OT: Asked if I had a gun in my home during physical.

[marl64]

I love it! I'm afraid my sarcastic humor would have had fun with that. If I wasn't in the mood I probably would have replied with "Irrelevant. Next?".

I agree with fuzzy96. I've always wondered why I can't take knitting needles on an airplane but can take any number of pencils or pens. I'm pretty sure I could do just as much damage with one as the other.

[sleepycarol]

Since we live in a rural area it is just taken for granted typically that guns are in the household. However, if you have never lost a child in your community due to them finding a gun and innocently playing with it and killing themselves, a sibling, or a friend, count yourself very lucky.

If that question was posed to me I wouldn't give it a second thought and answer it cause I have grandkids and even "unloaded" guns have caused serious injury and even death so you can't be too careful --just my 2 cents.

[The Bandit]

They don't ask me... they see it on my hip...

Yes, but you'll never catch me, Buford!

[Wulfman...]

If you do a Google search on "doctors asking whether there are guns in the house" you'll have a considerable amount of reading.

I just can't imagine a doctor in Wyoming asking that question. It would be more likely that they'd ask "Are you unarmed......and why?". I would imagine that most of them have a number of them (to extensive collections), themselves. My dentist and I frequently talked about our "toys" and I used to tease him that my dental work was paying for another one or another hunting trip.

As of July 1st, the residents of Wyoming will be allowed to carry concealed firearms without a license.

Other than last August when they caught one of those escapees from Arizona a block from my house, I can say I've ever really felt the need to carry one.......and they had him in custody before I even got up. It was later that we found out that he had been hanging around town for two or three days before somebody actually got suspicious.

Go ahead......make my day.


Den

[Tip10]

My approach when asked questions such as that in those kinds of settings is usually to ask one back as an answer -- usually along the lines of one of the following:

For a female tech: "Are you wearing panties or a thong?"
For a male tech: "Boxers or briefs?"

Usually they get the picture -- although I've had quite a few times where I had to explain it to them and in one case at a bank where a question was asked they had no business asking the female teller actually blushed and answered the question (thong) and then ask why would I want to know.

[JayR_1945]

The whole idea is formed around, the Gov wants to find out where all guns are. They need that info so they can take control of the population. The last thing a corrupt gov wants is the population to have a means to rebel against a corrupt Gov.

Here is a little know factoid: If you have a carry permit and visit a V.A. location, guns are not allowed. If you secure your gun in your vehicle on their property, the gun can be taken, and you will be charged in court. You also sometimes are ask questions leading to your state of mind, if you answer the wrong way, you can be turned into Homeland Security, and will have your carry permit voided.

Many may say that's fine, it's to protect the public. Not so, it's to make the public easier to control. Jim

I am a Veteran and believe me we Veterans are concerned about the issue. The VA is a government building, and no guns are allowed. Not sure about a gun in a car. I think if you do something wrong and the car is searched, they can confiscate it. This is government property.

A few years ago I had my car searched when I entered NIH property in Wash DC. They wanded everything. The found an unopened can of Strohs in my trunk. They took it and told me I could claim it on the way out. Silly damn rules!

But about asking about Veterans "state of mind", this is inaccurate. There was an issue a few years back where a Veteran could be put on the "No Fly, No guns" list if they were judged "mentally incompetent" by a physician. Well, Veterans had a fit. Since then a law was passed and it now requires a court order. This "due process" is as it should be. There are some people (Veteran or not) that should be on the list.

But in general they, including the VA, are asking too many personal questions not related to the issue I bring to health care. And, I would not mind it if they just asked and handed me an NRA brochure on safety. But they are putting too much in my electronic health record. I ask where it is going first.

[Starlette]

Jay, I have to laugh at your responses. Yep, those will definitely work!
There is no two ways about it, they'll get the hint!!!

Starlette

[kempo]

This would be my reply.

"Yes, I have guns in my home. I ,along with everyone in my family, knows how to handle guns and we enjoy shooting them. As a matter of fact we are damn good at shooting pistols, rifles, and shotguns. It's a sport we enjoy doing together. "

"Next question sweety."

[Starlette]

Got to love your comeback too Kempo!

[archangle]

This would be my reply.

"Yes, I have guns in my home. I ,along with everyone in my family, knows how to handle guns and we enjoy shooting them. As a matter of fact we are damn good at shooting pistols, rifles, and shotguns. It's a sport we enjoy doing together. "

"Next question sweety."

It's probably a bad idea to do that in the modern nanny state. You never know when some screwball medical type will put something in your medical records that will bite you in the rear at some time in the future.

[John M. Browning]

I usually lie about unnecessary demographic info in order to mess up the databases. If I'm shopping for a hard disk and they ask me about age, sex, etc., I'm an 85 year old Asian woman who weighs 93 pounds, stands 6' 8" high, with red hair, $6,000 yearly income, drive a red Testarossa, etc.

I don't lie to the doctor, though, especially about anything medically relevant. I am probably going to stop answering anything not directly medically relevant, though.

LOL!!!

I hope you don't mind if I borrow that!

Anyway, my doctor usually asks me about guns everytime I see him: "Bill, bought anything new?" And then we will usually talk hunting and politics, depending on how busy he is that day. BTW- he is NOT a fan of Obamacare. Nor am I.

[jbn3boys]

... my doctor usually asks me about guns everytime I see him: "Bill, bought anything new?" And then we will usually talk hunting and politics, depending on how busy he is that day.

LOVE it!

[xenablue]

I too, was asked that question (about whether I owned a gun). As I am a legal alien in the U.S. (not a citizen) and therefore not allowed to own a gun, to not answer or answer 'yes' could have me on the first flight back to Australia if 'big brother' was given my response.

I found the question unsettling, but responded (honestly - I hate guns) anyway in my own best interests.

Cheers,
xena

[6PtStar]

Here is a little know factoid: If you have a carry permit and visit a V.A. location, guns are not allowed. If you secure your gun in your vehicle on their property, the gun can be taken, and you will be charged in court. You also sometimes are ask questions leading to your state of mind, if you answer the wrong way, you can be turned into Homeland Security, and will have your carry permit voided. Jim

I am a Veteran and believe me we Veterans are concerned about the issue. The VA is a government building, and no guns are allowed. Not sure about a gun in a car. I think if you do something wrong and the car is searched, they can confiscate it. This is government property.

My PCP Doc and I shoot together and I work on his guns so I guess it would be pointless to have him ask me that question. I guess one of the other dozen doctor I seem to have might want to know!!

Just for ionformation on Jim and Jays comments about the V.A. I am an Concealed Handgun Instructor in Texas. The Texas CHL law says you can lock the gun in your car in the parking lot if you go somwhere where you can not carry it. I recentally had a student of mine went to the V.A. with his concealed handgun. He was having trouble finding a parking place so he stopped the security person and asked where would be a good place mto look for a parking place. The security person told him there was space in the parking garage. He explained that he was licened to carry and could no go into the buildings. The security person told him he could not have it in the parking lot either because it was considered to be Federal Property. His gun was confiscated on the spot. He finally did go through the court system and showed a copy of the state law and the handgun was finally returned.

Jerry

[BillH]

I think this is a very normal question. I have been asked this question for years at my annual physical. Not a big deal. They collect their demographic info.

Its more so a safety thing.

I usually lie about unnecessary demographic info in order to mess up the databases. If I'm shopping for a hard disk and they ask me about age, sex, etc., I'm an 85 year old Asian woman who weighs 93 pounds, stands 6' 8" high, with red hair, $6,000 yearly income, drive a red Testarossa, etc.

I don't lie to the doctor, though, especially about anything medically relevant. I am probably going to stop answering anything not directly medically relevant, though.

Bravo! Way too much information is collected about us every day in every way possible!
I am asked this kind of questions from time to time. Depending on the mood I am in, the response ranges from "None of your f*****g business" to "Yes, I have 4 and they are all loaded"