Florida taxpayers are on the hook for $1.1M settlement with Brady Campaign and gun control lawyers

By Beth Baumann

The issue of gun safety and whether or not doctors should know about their patients’ use of firearms has become a controversial issue. A few years ago, Florida decided to tackle the issue head on. Since then, the Sunshine State has attempted to solve this complex issue.

In 2011, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 155, the Firearm Owners Privacy Act, which encouraged doctors to refrain from asking patients about guns in their homes. If a doctor violated the law, they could lose their license and face a $10,000 fine.

According to the National Rifle Association, the bill was necessary because physicians who discussed firearms with their patients had to place information in medical records, which created a de facto gun database. By getting doctors to not ask patients about guns, legislators hoped to eliminate the so-called database.

The National Rifle Association’s legislative arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, sent out a legal alert that informed Floridians that H.B. 155 “says doctors should refrain from asking about gun ownership by patients or family members unless the doctors believe in ‘good faith’ that the information is relevant to medical care or safety. Also, the law seeks to prevent doctors from …Read the Rest

Source:: The Blaze