Doctors Urged To Sign A Pledge To Confront Patients About Guns

By John Crump

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- An article by UC Davis emergency department physician, Garen Wintemute, in the Annals of Internal Medicine is calling on primary care physicians to confront their patients over guns that they might own. Dr. Garen Wintemute is a gun control advocate who believes that doctors should counsel their patients on firearms. He considers himself a “gun violence” expert.

Dr. Garen Wintemute came to this conclusion by what he considers inaction by Congress and the Whitehouse. According to Dr. Wintemute these bodies of government, “have abdicated their responsibility on this complex and pressing problem as on so many others.” Dr. Garen came to fame by multiple articles trying to link gun ownership and violent tendencies.

He calls for doctors to hold interventions with their patients over their firearms. This intervention would include such intrusive question as of where ammunition and guns store and informing the patient of firearm death statistics. Dr. Wintemute likens firearm ownership to smoking in that the first time to doctors urge their patients to quit smoking they usually do not, but over time the pressure might cause them to abandon the habit.

According to Dr. Wintemute, doctors should address these conversations as a caring doctor by saying such things as “If you’re going to be effective you have to be able to say, ‘I’m asking you this because I care,’ ” He stresses doctors should frame the questions in a way not to offend the patient.

Dr. Wintemute, in the past, has applauded the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision over Florida’s Privacy of Firearm Owners Act. This act would have prevented doctors from asking their patients about their guns. In the court decision, it was ruled in a 10-1 majority decision that the statute would have violated the first amendment rights of the doctors.

What is disturbing is what Dr. Wintemute list as warning signs of gun violence. These include such things as acute injury, a difficult diagnosis, a job loss, or having an impulsive teenager, children or impaired adults living the same home as the gun owner. Since most people have been through one or more of these scenarios, it would mean almost everyone is susceptible to gun violence.

Dr. Wintemute believes that a lot of doctors have reached a personal tipping point with the tragedy in Las Vegas. He wrote, “I frequently hear from physicians who have reached a personal tipping point and decided to stay on the sidelines no longer.” He also stated that they would not be acting alone in their crusade. He urged doctors to band together to combat gun violence.

Dr. Wintemute has asked all primary care physicians to sign a pledge stating that they will talk to their patients about firearms. He also encourages doctors to email, call, and push their colleagues to sign the pledge. According to Dr. Wintemute, they will use the list to distribute aids that will help doctors confront their patients on guns.

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss or at www.crumpy.com.

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