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GPs in Bedfordshire are being urged to breach confidentiality and tell the cops if they think a patient applying for a firearms certificate is a danger.

The appeal is made in the latest newsletter of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Local Medical Committee (LMC) - a body which represents local doctors.

It says: 'In exceptional circumstances a doctor may have good reason to believe that an individual either applying for a firearms certificate, or already in possession of one, may represent a danger to either themselves or others.

'In these circumstances doctors should strongly encourage the applicant to reconsider or revoke their application.

'If the applicant refuses, the doctor should consider breaching confidentiality and telling a senior police officer - usually the chief constable of the county - of their concerns.

'Consent should initially be sought from the applicant for contacting the police, but if it is not possible to obtain consent the doctor should consider making his or her concerns known without consent wherever feasible.'

This is not news. You sign away your confidentiallity when you apply - there is a clause on the form allowing the Police to approach your doctor. If a doctor feels there is enough concern to approach the police then there is a serious situation brewing, doctors are busy enough without taking time to ring in for every patient who might be a firearms risk, they'll wait until appraoched at licence renewal or grant stage.

Even if the doc expresses concern, it is then taken under review by the police. If the circumstances seem to warrant the application's refusal then I don't have any problems with that (it does says exceptional circumstances) and there is always the right of appeal.

I have just had a thought, you have a medical condition that those god's in white can't find a cause for and they put it down to being in your mind and send you to a shrink for treatment, Bingo your weapon's are history.

Well, maybe not. I have been suffering from IBS for severall year's now, the doctor's can't find a cause for my 10-23 bowel movement's a day, so I was refered to a shrink for treatment. I informed the civil servant who is responsible for the gun licence's here, about what was going on. His reply was, ''it has to do with a physical condition, and not a mental health condition, I see no problem's''....... Some may say I was a bit daft going and informing him about my problem, but, I didn't want any pencil necked wally trying to profile themselve's at my cost. He is now aware of the situation and why I'm having to go and visit a shrink, so nobody can back stab me, he was even concerned and started giving me tip's on what helped him in the past, shame that I'd already tried all of the thing's that he'd suggested.

Tony

Matt,  you are right in what you say. I was aware that the Police were allowed to approach my Doctor to discuss my medical history if they suspected that I were unsuitable , so I did wonder why these guys in this LMC suddenly decided to make an issue out of it ?

The BMA already advises doctors to do this BTW.

Quoted: Matt,  you are right in what you say. I was aware that the Police were allowed to approach my Doctor to discuss my medical history if they suspected that I were unsuitable , so I did wonder why these guys in this LMC suddenly decided to make an issue out of it ? The BMA already advises doctors to do this BTW.

Because they're fuckers that's why.
They'll stick a needle in you when you're old and then sign the death certificate as "natural causes".