--- title: "Psych News Alert: Court Says Florida's Ban on Physicians Discussing Gun Ownership Is Legal" description: A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court's ruling that Florida's law limiting what physicians can discuss with their patie... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gun%20and%20gavel_147179384-Jun-24-2025-06-43-38-5597-PM.jpg --- 7/29/14 12:00 AM # Court Says Florida's Ban on Physicians Discussing Gun Ownership Is Legal ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/07/court-says-florida-ban-on-physicians.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/07/court-says-florida-ban-on-physicians.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/07/court-says-florida-ban-on-physicians.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/07/court-says-florida-ban-on-physicians.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/07/court-says-florida-ban-on-physicians.html) | ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gun%20and%20gavel_147179384-Jun-24-2025-06-43-37-8440-PM.jpg?width=200&height=133&name=gun%20and%20gavel_147179384-Jun-24-2025-06-43-37-8440-PM.jpg) | | | --- | --- | A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court's ruling that Florida's law limiting what physicians can discuss with their patients regarding gun ownership violates physicians' First Amendment right to free speech. The lower court had issued an injunction in June 2012 against enforcing the law, which was signed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) in June 2011. APA, the AMA, and several other physician organizations had submitted an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit urging the justices to reject the state's attempt to revive the law after the lower court decision, pointing out that asking about gun ownership and guns in the home is an important screening tool, like asking about substances of abuse, smoking, and eating habits, for example. But in its July 25 ruling, the appeals court found that the law did not violate free-speech rights but was instead a "legitimate regulation" of medical conduct in the service of providing patients with "good medical care." The majority of the appeals court panel ruled that the law "simply codifies that good medical care does not require inquiry or record keeping regarding firearms when unnecessary to a patient's care.... Any burden the Act places on physician speech is thus entirely incidental." The justices also said that patients' right to privacy regarding gun ownership takes precedence over physicians' right to inquire about this subject. Paul Appelbaum, M.D., past chair of the APA Committee on Judicial Action and the Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Law at Columbia University, told *Psychiatric News,* "The 11th Circuit’s decision upholding Florida’s gag law is troubling because it is one more example of courts and legislatures attempting to control what doctors say to patients. Here, the judges have decided that asking routinely about the presence of guns is contrary to good medical practice and hence can be prohibited by the state. When courts set the standards for clinical interactions rather than leaving that task in medical hands, the inevitable result is harmful to the public’s health." (image:scottlitt/shutterstock) [Paul Appelbaum](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/paul-appelbaum), [Florida gun law](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/florida-gun-law) ## Related posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_42297739-4.jpg?height=200&name=shutterstock_42297739-4.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/07/physicians-argue-case-against-florida.html) [AMA](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ama), [gun ownership](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gun-ownership), [physicians](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/physicians), [doctor-patient relationship](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/doctor-patient-relationship) ## [Physicians Argue Case Against Florida Law On Communication About Gun Ownership](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/07/physicians-argue-case-against-florida.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 7/15/11 12:00 AM Copywrite: Stocklite Lawyers representing doctors in Florida told a U.S. District Court judge this... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/07/physicians-argue-case-against-florida.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/smoking%20gun2_66960676-Jun-24-2025-03-48-06-1294-PM.jpg?height=200&name=smoking%20gun2_66960676-Jun-24-2025-03-48-06-1294-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/11/florida-law-violates-mds-free-speech.html) [APA](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/apa), [physician-patient relationship](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/physician-patient-relationship), [American Psychiatric Association](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/american-psychiatric-association), [Florida gun law](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/florida-gun-law), [First Amendment](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/first-amendment) ## [Florida Law Violates M.D.s' Free-Speech Rights, APA Tells Court](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/11/florida-law-violates-mds-free-speech.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 6/24/24 11:16 AM APA has joined the AMA and several medical specialty societies in an amicus brief urging a Florida... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/11/florida-law-violates-mds-free-speech.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Florida-636903844-Jun-24-2025-07-14-32-0279-PM.jpg?height=200&name=Florida-636903844-Jun-24-2025-07-14-32-0279-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/02/us-appeals-court-upholds-doctors-right.html) [firearms](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/firearms), [American Academy of Pediatrics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/american-academy-of-pediatrics), [Florida gun law](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/florida-gun-law), [gun safety](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gun-safety), [Marvin Swartz](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/marvin-swartz) ## [U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Doctors Right to Ask Patients About Gun Ownership](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/02/us-appeals-court-upholds-doctors-right.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 2/17/17 12:00 AM The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday upheld a lower federal court ruling against... 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