You know your state legislature has a gun problem when they try to tell doctors they can't ask their patients whether there's a gun at home.
So if a Florida law passed in 2011 is any indication, Florida lawmakers may have a bit of an issue—one the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Thursday.
The law, nicknamed "docs vs. glocks," bars doctors—professional medical doctors, who take an oath to do everything in their power to ensure the survival of those in their care—from asking their patients whether there's a gun at home if the question isn't "medically relevant," whatever that means.
The court's decision has reversed that...at least for now.
State House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz, who hails from Tampa, applauded the decision.
“I’m extremely pleased the Court has ruled this bad law unconstitutional so that doctors can go back to doing their jobs without fear of being fined or losing their license," Cruz said in a written statement. "From the beginning, this was nothing more than a solution in search of a problem. Unfortunately, that’s an all-too-common occurrence among Republicans in Tallahassee who write legislation that’s intended to appeal to their base rather than the best interests of all Floridians.”
Florida's monied pro-gun-whatevers may have shuddered a bit in the wake of the decision, but they likely take comfort in the fact that Republican lawmakers are getting ready to push tons of gun-friendly laws during next month's legislative session; everything from open carry to the abolition of gun-free zones at places like schools and bars. What could go wrong?
