An acquaintence of mine forwarded me a link to this recent article in the New York Times regarding the recently passed legislation in Florida that prohibits doctors from asking patients whether they own firearms. I got such a good laugh out of it, I thought I'd share my reaction:
Ha! I almost bust a gut reading that article. The author gets off on the wrong foot by asking about seat belts. My answer? No, I don't use 'em because I ride a motorcycle. So screw you, you nannie!
And he then pretends that the gangbangers he's examining are going to listen to his counseling and lock their Loricins safely away. Following that line of thought, doctors should most certainly be locked away because they cause 20 times more deaths than guns do. (Physician, heal thyself!) Of course, to do so would ignore the benefit that doctors, and firearms, provide to society. But, that's the typical myopia of hoplophobes.
The cherry on top of the article, though, is when he trots out the phenomenally lame worry that he might be sued for malpractice if he doesn't advise his patients on "proper" gun handling. Oh, really? Show me one example, anytime, anywhere, where a physician has even been sued on these grounds, let alone finally found liable. I can't believe that this doctor's ego is so enormous that he's willing to take responsibility for anything that happens to his patients if he hasn't specifically counseled them on its dangers.
To any doctors out there who think they're qualified to tell me how to properly store or use a gun, let's compare certifications and degrees sometime. I think you'll find yourself outgunned, if you'll pardon the expression. Stick to what you're trained in, Doc, and I'll do the same.
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