Federal appeals court upholds law banning Florida physicians from asking patients about guns

The 11^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Florida’s controversial law restricting physicians and medical personnel from asking patients about gun ownership. The decision overturned a previous district court ruling that declared the 2011 law unconstitutional.

In its ruling, the appeals court wrote that the law protected patient privacy. Under the law, physicians can only ask patients about gun ownership and enter that information into their medical records if it is medically necessary. Violating the law can result in fines or loss of licenses.

Organizations such as the Florida chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians challenged the law on grounds that it violated physicians’ First Amendment rights to discuss safe gun ownership with patients.