Rand Paul Blocks Surgeon General Nominee For Saying Gun Violence Is A Public Health Threat | ThinkProgress

Rand Paul Blocks Surgeon General Nominee For Saying Gun Violence Is A Public Health Threat | ThinkProgress



Rand Paul, of course, has no concept of a physician's duty to help safeguard the health of actual people, both on an individual and population (public health) basis.

“As a physician, I am deeply concerned that he has advocated that
doctors use their position of trust to ask patients, including minors,
details about gun ownership in the home… Dr. Murthy has disqualified
himself from being Surgeon General because of his intent to use that
position to launch an attack on Americans’ right to own a firearm under
the guise of a public health and safety campaign.”


But Paul is actually out of step with most physicians. The idea that
gun violence is a danger to public health is utterly uncontroversial
among doctors’ groups, academic institutions that focus on public health, and children’s safety advocates.
Although Paul criticizes Murthy’s position that physicians and
pediatricians should ask patients about the presence of guns in their
households, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution in 2011
officially opposing any law that bars doctors from having open
conversations about gun safety and the risks of having firearms in a
household with their patients.


In fact, just yesterday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
issued new guidelines recommending that households with children who are
diagnosed with depression should remove guns and ammunition from their homes entirely.

Sphere: Related Content