Florida Gun Control Laws: Ruling Prevents Doctors From Discussing Kids’ Gun Safety
The fight over Florida’s gun control laws led to a ruling by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals which decided to uphold the so-called “physician gag law” that prevents family doctors from discussing kids gun safety with their patients. But the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes the gun rights law violates the First Amendment rights of pediatricians and claims the decision may affect whether or not families safely store their firearms.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, Florida’s gun control laws have been a contentious subject ever since the George Zimmerman trial brought the Stand Your Ground laws into focus. Although some people believe gun control has become a civil rights issue, the Stand Your Ground law has actually been winning the fight in the courts and in the legislature in comparison to the so-called Trayvon Martin gun control laws. In fact, so-called gun rights laws have been winning ground all over the nation. Even in Washington D.C., which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, a judge recently ruled the ban against openly carrying handguns could not be enforced by police.
The reasons family doctors in Florida are not supposed to discuss kids gun safety is based upon the Florida Privacy of Firearm Owners Act, which was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott in 2011. The law prevents physicians from discussing firearm safety and any doctor caught violating the statute faces penalties typically reserved for professional misconduct. Soon after the bill was passed, the law was challenged in court by the Florida Pediatric Society and the Florida chapters of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians. Other medical organizations soon began challenging the gun rights law in court.
James M. Perrin, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, explains why their organization believed it was right to challenge the gun rights law:
“State legislatures should not stop physicians from practicing good medicine. This law has a chilling effect on life-saving conversations that take place in the physician’s office. More than 4,000 children are killed by guns every year. Parents who own firearms must keep them locked, with the ammunition locked away separately. In this case, a simple conversation can prevent a tragedy. The evidence is overwhelming – young children simply cannot be taught to overcome their curiosity about guns, and to suggest otherwise is, frankly, the height of irresponsibility.”
Mobeen Rathore, president of the Florida chapter of the AAP, claims the court’s decision violates the U.S. Bill of Rights:
“We strongly disagree with the 11th Circuit’s decision. It is an egregious violation of the First Amendment rights of pediatricians and threatens our ability to provide our patients and their families with scientific, unbiased information. This dangerous decision gives state legislatures free license to restrict physicians from asking important questions about health and safety that are vital to providing the best medical care to patients.”
Do you think family doctors should be able to discuss kids’ gun safety with their parents?
