Ok, a couple of docs have responded as if it should be perfectly normal for them to ask about guns.
I suppose it is...
Here are the times when it is relevant to ask a patient about guns:
If you suspect lead poisoning.
If a patient complains of hearing loss.
If a patient seems to be suffering from gunshot.
If a patient seems to be afflicted by some ailment which could result from repeated firearm recoil.
In short, when the ailment or condition of the patient leads you to suspect that guns are a factor in the ailment or condition it is perfectly relevant for you to ask about guns.
How a patient stores his gun has nothing to do with the PRACTICE OF MEDICINE and is therefore NOT YOUR BUSINESS as a doctor.
If you think it is your business to see that all of your patients store their guns safely then by the same token you should ask about pool enclosures, safety seats, seat belts, air bags, driving habits, dead bolts, security systems, presence of 5 gallon buckets when toddlers are in the home, storage of kitchen knives, electrical outlet safety, aluminum wiring, radon gas, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, storage of household chemicals, life insurance, etc.
Making me and my family SAFER is not your job--that is MY job. Your opinion of what makes me safer is IRRELEVANT to your profession and therefore should not be broached during a medical interview under the pretense that it pertains to your profession.
Your job is maintaining my HEALTH--that is what I PAY you to do. So that I can kill myself skydiving if I so choose.
If you feel that it is critical that you discuss gun safety with people then I recommend that you become a firearms instructor and hold classes.
I, by the way, am a certified firearms instructor. I became one because I think it is important that people learn firearm safety. I am concerned for the well-being of my students. Do you think it would be right, in the interest of improving my student's well-being, for me to ask about their medical history? Or to offer them medical advice?
If you are really concerned about your patients' safety with regard to firearms, I suggest you ask a local firearm safety instructor for some brochures and hand them out to your patients.