Thursday, December 01, 2005

Physician, Heal Thyself

The UW family practice residents conducting the gun safety study made the following recommendations:

All gun purchases should have background checks and waiting periods.
All gun owners, not just hunters, should have safety training.
All guns should be stored in a safe, locked place where children and people other than the owner can't reach them.
Gun manufacturers should be required to put safety devices, such as trigger locks, on all guns they sell.
All physicians should be trained to ask their patients if they own guns and to counsel patients on gun safety in a non-judgmental fashion.

I wonder how the doctors conducting this "study" would answer these survey questions.

I wonder how many would be willing to accept personal liability should their advice result in tragedy.

UPDATE: I just noticed that the date on this linked piece is "May 10, 2000," but Google News search says: "uwnews.org, WA - 15 hours ago." Beats me why they're recycling old stuff--maybe they figure if they repeat themselves enough times they might get some attention?

1 comment:

E. David Quammen said...

The ONLY point that they make, that has any sense at all, is about the safety training. Although there is no stipulation demanding such in the Constitution. (Training however is alluded to by the Framers). The rest they should just shut the hell up. First, because that isn't their area of expertise. Second, of more bearing and importance, it's none of their damn business! It is a Constitutional Right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights - with NO STIPULATIONS!
Aren't there diseases that need researched and cures found for them? Get your over-educated noses out of where they don't belong!