Pediatricians may be banned from asking about guns

I am not an advocate of gun control. I believe all Americans have the right to own and bear arms and this right is protected by our Constitution. This does not mean that all Americans have the innate common sense and intelligence to exercise that right. There are laws that in certain situations restrict gun ownership.

With rights come responsibilities.

It sounds like Florida is about to enter the world of Animal Farm. Governor Rick Scott has a bill on his desk which would ban pediatricians from asking their patients about gun ownership and the safe practices inherent in gun ownership. The American Academy of Pediatrics has encouraged its members to ask questions about guns and how they're stored, as part of well-child visits. But Marion Hammer, the NRA's lobbyist in Tallahassee, says that's not a pediatrician's job. She calls it an invasion of privacy and Second Amendment rights.  (Listen to the story on NPR Weekend Edition .)

I do not own a gun nor have I ever had a working gun in my home. I know a number of people who own hand guns and rifles—some for hunting and some for personal protection—and none of those people strike me as ones who would recklessly endanger a child (or an adult) through improper use or storage of a weapon.

But I know there are lots of people in this world who do not have the wherewithal to keep a loaded weapon safe. All you have to do is watch the news or read the papers to find stories of accidental shootings which should have been prevented by responsible adults practicing gun safety. But too often they do not.

As a young child I was exposed to a tragic shooting in my small home town. A close friend and class-mate was killed by his brother when the rifle they were playing with accidentally discharged into my young friend’s chest, killing him instantly. Might this weapon have been stored more safely if a doctor had asked the family about firearms in their home? We will never know. Does it seem unreasonable to believe it might have made a difference?

Should we prohibit citizens from owning guns or having guns if there are small children in the home? Absolutely not. More children die in backyard swimming pools than in accidental shootings and I know of no movement to prohibit families with young children from owning swimming pools.

But if lives can be saved by pediatricians asking families questions concerning gun safety, we should be encouraging that practice rather than prohibiting it.

If Governor Scott signs this bill into legislation I expect I will take on the task of asking parishioners if they practice gun safety in their homes. It seems like the responsible thing to do and if it lands me in jail I’m sure my congregation will be happy to bail me out.