator. More guns in the hands of law-abiding armed citizens = less crime and a safer society.
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