Dear Dr. Faria,

I read with great interest, excerpts from your article (appearing today on the Medscape web page) about physicians asking patients about ownership of firearms. I could not agree more with your position. Far too often, members of our profession step beyond the bounds of medicine and wellness to promulgate their own social and/or political agendas, eroding our credibility when addressing legitimate medical issues. As you know, more children lose their lives in backyard pools than from firearm accidents, yet no cries are heard to ban wading pools. The demagoguery with which some of our colleagues cite tragically flawed "studies" that include "children" up to twenty years of age is infuriating.

I applaud you for having the courage to take a stand on an issue that often draws hateful criticism from within our profession.

Timothy R. Bonine, MD
Major, Medical Corps, USAF
341st Medical Group

Correspondence originally published in the Medical Sentinel 2001;6(4);109-110 Copyright©2001 Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS).