# The Next Big Left Wing Gun Control Initiative...



## JBS (Mar 12, 2014)

...just_ might_ be launched through Obamacare. 

As it turns out, Obama's Surgeon General nominee is radically anti-gun. Not surprisingly, he's been an anti-gun activist and also previously ran an organization called "Doctors for Obama". 

Anyway, you can skim the article and find some fun little nuggets, like the fact that this doctor thinks "guns are a health care issue".  Those are his actual words, too.   So, an inanimate object is a health care issue.  I'm sure he's got some circular logic for why he thinks that, but that's not the kicker.   The kicker is this guy wants to launch a campaign to start having doctors investigate who owns guns, and have them record such things.    If he has his way, and if the Far Left have their way, next, there'll be small clusters of Left Wing gun control activist doctors all over New York and Virginia and North Carolina and everywhere else involving themselves in areas of their patient's lives they have no business in.  

I might be jumping the gun a little, but I can't help but think of how a government run health care system- _which is what has (predictably) begun to emerge from Obamacare_- could create quite a foundation for medically endorsed/enforced gun control. 

*



			Obama's Anti-Second Amendment Nominee For Surgeon General: Guns Are a Healthcare Issue
		
Click to expand...

*


> The age of politicizing everything is here and President Obama's pick for Surgeon General is no different. Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy has been tapped to lead the charge when it comes to promoting public health with the full weight of the federal government behind him. He also has a history of promoting gun control, of slamming the Second Amendment and has publicly called guns a "healthcare issue" and public health threat.
> 
> http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiep...edium=story&utm_campaign=BreakingNewsCarousel


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## TLDR20 (Mar 12, 2014)

JBS said:


> ...just_ might_ be launched through Obamacare.
> 
> As it turns out, Obama's Surgeon General nominee is radically anti-gun. Not surprisingly, he's been an anti-gun activist and also previously ran an organization called "Doctors for Obama".
> 
> ...



I think you are jumping the gun a little. As nothing has been enacted. However, mental health should be a factor when assessing one for gun ownership, IMHO. Whether or a healthcare provider should be actively inquiring as to the ownership of guns, well that is a different thing all together.


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## Salt USMC (Mar 13, 2014)

I don't think anything will come of it.  Like I've mentioned many times before, Democrats don't have the political capital to push gun control right now.


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## Swill (Mar 13, 2014)

If you accept that firearms are a public health issue simply because they are involved in death, then you have to accept that anything that causes a persons death can become a public health issue. There are no other defined criteria of judgement in the argument. It's ridiculous on premise alone; to believe that a firearm is the same as an infectious disease is, well... I question the rationality of anyone who thinks that.

And for funsies, the page from _Doctor's for America_ that argues the issue (below) links to Wikipedia as its source for stats on gun related violence. If you follow the bread trail of sourcing... you won't find any. It's not that I think they are making the stats up. It's that I think they are soft-brained thinkers.

http://www.drsforamerica.org/blog/the-worst-public-health-crisis-youve-never-heard-of


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## Marauder06 (Mar 13, 2014)

The doctors here used to ask "Do you have guns in the home?"   None of your damn business, doc.  Now they just ask, "Do you feel safe at home?" which I think is much more legit.


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## racing_kitty (Mar 13, 2014)

I remember the push in Florida a few years ago to get doctors to ask about the presence of guns in homes.  It did not go over well, at all.  While the argument could be made that the gun question was part of a preliminary mental screening by the triage nurse at a doctor's office ("Are you in any pain? Have you been feeling depressed, anxious, or having trouble sleeping?   Do you own a gun?"), I don't see it as a proper question to be asked by the doctor, unless the doctor is looking to sell his Sig to an interested patient.

I saw an article yesterday on the Daily Mail recounting how the nominee, as a HS valedictorian, blamed Saturday morning cartoons for gun violence.



> Dr. Vivek Murthy, who founded Doctors for Obama in 2008 – a group that later changed its name to 'Doctors for America – was a graduating high school senior at the time, one of several valedictorians the Miami Herald interviewed.
> 
> 'Vivek Murthy, 16, of Palmetto High, takes television cartoons to task' for 'the growing problem of kids and violence,' according to the Herald.
> 
> ...



His rejection of guns doesn't seem to have changed, only his rationalizations for his hatred.  Just because he's got the book smarts to be a doctor doesn't mean he isn't prone to go through any lengths necessary to defend what he views as the only correct view point in an argument.  He may no longer believe that cartoons are to blame, or he may simply know better than to let on that he still feels that way.  It's hard to tell.  But it's not out of line to seriously distrust this guy, or this administration as a whole.  Except for keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally deranged, gun laws ought to have no bearing on the office of the surgeon general.


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## gunny44 (Mar 13, 2014)

And yet cities that are gun free zones such as Chicago have e.r. facilities that are packed to capacity with gun crime victims. Thats one thing that the progressive parasites always fail to realize. It is a citizen's job to be the first line of personal defense, not big brother's job to predict the motives of men for exercising their constitution rights. If you ask me its hazardous to one's health in these times for one not to carry when our government turns a blind eye to the real threat to our nation's health, lack of common values...


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## racing_kitty (Mar 13, 2014)

gunny44 said:


> It is a citizen's job to be the first line of personal defense,



I do believe the police chief in that lovely vacation hot spot known as Detroit has said something to that effect quite a few times in the last few days.


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## DA SWO (Mar 13, 2014)

Easy solution.

Just say no when the Dr asks if you have any guns.  Then ask the Dr. how many guns he owns.

The problem is family members, ex-wives/husbands/boyfriends/girlfriends flapping their jaws.

I don't own any guns btw.


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## JBS (Mar 13, 2014)

Doctor: "Do you have guns in the home?"

Patient: "uh... I don't think that's any of your business and I don't see how it's relevant. .."

Doctor: *scribbles on notepad, mumbling* "subject is highly defensive, combative, irrational.  Appears to be suffering from moderate to severe paranoia..."

Patient: "what the..."

Doctor: "uncooperative, threatening in posture and body language..."


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## Scotth (Mar 13, 2014)

The NRA says we need to address the mental health issues related to these mass shootings.  I'm not sure what the Surgeon General has for a role when it comes to Obamacare?  Obamacare isn't a government run health care system.  You buying insurance from a private companies period.

How are we suppose to deal with mental health issues and gun violence if they don't ask and talk about it?

Like SOWT said, just because they ask doesn't mean you have to answer the question.  It's not like the doctor offices are going to go around and start collecting guns but they can talk to family members about the situation if someone is having issues so that preventative measures can take place in the home before it's to late.


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## racing_kitty (Mar 13, 2014)

Scotth said:


> How are we suppose to deal with mental health issues and gun violence if they don't ask and talk about it?
> 
> Like SOWT said, just because they ask doesn't mean you have to answer the question.  It's not like the doctor offices are going to go around and start collecting guns but they can talk to family members about the situation if someone is having issues so that preventative measures can take place in the home before it's to late.



I agree with keeping guns from the mentally unstable. That being said, if someone who's truly at risk for ending it is sitting at the doctor's office, the doc needs to address all means of committing suicide. Don't get wrapped around the gun axle. Most docs don't.

What I was talking about in Florida, and I should have stated it then, was that docs were instructed to ask about gun ownership the same way they ask about drinking /smoking habits and the date of a woman's LMP. That's not a mental health context, and frankly outside of the M.D.'s bailiwick.


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## RustyShackleford (Mar 13, 2014)

Just like when filling out paperwork at a doctor's office and they want to know employer, job, work phone number, etc.  It is only their business if you make it their business.


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## TLDR20 (Mar 13, 2014)

RustyShackleford said:


> Just like when filling out paperwork at a doctor's office and they want to know employer, job, work phone number, etc.  It is only their business if you make it their business.



As a side note listing things like occupation and hobbies can help aid the physician in diagnosis and treatment. As an example my father in law just had to get an MRI but due to him blacksmithing as a hobby they had to do something other than an MRI, as the magnets could move particles of metal in his eyes leading to blindness. Something to think about while you are hoarding useless info from your doctors.


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## Red-Dot (Mar 13, 2014)

SOWT said:


> Easy solution.
> 
> Just say no when the Dr asks if you have any guns.  Then ask the Dr. how many guns he owns.
> 
> ...



That's what G. Gordon Liddy used to say.....I don't own any guns, but Mrs. Liddy sure does!!


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## RustyShackleford (Mar 13, 2014)

TLDR20 said:


> As a side note listing things like occupation and hobbies can help aid the physician in diagnosis and treatment. As an example my father in law just had to get an MRI but due to him blacksmithing as a hobby they had to do something other than an MRI, as the magnets could move particles of metal in his eyes leading to blindness. Something to think about while you are hoarding useless info from your doctors.



Never said it was useless info and I have never once not had a doctor not ask me what I do for a living and still have to expound on what my job involves.

It's the admin staff that have no need to know what people do for a living and I have a very recent example where one's significant other being charge in a RICO case where I am a pt.


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## Brill (Mar 13, 2014)

Marauder06 said:


> The doctors here used to ask "Do you have guns in the home?"   None of your damn business, doc.  Now they just ask, "Do you feel safe at home?" which I think is much more legit.



Sums it up:


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## Chopstick (Mar 14, 2014)

My reply from Senator Pat Toomey:



> March 14, 2014
> 
> Dear (insert Chop's real name here),
> 
> ...


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## Chopstick (Mar 15, 2014)

That was fast. 
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/03/14/5416655/white-house-backing-off-push-for.html



> The White House is backing off its push for quick confirmation of President Barack Obama's pick to be surgeon general in the face of opposition from the National Rifle Association and concerns among Democrats up for re-election who don't want to take another tough vote on a controversial nominee.






> Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, up for re-election this year in Alaska, cited his lifetime NRA membership in a letter to constituents who have contacted him on the Murthy nomination.
> 
> "While the Senate has not yet scheduled a vote on Dr. Murthy, I have already told the White House I will very likely vote no on his nomination if it comes to the floor," Begich said in the letter, according to his office. He said that besides concerns about Murthy's position on gun control, he also is concerned about Murthy's political advocacy and lack of experience as a practicing physician.





> Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican who practiced medicine for 25 years, has been pushing against Murthy on the same grounds and said the White House isn't doing a very good job of preventing confirmation battles.
> 
> "The White House was terribly embarrassed that their nominee for the Justice Department failed," Barrasso said in a telephone interview Friday from Ukraine, where he was with several lawmakers amid turmoil in the country. "I don't think they saw it coming. They had (Vice President) Joe Biden in the chair to break a tie and it wasn't even close."


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## JBS (Mar 15, 2014)

That's the power of the internet.


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## AWP (Mar 15, 2014)

If I were a politician and had to choose between voting on new gun restrictions and new laws concerning abortion or gay rights, I wouldn't touch the former. Only the most zealous anti-2A folks in entrenched districts/ states would go near gun control right now.


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## policemedic (Mar 15, 2014)

Chopstick said:


> My reply from Senator Pat Toomey:



I got the same form letter.


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## Chopstick (Mar 15, 2014)

policemedic said:


> I got the same form letter.


At least Toomey replies.  I got nothing from Casey.  Let me put on my shocked face!


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## 0699 (Mar 15, 2014)

Last check up, I told the doctor "Look doc, just stick your finger up my ass; don't worry about any guns I may or may not have!" 



RustyShackleford said:


> Just like when filling out paperwork at a doctor's office and they want to know employer, job, work phone number, etc.  It is only their business if you make it their business.


 
They only have the power we give them.  If everyone answered "no" when the doctor asked about guns, we wouldn't have any problems...


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## Red Flag 1 (Mar 15, 2014)

TLDR20 said:


> As a side note listing things like occupation and hobbies can help aid the physician in diagnosis and treatment. As an example my father in law just had to get an MRI but due to him blacksmithing as a hobby they had to do something other than an MRI, as the magnets could move particles of metal in his eyes leading to blindness. Something to think about while you are hoarding useless info from your doctors.



It is important to not miss the little things in taking a history, the above for an MRI is a great case in point. Dietary supplements are another often missed "thought" that can get you in trouble, excessive bleeding times to be specific. The issue of weapons in the home have been "square fillers" in many HMO's, and facility based practices. How the question is asked is a bit of an "art", to get the point across without igniting hostile reactions. Is your doc really going to make any difference in the way you look at weapons in the home?  Is an answer going to bring black choppers and battering rams to your home @ 0200hrs ? Probably not. Most firearms are purchased with full background checks, and in some states, only with a license. I doubt that any new information is going to be gleaned by asking if weapons are in the home. Is it worth asking the question at all, and can it have saved a life or two ? I can think of a cases where a doc might just have made a difference. The disturbed lad that took the lives of his mother, school children, and his own, is a case where the lad's doc might have made a difference. Did he ask, I don't know, but if he did, Mom was not impressed.

So, should doc's ask about weapons in the home? I think it should be explored in homes that have children. I believe it should be asked in cases where mentally challenged people are involved. The challenge, is in just how do you bring up the question, the "art" of discussing something personal. The practitioner is not asking for the governments interest, are they? Practitioners ask some pretty delicate questions, and people seek care for sexually transmitted diseases all the time. Why would you not trust the same person with information about weapons in the home? Doc's care about you, and your life, that is the whole point; or am I missing something here.

OK, off the soapbox. Fire away, I listen pretty good. By the way, I own long guns, handguns,  have a CCW permit, and carry most of the time.


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## TLDR20 (Mar 15, 2014)

Yeah people will go to the Dr to get the bottle out of their ass, but only if gun ownership isn't questioned.


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## Polar Bear (Mar 15, 2014)

racing_kitty said:


> I do believe the police chief in that lovely vacation hot spot known as Detroit has said something to that effect quite a few times in the last few days.


He has, he left Cincinnati, so it made the news here


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## Red-Dot (Mar 15, 2014)

JBS said:


> That's the power of the internet.



Don't we have Gore to thank for that?


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## Etype (Mar 15, 2014)

Marauder06 said:


> The doctors here used to ask "Do you have guns in the home?"   None of your damn business, doc.





JBS said:


> Doctor: "Do you have guns in the home?"
> 
> Patient: "uh... I don't think that's any of your business and I don't see how it's relevant. .."
> 
> ...




Just like I mentioned on the "Secret Agent in Canada Thread,"  you know what the right and wrong answers are, and you know what is going to raise flags with the questioner...  Practice your resistance training and LIE!!!


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## Chopstick (Mar 26, 2014)

Well...this is...awkward. 
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-state-senator-leland-yee-arrested-in-federal-raid/



> State Sen. Leland Yee, one of the most powerful Democratic politicians in California, was arrested Wednesday morning in a major series of federal raids in the Bay Area targeting corruption and gang activity, CBS San Francisco reported.
> Federal agents arrested Lee at his home in San Francisco Wednesday morning and drove him to the federal courthouse while his offices in Sacramento were raided as well.
> An FBI affidavit in support of a criminal complaint against Yee and 25 other people reveals the lawmaker is accused of conspiracy to deal firearms and wire fraud.


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## Ranger Psych (Mar 26, 2014)

Good.


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## Salt USMC (Mar 26, 2014)

Irony.


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