# I pit anti-gun pediatricians

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-anti-gun-pediatricians/653578>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [March 21, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-anti-gun-pediatricians/653578 "2013-03-21T22:40:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 38

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**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-anti-gun-pediatricians/653578/38 "2013-03-22T08:36:33Z")

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> [@BigT](#):
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> A doctor’s job is health, not safety. They have no legitimate reason to be asking about people having guns any more than they do about whether you’ve properly grounded your electronics or, yes, have a fucking pool. The only reason to bring it up is because they are anti-gun.

You’re an idiot. Of course doctors are concerned about safety. It’s how emergency room visits are prevented, fatal car accidents are minimized, and drownings are lessened, because physicians have a direct interest in your child’s health and safety. It’s why they encourage you to put your child in a car seat, teach them how to swim and put alarms on the pool gates, and cover your electrical outlets.

> [@](#):
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> And doctors own their own practices. Even if that particular doctor is not in charge, another doctor is. There are no requirements to hassle their customers that that are not legal ones.

Asking whether or not a parent is appropriately storing their weapons is no different than asking if all the ingestible poisons are kept in a cabinet with a childproof latch on it. It’s not a fucking hassle.

> [@](#):
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> There’s this thing you guys seem to not get. A doctor works for you. You can fire them if they do not do the job you paid them for. And I for one do not pay my doctor to question my competence in parenting my children. It’s fucking rude, and such rudeness actually discourages people from coming to see you. I’m sure the OP is smart enough to just find another doctor, but a lot of people will just assume all doctors are like this and just avoid them.

Question your competence? Honey, based on your posts I should _hope_ someone would question your competence, and I thank the lord I don’t believe in that you’re not a parent. It’s a pediatrician’s job to help educate parents on potential risks their children are exposed to both inside the home and outside. Not everyone is intuitively aware of them all, which is why a professional is obligated out of concern for his patient (which, by the way, is the child, not you).

> [@](#):
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> I’ve seen it a lot. That’s why bedside manner is one of the most important things a doctor can learn. It probably saves more lives than anything else he does.

Actually, I would say professional competence saves more lives than bedside manner. If you’re really so sensitive about being asked by a person who has an interest in your child’s health and safety whether or not you’re following safety protocols _that are endorsed and encouraged by the fucking NRA_, you seem like the type of person who is too sensitive to own a gun. Grow the fuck up.

And shut up, **BigTard**.

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