Most Americans have strong feelings about gun control, whether in favor of more or less. Legislation has even been passed restricting physicians from discussing guns with patients. What is your opinion about healthcare professionals discussing safekeeping of guns in the home?
Gun ownership and regulation is a very emotional issue in the U.S. and there has been strong reaction to whether physicians and other healthcare providers should be involved in doing more to curb gun related injuries and deaths. I would like to hear some of your opinions regarding physician involvement, but first let's look at some of the gun statistics in the U.S.
More than 108,000 people are shot per year in murders, assaults, suicides, suicide attempts, unintentional shootings or by police intervention.
* More than 32,000 of them die.
* The U.S. has the most gun homicides of any developed nation. 29.7 per 100,000.
* Everyday 297 people are shot.
* 89 people die.
* 31 of them are murdered.
* 55 are suicides.
* 2 are killed unintentionally.
* 1 is killed by police.
* 1 is unknown intent.
* One in five deaths are people ages 15-29.
Over 17,000 American children and teens are injured or killed each year due to gun violence.
* 2,677 of those children die.
* Nearly 48 youth are shot per day including 7 fatalities.
* 5 are murdered and 2 are suicides.
1 in 3 homes with children have guns.
* 42% of parents with guns keep at least one unlocked.
* 25% of parents with guns keep at least loaded.
* 3 in 4 children know where firearms are kept in the home.
(Statistics; bradycampaign.org).
It has been suggested that clinicians could play a major role in reducing children's access to guns by asking if there is a gun in the home, and if so, counseling on firearm storage practices. One study showed that patients who received counseling on firearm storage were more likely to make a change in storage practice than patients who did not receive counseling. (64% vs 33%). (J Am Board Fam.Pract).
Pediatrician's offices and hospitals routinely give out infant and car seats, would it also be appropriate to distribute trigger locks and lockboxes? Firearm related injuries are a public health issue, so should there be public health initiatives regarding firearms such as there have been for reducing tobacco, toy and motor vehicle related deaths?
It's funny you should mention this because most of the countries listed here have far more permissible gun rights than here in the U.S which explains why the homicide rate is so high in the U.S.
Switzerland is actually one of the highest gun ownership per capita in the world with a very low homicide rate.
So yes, this does bother me.
Ahh... well Switzerland, Israel, and the Netherlands maybe (depending how you define permissiveness... although they outright ban a wide swath of weapons)... but Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and Canada all have stricter gun control laws off the top of my head. Canada's laws are changing, as they've ditched the long gun registry, but compared to "go to a gun show, buy an automatic weapon," it's still harder to get a gun than it is here. Japan, of course, has outlawed damn near every weapon for home owners and has the lowest firearm fatality in the world.
If you are felon who cannot legally own a gun, what is being "infringe(d)" upon?
And if I am not? Health care professionals should NOT be asking legal questions, that would then require legal action. We are nurses, not law enforcement.
And if I am not? Health care professionals should NOT be asking legal questions, that would then require legal action. We are nurses, not law enforcement.
Are we legally required to report patients who are felons that own guns? We don't report drug use or immigration status. Why would we report it? Under what law?
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
Ahh... well Switzerland, Israel, and the Netherlands maybe (depending how you define permissiveness... although they outright ban a wide swath of weapons)... but Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and Canada all have stricter gun control laws off the top of my head. Canada's laws are changing, as they've ditched the long gun registry, but compared to "go to a gun show, buy an automatic weapon," it's still harder to get a gun than it is here. Japan, of course, has outlawed damn near every weapon for home owners and has the lowest firearm fatality in the world.
Firearm fatalities may be lower when firearms are illegal, but CRIME isn't lower. Criminals can and do exist, regardless of the presence of a gun. Homicides still happen -- they just use something other than a gun.
Firearm fatalities may be lower when firearms are illegal, but CRIME isn't lower. Criminals can and do exist, regardless of the presence of a gun. Homicides still happen -- they just use something other than a gun.
Are we legally required to report patients who are felons that own guns? We don't report drug use or immigration status. Why would we report it? Under what law?
Drug use is a medical issue and something I would expect nurses to inquire about, but I have never asked a patient if they are an illegal immigrant or a gun owner.
Are we legally required to report patients who are felons that own guns? We don't report drug use or immigration status. Why would we report it? Under what law?
No and not all felons are prohibited from owning firearms surprisingly enough. Found this out when my brother was working through his own legal issues.
And if I am not? Health care professionals should NOT be asking legal questions, that would then require legal action. We are nurses, not law enforcement.
Gun safety is a health question, not a legal question.
It's funny you should mention this because most of the countries listed here have far more permissible gun rights than here in the U.S which explains why the homicide rate is so high in the U.S.
Switzerland is actually one of the highest gun ownership per capita in the world with a very low homicide rate.
So yes, this does bother me.
There are no bills aimed at banning all gun ownership, the current bill put forward is for universal background checks which Switzerland has had for a long time, and yes, it works very well for them.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
wow
Frankly I am shocked by how paranoid so many American gun owners are, how secretive and afraid of the government. So afraid that they are hesitant to answer a screening question about gun safety in the home where children live. Gunshot wounds kill more children in this country each year than childhood cancers. One of my children's playmates was killed by an accidental shooting involving another child and an unsecured handgun years ago. Why are we, as gun owners, so afraid to answer questions about our weapons? This is a health screening question based upon the fact that children die and are injured by firearms at an unacceptable rate. Why is it scary?
If 500 children per year died and thousands more were injured by chainsaw I would expect that health practitioners might begin educating on the safe use of chainsaws. Would we be paranoid about answering those screening questions too? Or is this only related to guns? At least chainsaws were designed for the purpose of cutting down trees or standing lumber. Guns were designed for the purpose of killing things. Sometimes we use them for target shooting and marksmanship rather than for killing but that is sort of like using a chainsaw to carve ice; it's fun but does not change the original purpose.
You folks in the lower 48 are slowly losing your minds I think.
Dogen
897 Posts
Ahh... well Switzerland, Israel, and the Netherlands maybe (depending how you define permissiveness... although they outright ban a wide swath of weapons)... but Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and Canada all have stricter gun control laws off the top of my head. Canada's laws are changing, as they've ditched the long gun registry, but compared to "go to a gun show, buy an automatic weapon," it's still harder to get a gun than it is here. Japan, of course, has outlawed damn near every weapon for home owners and has the lowest firearm fatality in the world.