I'm a primary care Physician Assistant working in rural and emergency medicine for 22 years. So, no doctor with my name, and no plush retirement account either. As a gun owner, hunter, and avid outdoorsman, I still advocate for guns to be stored properly. That entails asking if there are guns in the house. I ask the question with respect, explain why I am asking, and have yet to be misunderstood.
The intent of asking about guns, is to recommend safe storage and handling. It is the same as asking if the crib is of modern manufacture, the house has smoke alarms, and is the hot water heater set low enough for children.
Unfortunately, the counseling rarely gets done. I believe most electronic medical records are set up to record how much history is obtained, and points are given for questions asked. The more points that are accrued, the higher the rate of billing. I see it as another trend in medicine that we have check lists to follow. I suspect the questioning is often done in the wrong fashion, and not with the intent to give valid recommendations for storage. I doubt any of my fellow providers in our clinic even have rudimentary knowlege of gun handling/storage.
Don't take it out on the well-intentioned provider who asks the question, instead play along, ("sure I have a bb gun in the house,") and see if they follow up. If they offer a sincere and considerate recommendation for appropriate storage and move along, have no concerns. If they breeze right by it, rest assured your bill just went up, and your provider is missing the whole point of the question.
By the way, I love the jokes, none of mine are remotely appropriate or I would join in.
Rob.
