Then the Doctor asked: "Do you have any guns in the house?"

[Voyager28]

Went to my doctor this week for my annual physical. He's fairly new to this area and has only been my doctor for 3 years so we don't really know each other very well but he was taking new patients when I needed him.

As we were wrapping things up with the exam he said "since this is a Medicare physical there are a few questions I have to ask". so, I said "OK, go ahead."

He asked "Do you have any guns in your house?" Caught a bit by surprise I said "yes, yes I do."

He then asked "Are they kept in a safe?" to which I said "OK, stop right there. This has no medical relevance at all and it's neither the governments nor your business what I legally own nor what I have or do not have legally in my house. This interview is over."

He looked at me and said "But, I have to fill out this form and send it in. If it isn't filled in properly I don't know what the result will be." So, I said "In that case, in all those little blank spaces, tell them that, based on the provisions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I refused to answer any and all questions other than those that are medically relevant." I then got up and left.

So, I have to ask, have any of you "elders" had this happen?

Bob

 

[arjay]

its a round about way of asking if you are suicidal

 

[Comrad]

I can't wait to have some doc ask me that question. I'm thinking something like, "what makes you think I have a house?" or "my guns are in the lake"
or "I have a screw gun in my workshop, is that what you want to know?"

 

[snubbyfan]

I live in small town West Virginia, what do you think?

 

[Voyager28]

its a round about way of asking if you are suicidal

In that case why didn't he ask if I had any sharp knives, ropes, stashes of drugs or if I live near a very high bridge?

IMHO, it is pure and simply a back handed attempt at gun control.

Bob

 

[Rustyt1953]

arjay is right. I have never been asked. My cardiologist, electrophysiologist and ENT are all gun guys.

My GP said that with patients like me, (cancer, heart disease, pacemaker dependent) if he feels anyone is depressed to the point of hurting themselves, he has to ask.

I said, "why haven't you asked me?"

He said, "because silliness is not a red flag."

 

[ralph7]

I think this is one of those rare cases where a little white lie might be the best medicine.

 

[Leonard]

NO if I did I would find a new Dr. they do ask me every year if I feel other people are better off than I am my stock answer is no I am a republican!

 

[snuffy51]

He then asked "Are they kept in a safe?" to which I said "OK, stop right there. This has no medical relevance at all and it's neither the governments nor your business what I legally own nor what I have or do not have legally in my house. This interview is over."

He looked at me and said "But, I have to fill out this form and send it in. If it isn't filled in properly I don't know what the result will be." So, I said "In that case, in all those little blank spaces, tell them that, based on the provisions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I refused to answer any and all questions other than those that are medically relevant." I then got up and left.

So, I have to ask, have any of you "elders" had this happen?

Bob

I'm within a year of signing up on medicare, and I think your answer is bullet proof, no pun intended. I will keep this in mind. Thank you, keep healthy and have a nice day.

 

[Arc Angel]

I've got two doctor stories: In the first I was getting a medical checkup when the doctor noticed that I was armed. He asked, 'What is that?' I told him, 'A German Walther PPK-S.' He said, 'Really!' 'May I see it?' I took it out, dropped the magazine, cleared the weapon (twice), and handed it to him. He whistled, and said, 'You've had a little work done on this, haven't you.' I nodded my head; and replied, 'Yes, Austin Behlert!'

He, then, asked to pull the trigger; and (naturally) I suggested that he should pull the hammer back, first. He did, and handed it back to me with the comment, 'That's a beautiful little carry gun.'

In the second story, I was in the emergency room when the doctor saw the large pistol behind my hip. He said, 'That's a Glock, right!' 'What is it, a G22?' I replied, 'Almost.' 'It's a G21.' That doctor surprised the heck out of me by saying, 'I never work the nightshift here without being armed.'

Next he said something I thought was really startling: He told me that just the other night he had walked across the parking lot to get a cup of coffee when 3 (probably) drug addicts suddenly circled around him, and demanded his wallet. He smiled when he said that he showed them the muzzle of his G23, instead!

He went on to say that hospital emergency rooms are besought by drug addicts virtually all night long. He told me that he treats them all of the time. (Which he, also, said meant refusing to give them any of the drugs for which they often begged.)

True story, but hey, this is Pennsylvania. Many of the doctors here are ex:military, and also gun owners. We, all, have state LTCF permits; and, so far, none of them have cared whether or not I was carrying a concealed handgun. (I have an honest face!)

By the way, I think the doctor the OP went to see is full of it. During the past 7 years I've spent a lot of time in various hospitals, both here and in New Jersey. Nobody - as in, 'nobody' - has ever asked me if I owned any guns. I'm a Medicare patient, too; and that question has NEVER BEEN ASKED.

(I've got another good, 'emergency room-drug addict-concealed handgun' story I could also tell; but not in this thread.)

 

[mike from st pete]

Docs Can't Ask About Glocks

For the second time in little more than a year, a federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a controversial Florida law that restricts doctors from asking questions and recording information about patients' gun ownership.

The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was a victory for the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates and a defeat for medical groups that argued, at least in part, that the law infringed on doctors' First Amendment rights.

Read more here: Appeals court upholds doctor-patient gun law | Miami Herald



The courts have upheld this a couple of times now.

 

[Squarebutt]

Sounds like the doc broke Florida law. This question is coming up often, especially with pediatricians and youngsters. The new surgeon general is a member of several anti-gun organizations, and maybe that's how the question made its way onto the Medicare paperwork.
I've never been asked, but I wouldn't feel the least bit guilty saying no.

 

[OLDSTER]

"Doc, I've got so many guns I designed my house around them"

 

[Biginge]

I taught my Doctor to shoot and helped him pick out his guns. I pay him in reloads. Am I destined for the gallows?

 

[BOMBTEC]

MY DR KNOWS THE ANSWER WITH OUT ASKING. AND HE OWNS SEVERAL FULL AUTO GUNS. WEAPONS HE'S GOT AND M-60 BELT FED. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A SMITH MOD 60.

 

[BC38]

Irrelevant question, and none of your business.
Next...

 

[Voyager28]

arjay is right. I have never been asked. My cardiologist, electrophysiologist and ENT are all gun guys.

My GP said that with patients like me, (cancer, heart disease, pacemaker dependent) if he feels anyone is depressed to the point of hurting themselves, he has to ask.

I said, "why haven't you asked me?"

He said, "because silliness is not a red flag."

If you are correct then that makes it even more ridiculous. It was an annual physical. I'm as health as a horse. I have no cancer, no heart problems, no diabetes, I don't even have a cold. There is no reason to even suspect that I am in any way depressed.

Bob

 

[GaryS]

If a doctor wants to find out if you are depressed, he's supposed to ask you straight out if you're depressed.

The gun question has nothing to do with depression or even suicide. It's about doctors supposedly teaching us the importance of gun safety.

As if we don't know that already.

I have a very good relationship with my primary care doctor. Actually, he's my only care doctor as I don't see or need to see any specialists.

A few years ago he asked me if I owned any guns. I said yes. He asked me if I kept them unloaded and locked up.

I told him that they weren't any damned good to me if they were unloaded and locked up.

He hasn't mentioned it since.

Oh, and it's not related to elders specifically. They are supposed to ask all patients and if the patient is a kid, they are supposed to ask the parents.

It's just more nannyism from the nanny state.

 

[Nedroe]

The day is rapidly approaching......

and by some accounts is already happening, that you will get a letter from Medicare/Medicaid that unless you remove the guns from your house, you will lose your coverage.

You know who is behind it.




Ned

 

[BC38]

and by some accounts is already happening, that you will get a letter from Medicare/Medicaid that unless you remove the guns from your house, you will lose your coverage.

You know who is behind it.




Ned

Got any good, solid, reliable, references to back that up?
That's a clear violation of the 2nd amendment, and seems more than a little far-fetched.
This is the first time I've heard this claim.