First Amendment protects pediatricians’ right to ask about gun safety

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Florida pediatricians had a good day in court last month when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit struck down on First Amendment grounds a statute that prohibited them from addressing gun safety with parents.

The battle over a pediatrician’s right to freely practice medicine and protect the safety of children was one that never should have occurred, but Florida legislators thought it necessary to protect gun rights when, in fact, gun rights were never threatened.

The legal conflict began ...

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25
MAR
4

Gun Policy

Quick access to guns is killing our kids

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Some months back, four-year old Bryson Mees-Hernandez (that’s him, to the left) found a gun in his grandmother’s house in Houston and shot and killed himself. Bryson acted like a typical youngster. He found something new and interesting and played with it. What his grandmother did—allow a firearm to lay unlocked out in the open—was inexcusable, but her behavior is excused in that we don’t mandate gun safety.

Bryson’s story is ...

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12
NOV
7

Gun Policy

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Gun policy challenges—messaging and politicians

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President Barack Obama’s recent executive orders concerning guns illustrate two important points: the difficulty with messaging gun policy, and the gap between what Americans favor and how politicians vote.

First, let’s look at the issue of messaging. If you watched the CNN town hall meeting two weeks ago, you heard the president talk about background checks, adding more agents to the FBI, and the benefits of “smart gun technology.”

One of Obama’s executive orders mandates that everyone engaged in the business ...

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17
JAN
7

Gun Policy

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Hillary wrong to take on NRA

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Hillary Clinton made clear in the first Democratic Party presidential debate that she’s ready to take on the NRA. “This has gone on too long, and it’s time the entire country stood up against the NRA,” she declared. If you believe the level of gun violence in America is unacceptable, this was music to your ears. Clinton is leading the charge against the NRA, and that’s a good thing, right?

Maybe not. Clinton erred by attacking the NRA when she should have ...

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25
OCT
6

Gun Policy

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Congress backs down on gun violence studies

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After 23 massacres since 2007, where 202 people were murdered with guns, we still know little about gun violence. Why? Because Congress cowers to the NRA and won’t fund gun violence studies.

The entity best suited for this work, the Centers for Disease Control, is precluded by law from analyzing gun deaths. In a 1996 appropriations bill (at page 245, if you care to check) is a line that reads, “That none of the funds made available for injury prevention and ...

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6
OCT
8

Gun Policy

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Accidental gun deaths–other perspectives

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Last month I wrote about kids being killed by guns. To give the issue a little more meaning, let’s look at three cases that were covered by the Columbus Dispatch and the Cincinnati Enquirer in the last three months.

June 5: a 14-year old boy in Hamilton, Ohio, died from a gunshot to the head. He and a 16-year old, who was holding the gun when it discharged, had been playing with the gun.

May 2: a 2-year old boy in ...

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16
JUN
3

Gun Policy

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Liberal gun laws and unnecessary deaths

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The level of emotion and absence of common sense concerning gun rights reached new heights a few weeks back at the Ohio Statehouse. On May 6, when asked what limits should be imposed on the right to carry a concealed weapon, Rep. Wes Retherford, R-Hamilton, answered, “I’d defend my home with an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) any day of the week if I could, but I’m not allowed.” Rep. John Becker, R-Cincinnati, said that guns are a God-given right. He ...

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20
MAY
1

Gun Policy

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Second amendment litigation continues, and 26 attorneys general take a peculiar position

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Can a municipality ban assault rifles and high capacity magazines without running afoul of the Second Amendment?  The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia says yes. What about registration requirements for hand guns and rifles and a mandatory safety course?  Are they constitutional?  The U.S. District Court (a trial court) for the District of Columbia says they are, but the issue is on appeal. How about trigger locks and bans on hollow point ammunition? The Court of Appeals ...

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26
JAN
4

Gun Policy

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Who controls the U.S. Surgeon General’s office?

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Let’s have a quiz.  Who is the U.S. Surgeon General?  (a) Vivek Murthy, (b) Boris D. Lushniak, (c) Everett Koop, or (d) none of these people.

The answer is (d), though you should feel good if you selected Boris D. Lushniak, who is the “acting” Surgeon General. Vivek Murthy should be the Surgeon General, but the Senate won’t confirm his appointment. .

Who’s Murthy? The Boston Globe has high praise for him.  He graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude in 1997 with a degree ...

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24
NOV
7

Gun Policy

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Is gun advocate John Lott a straight shooter?

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Last month, The Dispatch published an op-ed piece of mine, “Focus needs to be on reducing gun deaths,” where I stated that, if we’re serious about reducing gun deaths, we should stop debating whether more guns result in less crime because the evidence is inconclusive.” I also questioned the credibility of John Lott, an ardent advocate of concealed carry laws, because Lott had created a pseudonym, “Mary Rosh,” a supposed former student; posing as Rosh online, he praised his ...

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16
MAY
1

Gun Policy

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