Constitutional Malpractice: Ideological Doctors and the Gun Control Debate

The Obama administration has ushered in an unfortunate era of ideological doctors mixing medicine and politics with results that will make the country sick.

Currently this White House is pushing for Dr. Vivek Murthy to be the next Surgeon General of the United States. However, the administration seems more interested in the man's devotion to Obama's agenda than in his medical credentials. He will be used as a tool for pushing its agenda via the cover of medicine, claiming that what they are doing is for the nation's medical health. Not only does this mean serving up 0bamacare as a solution to our medical woes, but also saying that guns need to be part of the medical debate.

Dr. Murthy, it should be noted, is the founder of "Doctors for Obama" and is quite guilty of intertwining medicine with his master's political agenda, taking things to an illogical point. Where it comes to guns, Murthy is noted for saying he was "Tired of politicians playing politics [with] guns, putting lives at risk [because] they're scared of [the] NRA. Guns are a health care issue." Murthy was a vocal advocate for Obama's failed push for additional gun control in the wake of his re-election and the Newtown, Conn., murders. He goes above and beyond what was in the bill as he has expressed his own desire to see gun and ammo rationing as well as mandatory training and licensing to own a gun.

Needless to say, we need to put pressure on our U.S. Senators to make sure Dr. Murthy never becomes Surgeon General or we will see relentless attacks on our rights coming from that office with the media happy to spread that message. The news media often walks hand-in-hand with the 0bama administration’s desires and helps to advance its agenda like a propaganda machine. But of late it has not been enough for them. Valerie Jarrett has been sent out from the White House to put pressure on Hollywood, the media and other influential outlets to support the President's medical agenda, with Obamacare and gun control high on this list. We already see some anti-gun liberals in the medical field dutifully stepping up and grasping that banner, doing exactly what has been asked of them even when they don't have a clue what they are talking about.

Recently Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, joined that effort and did a piece for Medscape, telling doctors to get involved in the gun control debate and attacking the NRA for not being involved in gun education. Yes you heard me correctly, a serious medical online journal and an honest-to- God supposed expert put that balderdash out there for all to see.

Mr. Caplan actually said this:

"One of the leading problems with guns is that we don't educate children to know what to do when they find a gun or see a gun. So, if a 5- or 6-year-old sees a gun, we need a program that teaches that child that if you see a gun, walk away, get out of the area, and then tell an adult. That is a public health program. It's something that school nurses could do. It's something that pediatricians should talk about with their child patients. It's something that families should hear about. We need a campaign. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General candidate, thinks that it is an appropriate thing to do. Apparently, the NRA doesn't."

Wow. This is just stunning. Just a simple Google search on this subject would have told them everything they needed to know about the NRA and this subject but instead, clinging tightly to their ideological hatred of the NRA and guns, they went marching boldly forward off the cliffs of ignorance like lemmings.

In point of fact, the NRA has been involved in teaching about guns and gun safety for decades. Their Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, teaching kids if you find a gun, don't touch, tell an adult, predates the birth of my 21- year- old son. In fact Eddie has been with us teaching about gun safety since 1988. The big problem is anti-gun activists in schools and in public office have blocked getting the Eddie Eagle program into schools to teach about gun safety. They can't get past the letters NRA without a knee jerk illogical reaction, much to the detriment of all.

Caplan then suggested gun shop owners become clairvoyant:

"[T]each gun shop owners and people who own shooting ranges not to sell guns to people who are suicidal or emotionally despondent."

How the heck will a gun shop owner know this without putting the buyer on a shrink's couch? It's ludicrous.

For those in the medical community who use Medscape, I seriously suggest your automatic default with them be to second-guess anything they publish from this time forward. My wife is a doctor and she found this to be ridiculous and has seriously diminished the value of this outlet in her eyes.

My opinion is that Arthur Caplan should be laughed out of his profession for this most unprofessional performance that bordered on farce. If he were a medical doctor the term malpractice would certainly apply.

Much as I wish all of this were unique with Murthy, Caplan, etc... they are sadly not alone. JAMA, other medical journals and other medial professionals frequently wade into the gun debate willing to state things that are easily shown to be wrong. But these are people not willing to be confused with facts; they have an agenda to advance, the truth be damned. They don't take into consideration the many times law-abiding citizens use guns for self-defense or the lives saved by legal gun ownership, because the truth does not interest them. They are pushing an anti-gun agenda and abusing their credentials in pursuit of this ill-advised goal. They are a threat to our liberty and bring contempt on the medical community with their efforts. Oh for the days when doctors practiced medicine and politicians left medicine alone. Your doctor should not be asking about your guns unless he or she is looking for advice on what to use during hunting season.

So, my friends, make your voice heard in Washington D.C. Call your two Senators and demand that they block Murthy. Tell them to instruct the President to nominate a Surgeon General who is a doctor and not a political hack hell- bent on attacking our Constitutional rights.

Tim Inwood is the current Legislative Liaison and Past President of the Clinton County Farmers and Sportsmen Association, an Endowment Member of the NRA and Life Member of the OGCA, A member of the Board of Directors of the OGCA, Chairman of the Clinton County Republican Central Committee, and a volunteer for Buckeye Firearms Association.