Comments on: More thoughts on the Virginia Tech massacre http://www.shwiggie.com/more-thoughts-on-the-virginia-tech-massacre/ Random Thoughts from a Random Mind Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:23:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Shwiggie http://www.shwiggie.com/more-thoughts-on-the-virginia-tech-massacre/comment-page-1/#comment-631 Shwiggie Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:32:19 +0000 http://www.shwiggie.com/?p=62#comment-631 I've been reading Newt Gingrich's <i>Winning the Future</i> book, which is primarily a set of proposed solutions to current problems, and one of the biggies that it addresses is health care reform. One of the planks of the proposed solution is to completely digitize the keeping of medical records. The point was to give people more ownership over their medical histories (taking power away from hospitals) and flexibility to share them with whom they will (as in other, more competitive hospitals). Such a system should be easily cross-referenced by the existing NCIC system. All it would take is a check box on the information sheet filled out at the point of the gun purchase. The seller could make the call (or the law could require) not to sell the gun to someone refusing to let their medical history be checked. I’ve been reading Newt Gingrich’s Winning the Future book, which is primarily a set of proposed solutions to current problems, and one of the biggies that it addresses is health care reform. One of the planks of the proposed solution is to completely digitize the keeping of medical records. The point was to give people more ownership over their medical histories (taking power away from hospitals) and flexibility to share them with whom they will (as in other, more competitive hospitals).

Such a system should be easily cross-referenced by the existing NCIC system. All it would take is a check box on the information sheet filled out at the point of the gun purchase. The seller could make the call (or the law could require) not to sell the gun to someone refusing to let their medical history be checked.

]]> By: BumblebeeZ3 http://www.shwiggie.com/more-thoughts-on-the-virginia-tech-massacre/comment-page-1/#comment-630 BumblebeeZ3 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:07:53 +0000 http://www.shwiggie.com/?p=62#comment-630 While I don't want insane people toting high firepower, I'm not sure a mental history check being instituted would necessarily be a good thing. I guess I'm just afraid of an eventual development that any access made to a therapist would preclude gun ownership, thus providing another means for the government to marginalize the number of its citizens who possess firearms. Also there is the question of doctor patient confidentiality. While I don’t want insane people toting high firepower, I’m not sure a mental history check being instituted would necessarily be a good thing. I guess I’m just afraid of an eventual development that any access made to a therapist would preclude gun ownership, thus providing another means for the government to marginalize the number of its citizens who possess firearms. Also there is the question of doctor patient confidentiality.

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