Source: AAFP Washington, DC, Office
On February 16, a federal appeals judges ruled that the state of Florida’s gun counseling gag law was constitutional. The Firearm Owners Privacy Act, enacted in 2011, prohibited physicians from asking about gun ownership except when “clinically necessary.” The law also prohibited doctors from entering gun ownership data into medical records.
Since the law was enacted, Florida physicians and medical societies have challenged the policy in the courts, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Physicians. The law was initially struck down by a U.S. District Judge in Miami. Then, it was upheld by the Eleventh Circuit Court in Atlanta.