Thursday, September 15, 2011

Federal judge overturns law preventing pediatricians from talking to patients about guns

Common sense and keeping the government our of our business finally triumphed over the wishes (demands) of the NRA Wednesday when a federal judge blocked enforcement of a ill-conceived idea to block Florida physicians from talking to their patients about guns.   The law was passed earlier this summer and signed by governor Rick Scott in a moment of utter capitulation to the NRA lobby that protested gun ownership and secrecy trumped child safety.

Fortunately, I will not have to take up the torch and add discussions about gun safety to my pre-marital counseling, as promised.  While doctors routinely discuss things like pool safety and wearing helmets while bike riding, priests routinely ask about household finances and conflict resolution among newly engaged couples.  Hopefully, governor Scott and other lobby groups will not decide to try and regulate clergy conversations . . . or any other.  Freedom of speak is, after-all, the law of the land.  Thankfully, this time our representatives have been prevented from trampling upon this freedom.  Had this law been allowed to stand it is not difficult to see it being extended to many other types of conversations.  Think government is intruding in your life?  Just ask yourself what GOP Rep. Jason Brodeur and our legislature were trying to accomplish by this half-baked piece of legislation.

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