Community | November 25, 2009 | 5 comments

A Vote For Health Care, A Vote Against Gun Rights?

source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120809045

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atomiclegion
President Obama's push to overhaul the nation's health care system has been sparking debate for months. But a new attack that emerged Saturday — from a gun-rights group — still managed to "surprise" the administration, according to communications director Dan Pfeiffer.

In this case, the surprise came just before the Senate's test vote on the health care bill Saturday night. A group called Gun Owners of America sent letters to all senators saying a vote for the bill was a vote against gun rights.

Pfeiffer put a post on the White House blog calling the claim "rather shocking."

But Erich Pratt, the group's communications director, says the big issues of the health care debate — such as costs and mandates — have left little room for discussion of other issues.

For one, Gun Owners of America challenges the idea of electronic health records. It says bad information from mental health records will infect the FBI's instant check database — causing interference when people want to buy firearms.

As Pratt put it: "Every medical record will be fed into a government medical database, which was created under the stimulus bill, and that information can be forwarded to the Brady background check system."

Not true, says Dr. David Blumenthal, who is in charge of the administration's initiative on electronic health records. "There is no such database and no plans to create one," he says.

Blumenthal says a unified database of medical records is far beyond the government's technology and budget.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120809045
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5 comments // A Vote For Health Care, A Vote Against Gun Rights?

  • vesher
    • 0
      vesher  

    • files are already being compiled about the citizens of this nation. can u say lawful wiretapping? terrorist watch-lists? data-farming? dont be so naive.. as technology improves so will spy tech.. i mean, what do u think the fbi does?

    • 2 years ago
  • Adam_Kirkham
    • 0
      Adam_Kirkham  

    • I am always amused when Americans talk about FireArm rights, in most civilised countries it is the role of the state in the form of police or army to maintain order, yet americans who live in the free world feel that they need to protect themselves, its also laughable that they would probably be defending themselves against other gun wielding criminals. By removing guns from america a hell of alot of people wouldn't get shot and crime would probably go down. I think its also funny because healthcare saves lives yet guns can only take, i think thats more relevent. Finally quote "It says bad information from mental health records will infect the FBI's instant check database — causing interference when people want to buy firearms." its better if a sane person can't buy a gun rather then a lunatic.
      end of rant

    • 2 years ago
  • evoleon
  • Adam_Kirkham
    • 0
      Adam_Kirkham  
    • Adam_Kirkham:

      you say im wrong yet clearly many people agree with me, when they refer to gun control i believe that all guns should be taken off the street and imports of guns should be banned, i live in a developed nation and we don't suffer from the type of horrible crime america does. guns fighting guns is almost like an eye for an eye. a criminal robs my house so i kill him, whos worse the thief or the murderer, you tell me

    • 2 years ago
  • evoleon
    • 0
      evoleon  
    • Adam_Kirkham:

      Oh yeah I'm sure that rapist will understand. When you break into someone’s home you forfeit your rights, as you violate another persons. A gun is the great equalizer, now you may want women in your country to be at mercy of the thugs, but in our country we prefer our women armed and fully able to defend themselves and their children. You are not taking guns away from bad people only the good people. If a person has the incentive to use the gun in an illegal way (ie kill someone) you honestly thinks he cares about the repercussions of owning an "illegal" gun. Oh yeah slap that 1 year charge on the 4 counts of murder that will really hurt me with life in prison and all.

      You have been lulled into a false sense of security. If a person wants to hurt you they can easily get a gun, knife, car, or even make a bomb. You say your country is more civilized but look at how your governments treat protestors. Merciless beating by the police, the gassing of peaceful objectors. Don’t you think there is a possibility that one day the ones in power may start using deadly force to quell domestic disputes. The way of the government will rule and you will be utterly helpless with no real means of getting back any freedoms or liberties you have. Look at dictators the first thing they do is to remove any means of defense. Considered to have killed many times more people than Hitler and joseph stalin combined, Mao Zedong said once “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun”. Thus shortly after his rule began he confiscated all of the firearms in his country. Leaving those who could go against his tyranny helpless and often dead.

    • 2 years ago
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