Appeals court upholds Florida's 'docs vs. glocks' law

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Appeals Court for the Eleventh Circuit has upheld the controversial legislation in Florida, which forbids physicians from asking patients questions about gun ownership during medical visits.

In overturning a district court's opinion, the appeals court held the Firearm Owners' Privacy Act, which was backed by the National Rifle Association and signed into law by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, does not violate the First Amendment.

"In order to protect patients, physicians have for millennia been subject to codes of conduct that define the practice of good medicine and affirm the responsibility physicians bear," Judge Gerald Tjoflat wrote. "In keeping with these tradition codes of conduct — which almost universally mandate respect for patient privacy — the Act simply acknowledges that the practice of good medicine does not require interrogation about irrelevant, private matters."

The lawsuit was filed by three Florida physician organization and individual physicians. The plaintiffs argued that physicians, specifically pediatricians, need to be able to ask gun ownership questions in order to advise parents on gun safety measures that should be taken in households where children are present. The plaintiffs further argued the law is a violation of the First Amendment. 

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