Thanks to the nonprofit Brady United, doctors are no longer “staying in their lanes” when it comes to gun violence prevention.
The organization, dedicated to advocating for gun violence control and prevention, recently published a resource guide featuring practical tips and strategies for talking to patients about firearm access.
“Healthcare professionals have a unique opportunity to protect the health and safety of our communities,” the resource guide reads. “However, clinicians too often shy away from discussing firearm safety because they are worried about alienating their patients. But research suggests that most patients find it appropriate for healthcare providers to initiate conversations about firearms.”
The resource guide was born out of Brady United’s “This Is Our Lane” campaign, a coalition of health care professionals dedicated to reducing firearm injuries and deaths. Dr. Joseph Sakran, a trauma surgeon, Brady’s Chief Medical Officer, and gun violence survivor started the campaign following a 2018 comment from the NRA telling doctors to “stay in their lane” when talking about gun violence prevention.
This valuable resource also offers journalists an avenue for covering the role medical professionals can play in preventing firearm violence.
On-demand webinar
To learn more about this guide and how doctors can help prevent gun violence, view our recorded webinar from Feb. 21, 2025, with Dr. Joseph Sakran.
How to start the conversation
The bulk of the guide focuses on how doctors can and should bring up firearms with their patients.
One section covers the dos and don’t s of that conversation.
The dos include:
- Approaching the conversation with sensitivity and respect. The guide encourages doctors to ask open-ended questions like: As part of our routine safety checks, we talk to all of our patients about home safety, including the safe storage of medications and firearms. Are your medications safely stored? Do you have any guns at home? And if they do have firearms, they should ask: How do you store them? What steps do you take to ensure that your firearms are kept out of reach of children and unauthorized users?
- Assessing, then educating on the risks and benefits. The guide urges clinicians to inform their patients about firearm access in a way that’s relevant to them. Soley listing off statistics isn’t usually effective. Also, if the patient has kids in their home or anyone who has experienced suicidal thoughts, clinicians should share the risks an unlocked and loaded gun poses.
- Respecting their privacy. Patients might worry that discussing their firearms risks social or legal problems, the guide says. Clinicians should assure patients that the conversation is confidential. They should only document details directly relevant to their health.
The don’ts include:
- Being confrontational or judgemental. Doctors should avoid language that makes their patients feel defensive and judged. They shouldn’t lecture patients based on their personal beliefs on firearms or position themselves as a gun expert, unless they are.
- Assuming or neglecting cultural sensitivities. Health care professionals should never assume whether or not their patient owns a gun or if they practice safe storage or not. They should also be aware of the cultural, regional and individual attitudes toward firearms.
- Ignoring signs of immediate risk. If a patient is at an immediate risk for injury, such as a suicide attempt, doctors should immediately intervene and provide resources or emergency services.
The guide also provides eight scripts clinicians can reference depending on the type of patient they’re treating: adult, older adult and teen patients. There are also scripts for a pediatrician talking to a parent, a school nurse talking to a student, a doctor talking to the caregiver of a dementia patient, a provider talking to a patient experiencing domestic violence, and a follow-up visit with a trauma patient.
Common challenges
The guide encourages clinicians to acknowledge their patient’s feelings and reassure them that they’re not judging them on their decision to own a firearm. They should make it clear that their only concern is their overall health and safety. This conversation should be similar to how doctors discuss smoking, alcohol and seatbelts.
If the patient shuts down entirely, the guide encourages doctors to respect their boundaries. They can offer to talk about this topic during a different visit and provide any relevant resources.
Doctors also might feel unqualified to talk about guns with their patients. They should acknowledge this but should also educate themselves on the topic before speaking with patients..
Since doctors often have limited time, the guide encourages them to make a checklist that prioritizes key points and essential information to discuss with patients..
Other resources
- Brady United is a great resource for reporters covering gun violence.
- Their press secretary: Jack Craven (jcraven@bradyunited.org).
- A similar guide, the BulletPoints Project from the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis, also offers clinicians strategies for discussing guns. (We covered it here.)
