Fla. Law Barring Docs From Discussing Guns With Patients Violates Free Speech, Court Rules

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 10-1 ruling, said, “Florida does not have carte blanche to restrict the speech of doctors and medical professionals on a certain subject."

The New York Times: Florida Doctors May Discuss Guns With Patients, Court Rules

A federal appeals court cleared the way on Thursday for Florida doctors to talk to their patients about gun safety, overturning a 2011 law that pitted medical providers against the state’s powerful gun lobby. In its 10-to-1 ruling, the full panel of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit concluded that doctors could not be threatened with losing their license for asking patients if they owned guns and for discussing gun safety because to do so would violate their free speech. (Alvarez, 2/16)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Federal Appeals Court: Doctors Can Ask About Guns In The Home

A federal appeals court, in a case that has pitted the First Amendment against the Second Amendment, sided Thursday with free speech. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Florida’s so-called “Docs and Glocks” law, which prohibited doctors from asking patients about guns in the home, violated a physician’s free speech rights. (Cook, 2/16)

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