I'm a gun guy and even I think this is bullshit!

[Clueless Morgan]

Doctors are supposed to make recommendations for the safety of their patients (and in cases like these of others.)  Especially in cases of mental health.

This is where I see the extent of doctors inquiries into their patients' privacy ending.  I absolutely think that it is 100% reasonable that a person who is diagnosed with some kinds of mental illnesses be recommended by their doctor to not keep firearms in their homes along the same lines as a doctor would make health (and/or safety) recommendations to any other patient about any other behavior that could lead to an increased risk of an unhealthy thing happening (and I would classify being shot as an unhealthy thing).  For example, in a family with a young child who exhibits the propensity to light things on fire, I think it is very reasonable for the parents of that child to get a recommendation that they not keep matches or lighters in their home to minimize the risk that the child will burn their house down.

I don't, however, think that doctors necessarily have the right to ask, unbidden, whether their patients keep firearms in their homes, just as I don't think it's an effective use of the doctor's time with their patient to ask every patient they see whether they keep matches.

2) I can think of a few instances in which a doctor might be curious about if a patient had guns or not, for example doctors sometimes ask you if you drive when they give you heavy medication that might prevent you driving.  In some cases they don't ask if you drive, they just say don't drive if you take this medication. 

Exactly.  It's not the doctor's business whether you own a firearm, but I do think it is a reasonable thing to recommend that firearms should not be kept in a household where someone has displayed suicidal or aggressive behavior.

This seems to me to be a problem that's just escalated and got out of hand maybe some doctors asked too many prying questions about guns that they shouldn't have then the backlash is a law that prevents any questions about guns.

Because the best response to a problem is an overreaction.

/sarcasm

In this country, if you're deemed to be a danger to yourself, you may lose your belt and shoe laces and be given a room with padding .. but they'd damn well better not take your guns!