Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Doctor Prescribes Requiring a “Medical License” for Gun Ownership

Friday, August 19, 2016

Doctor Prescribes Requiring a “Medical License” for Gun Ownership

In a recent Medical Economics blog, Dr. Monya De wrote a piece titled, “Obtaining an assault rifle should be as difficult as becoming a doctor.”

In this outlandish article, De illustrates the difficulties medical students must go through in order to practice medicine. She calls them “model citizens, because model citizens should be the ones holding lives in their hands.” She lists the “strenuous” tasks that people going into medicine take on such as how “They curb their drinking to avoid the DUI that could end their chances for medical or nursing school. They volunteer their time, work as research lab servants for free, take difficult tests, and write and rewrite essays on why they should have a license to heal.”

But avoiding drinking and driving, volunteering time, and working hard to get a career in any field are routine among law-abiding citizens from all walks of life and professions.  Such activities and behaviors are not specific to those interested in medical careers. 

It is also clear that doctors, or what De consider “model citizens”, are not the only people who hold lives in their hands. All humans hold the gift of life in their hands doing common daily tasks such as driving, operating heavy machinery, flying airplanes, slicing pizza, and the numerous other activities that make up life in modern society.

She claims that “assault rifles” give people “the power to end many people’s lives” and that if someone wants to own one “they should have to make a fantastic case for it, and the process should be highly selective” including, but not limited to, “difficult tests on firearm safety, not just cursory exams” and they should “write essays about why they should receive this privilege.”

Essays to exercise a constitutional right? 

We would start our essay on why we should “receive this privilege” by refreshing this doctor’s mind that owning an AR-15 is not a privilege, but an inalienable right expressed in the Second Amendment. We would remind her of why this right was written by James Madison and placed in the Bill of Rights in the first place: to allow citizens the means to defend themselves.  

And it appears we have to remind De that while owning a firearm is a constitutional right, becoming a doctor is not.  Becoming a doctor is a privilege to those who dedicate themselves to that career path who also have access to the substantial means to pay for the education to do so.

Even with the highly selective and strenuous lifestyle that is necessary for people to become doctors, medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (behind only heart disease and cancer), accounting for more than 250,000 fatalities a year. This is almost ten times the number of annual deaths attributable to firearms, including the some 20,000 that occur by suicide, despite the rigorous requirements described by De.

Instead of creating new requirements to limit the constitutional rights of “ordinary” law-abiding citizens, we might suggest that De could serve society better by focusing her energies to the obvious problems within the medical profession itself.

TRENDING NOW
Biden’s Executive Order Targeting Gun Ownership

News  

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Biden’s Executive Order Targeting Gun Ownership

On Tuesday, Joe Biden issued an executive order on gun control that could accurately be described as a mile wide and an inch deep.

Columnist thinks gun owners can be shamed out of their rights

News  

Monday, March 20, 2023

Columnist thinks gun owners can be shamed out of their rights

At least one of the joyless scolds that predominate in gun control circles thinks they’ve stumbled onto a novel anti-gun tactic. According to Colorado Newsline Editor Quentin Young, gun control supporters should try to shame gun ...

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

News  

Monday, January 30, 2023

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

On Monday, January 30, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) published the final Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached “Stabilizing Braces” rule for public inspection in the federal register.

Florida: Senate’s Constitutional Carry Passes Committee

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Florida: Senate’s Constitutional Carry Passes Committee

Today, the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee voted 11-6 to approve Senate Bill 150, constitutional carry, with an amendment aligning the language with the House’s version. It will now go to the full Senate for further consideration.

Washington: Senate Committee Hearing California-Style Gun Ban & Waiting Period Bills

Friday, March 17, 2023

Washington: Senate Committee Hearing California-Style Gun Ban & Waiting Period Bills

On March 23rd, at 8:00AM, the Senate Committee on Law & Justice will hear House Bill 1240, a comprehensive gun ban bill, and House Bill 1143, to impose a waiting period and training mandate for acquiring ...

U.S. Taxpayers Funding “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation Orders

News  

Monday, March 20, 2023

U.S. Taxpayers Funding “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation Orders

Texans are paying for so-called “Red Flag” gun confiscation orders in New York. North Carolinians are bankrolling Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPOs) in New Jersey. Louisianans are footing the bill for gun confiscation orders in Maryland.

The New Mexico Legislature Finishes Its 2023 Regular Session

Sunday, March 19, 2023

The New Mexico Legislature Finishes Its 2023 Regular Session

The New Mexico Legislature wrapped up at noon on Saturday, March 18.  Below is a list of gun control bills which passed and extreme anti-gun legislation which NRA-ILA worked to defeat with pro-Second Amendment lawmakers, members of the firearms ...

Washington: Updates on Anti-Gun Bills

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Washington: Updates on Anti-Gun Bills

Three major anti-gun bills still remain active in the Legislature, while others are likely defeated for the session. The NRA provided testimony and strong, united opposition to these bills throughout the legislative process thus far.

Florida: House Judiciary Passes Constitutional Carry

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Florida: House Judiciary Passes Constitutional Carry

Today, the House Judiciary Committee voted 17-6 to advance House Bill 543, the constitutional carry bill. It will now go to the House floor for debate.

Michigan: Senate Passes Gun Control Schemes

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Michigan: Senate Passes Gun Control Schemes

Today, the Senate passed anti-gun bill packages to criminalize private transfers, require firearms be made unavailable for self-defense, and allow Second Amendment rights to be suspended without due process. They will now move to the House for further ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.