President Obama said Wednesday that he wants doctors to talk to their patients about responsible gun use, just days the American Medical Association and other medical organizations sent Obama a letter invoking the Newtown tragedy to request more funding for programs that would allow for doctor-patient gun conversations.
The AMA, which is the largest association of physicians in the country, contributed more than $16,000 to Obama’s re-election campaign.
“Doctors and other health care providers also need to be able to ask about firearms in their patients’ homes and safe storage of those firearms, especially if their patients show signs of certain mental illnesses or if they have a young child or mentally ill family member at home,” Obama said in his Wednesday press conference unveiling his new gun control plan.
The AMA and 51 other medical organizations sent a letter to Obama last week invoking the Newtown shooting to request more funding from Obama, including for programs that would better enable doctors to talk to their patients about guns. The Daily Caller first reported on the letter last week.
“More resources are needed for safety education programs that promote more responsible use and storage of firearms. Physicians need to be able to have frank discussions with their patients and parents of patients about firearm safety issues and risks to help them safeguard their families from accidents,” the letter read.